If you are in tune with the Hip Hop world at all or are just active on TikTok or Instagram, I am pretty certain you have heard of Tommy Richman, or at least heard one of his viral hits. Tommy Richman has taken the music world by storm in 2024; so much so, that many people were originally accusing him of being an industry plant(which I do not believe to be the case at all, for the record). Tommy Richman burst onto the scene earlier this year when his song ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ started to go absurdly viral in the spring of this year. ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ has risen to become what is easily one of the biggest songs of 2024, and is a definite song of the summer candidate. He followed this track up with another very popular and viral single, ‘DEVIL IS A LIE.’ This one was not quite as possible as its predecessor, but still certainly did numbers and helped show Tommy Richman is not a flash in the pan/one hit wonder. Now, it is easy to see why these two songs became so popular. They are very unique in today’s Hip Hop landscape but do have roots in a style of Hip Hop and R&B that was popular in the early 2000s. Tommy Richman is from Northern Virginia, where artists like Timbaland and Missy Elliott are from. His instrumentals on these two singles do have elements of the funk music that was made big by these artists about 25 years ago; it is apparent he is very inspired by that style of Funky Hip Hop. Tommy Richman also stands out for his unique, high-pitched vocal style. He is a trained Opera singer, and this is super apparent in the way that he sings. Now, it may seem like Tommy Richman appeared out of the blue, but he has been grinding for a while and has worked hard for this success. Tommy Richman started putting out original music back in 2016 and has released multiple singles and EPs throughout the years. His 2022 EP Paycheck helped him get noticed locally. This project got him discovered by another fellow Northern Virginia artist, Brent Faiyaz. Tommy Richman signed to Brent’s label, supported him on his F*ck The World, It’s A Wasteland tour and was featured on the song ‘Upset’ from Brent’s mixtape Larger Than Life(which is one of my favorite songs from that excellent 2023 mixtape). Tommy Richman is ready to capitalize on his newfound success, as he just released his debut album, COYOTE. Below, I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite songs from this record, and then go into some overall thoughts on the record at the end. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from Tommy Richman’s COYOTE, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole.

WHITNEY

We get one of the boldest and most riveting moments of the record by far in the second track with ‘WHITNEY.’ Honestly, after hearing thing one, I thought the album would go in a completely different direction from this point on. Let’s just say that things tame down a significant amount for the most part after this one. ‘WHITNEY’ somehow feels futuristic and retro at the same time. The pacing of the track and the pitch and warmth of the synths are reminiscent of the 1980s, specifically New Wave artists like INXS or Flock of Seagulls. The mix on these synths, though, is so saturated that it almost makes them abrasive. It honestly reminds me a lot of the kind of Neo-Disco music that was being made by artists like Cherub in the early 2010s. This kind of music may not be for everyone, but I do have an affinity for it. Tommy Richman really flexes his vocal chops on this one, that is for sure. In ‘WHITNEY,’ Tommy Richman hits low notes and high notes with authority, giving so much texture to this track with his very interesting performance. ‘WHITNEY’ is a grand Synth-Pop track with a utopian twist that I wish served as the basis for the sonic theme of this record.

WHISPER IN MY EAR

‘WHISPER IN MY EAR’ is a song with a pretty intriguing sound and style that is sort of tough to pinpoint. There are elements of a few pretty contrasting styles of music on this one. The melody somehow feels just as inspired by Folk music as it does by Funk music. The tone of the guitar riff on this one has a twang to it that makes me think of retro Folk and Country music. There is an underlying bassline and some synths that give the song a Funky element as well, which makes this melody overall pretty strange yet fascinating. ‘WHISPER IN MY EAR’ has a pretty even-keeled, laid-back Trap beat that actually pairs pretty well with this melody. Tommy Richman does not give one of his most dynamic vocal performances on this one, but there are moments where he hits some weird high notes that really make the song pop. Out of all the more laid-back tracks on this record, ‘WHISPER IN MY EAR’ is the one that stands out for me the most. 

TENNESSEE FEAT. TREVOR SPITTA AND ZACHARY MOON

For the most part, this album is full of pretty pristine and clear-sounding music. ‘Tennessee’ is a hard-hitting track that gives the tracklist a bit of grit, which I appreciate a lot. This one is driven by its bass-heavy, low-end, grating Trap beat that punches a bit and vibrates the speakers. The melody for this track, if one can call it that, is provided by a heavily distorted, very dirty bassline. This bassline is complemented by some pretty quirky, high-pitched synths that come in and out. These synths give the song a bit of brightness that stands out and provides texture to the instrumental. Out of all the vocals on this one, Tommy Richman probably pops off the least. The high notes he hits towards the end of the track are pretty cool, but the main focus of the vocals is on his features. Trevor Spitta especially pops off on ‘TENNESSEE,’ as his choppy flow and rough vocal style provide emphasis to this already audacious track. ‘TENNESSEE’ is a moment where Tommy Richman shows he can make the same kind of R&B Trap music that some of his peers are more known for and hold his own.

THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE

After hearing songs like ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ and ‘DEVIL IS A LIE,’ I thought the album would sound a lot closer as a whole to what ‘THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE’ sounds like. This track certainly feels very inspired by 1990s R&B music. When I hear this one, I also think of another R&B who emerged out of nowhere late last year, 4batz. If there is one song that pops off and goes viral from this record(and it is not ‘WHITNEY’), I would not be surprised at all if it ends up being ‘THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE.’ This song has the kind warm and luscious  R&B sound that can draw anyone in when it comes on. As I sit here listening to this track, I literally just put my hands up and started swaying because this track just has that appeal. Tommy delivers one of his best vocal performances of the record on ‘THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE.’ I love the way his high-pitched, glowing vocal style sits on this melody, as it makes the track feel cozy and all-encompassing. ‘THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE’ may not be the most exciting track, but it is very smooth and cool for what it is and definitely has a sound that can appeal to the masses.

VANITY

After hearing ‘WHITNEY,’ I thought this album was going to be full of futuristic-sounding Synth-Pop music. Unfortunately, though, after that track, the album mostly goes away from that sound. It comes back in a big way on ‘VANITY.’ Both this song and ‘WHITNEY’ do make me think the whole album should have in fact gone in this direction, as this is the best song of the album for sure to me. Everything about ‘VANITY’ is big, bold, and fun. The synths that drive this one are so atmospheric and so massive and so fat. This track has a beat that is constantly evolving and morphing as the song goes on. As ‘VANITY’ progresses, it seems to get more intricate and more monumental, coming to an awesome climax to close the track out. Tommy Richman delivers what is probably his most lively vocal performance on ‘VANITY’ as well. His vocals on this track are so full and crisp, injecting a ton of power into this track. ‘VANITY’ is a very cool song where Tommy Richman flexes his full potential as an artist and vocalist, and to be frank, I wish more of the album sounded like this one. 

To be honest, going into COYOTE, I did not have much of an idea of what to expect. When listening to some of Tommy Richman’s releases that came out before ‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ and ‘DEVIL IS A LIE,’ I heard a lot of Hip Hop music fused with Punk in a way that is pretty unique but also somewhat rough. Now obviously, neither of these two aforementioned singles have that kind of sound at all. As I said in the intro, they feel like a modern version of the groovy Hip Hop Timbaland was excelling at producing back in the day. Curiously enough, COYOTE does not have a ton of music that takes elements from either of these styles of music. This album feels totally different from what I have heard previously from Tommy. Now, the first thing I have to say about COYOTE is that it does sound a bit disjointed at times. It feels like a mish-mash mixtape in the way that it is put together. Honestly, it sort of feels like Tommy Richman wanted to throw everything he possibly could at the wall and see what stuck. At times, this works out super well. COYOTE does have some super riveting high points and does contain some ideas that are very well executed. There are other songs, however, that do not work out so well, as they either feel too vanilla or just not all the way fleshed out. If you are going to make a project with not a lot of cohesiveness, then some more risks should probably be taken. For how unique of a vocalist Tommy Richman is, a lot of opportunity seems to be left here. Speaking of vocals, for what it’s worth, Tommy Richman does kill it on many of these songs. His vocal style is so individualistic, and he certainly shows off on many of these songs. Overall, COYOTE is a pretty decent effort, but it does leave quite a bit to be desired. This album does have some tracks I will be coming back to, though, and it shows the potential for Tommy to achieve greatness.

6/10