Tommy Richman’s Non-Rap Song “Million Dollar Baby” Submitted For Rap Grammy Categories
Tommy Richman‘s “Million Dollar Baby,” 2024’s longest-running No. 1 song atop Billboard’s R&B chart, is competing for a Rap Grammy.
The Hollywood Reporterstates that Richman and his team submitted the hit song for both the Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards show.
If nominated, Richman would find himself competing against some heavy hitters, including Kendrick Lamar (“Not Like Us), Megan Thee Stallion (“Hiss”) 21 Savage (Redrum”), GloRilla (“Yeah Glo!”), Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign (“Carnival”), and Future and Metro Boomin (“Like That”).
X/Tommyrichman
X/Tommyrichman
The move from Richman and his team arrives just a couple of weeks after the Coyote artist asserted online that he is “not a Hip-Hop artist.” Richman’s comments sent ripples through social media as Hip-Hop-based talking heads voiced their opinions.
“So every Hip-Hop station playing MDB (‘Million Dollar Baby’) or DIAL (‘Devil is a Lie’) should stop today. Thanks for the Heds Up,” California-based DJ Hed typed in response. “Glad I got the PSA before I did my radio mix. I now have 2 open slots. What should I play? NO ONE is bigger than the culture.”
Joe Budden detailed Richman’s comments as a dog whistle of sorts for white artists who don’t want to stand next to Black artists but want to use or create Black art.
Tommy Richman would later return to social media with a couple posts clarifying his remarks, saying, “I’ll say again, Im thankful for everything. I’m saying I don’t wanna be boxed in. I grew up on Hip-Hop. But I’m a singer…I meant to say I’m not SOLELY a Hip-Hop artist.”
Tommy Richman tweets in a vacuum aren’t that bad. It’s the history behind how white artist can be in Hip-Hop or Hip-Hop adjacent then pretty much denounce it to switch genres. When at the same time the CMA’s won’t even recognize Beyoncé’s last album as Country. That’s the issue pic.twitter.com/wrtbOUI1SD
— Eddie Francis (@yourboyeddie) October 3, 2024
But rest assured if Tomnmy doesn’t win in either Hip-Hop category at the Grammys, there is a chance that he may still walk away with some hardware. Richman also finds himself nominated for Song of The Year and Record of The Year for “Million Dollar Baby” and Best New Artist.
In a year when Beyoncé‘s country album, Cowboy Carter, was shut out from the Country Music Awards for reasons we have yet to understand, it’ll be wise to keep an eye on the Grammys and Tommy Richman situation.