DJ Hed Checks Tommy Richman After He Tweets He’s “Not A Hip-Hop Artist”

Whenever a white person enters the hip-hop space, there’s usually an understandably cautious reaction that heeds the warnings of previously exploited or downplayed community leaders. Tommy Richman risked this situation recently, but it turns out it was just a miscommunicated phrasing issue. Moreover, he tweeted out: “I’m not a hip hop artist,” which resulted in much controversy given the partial Southern rap roots of huge singles like “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.” DJ Hed was quick to respond: “Fasho. So every Hip-Hop station playing MDB or DIAL should stop today. Thanks for the Heds Up [fist emoji].” “Glad I got the PSA before I did my radio mix. I now have 2 open slots. What should I play? (From an artist proud to be Hip-Hop),” he added in another tweet.

Then, Tommy Richman clarified his original statement. “I mean to say I’m not SOLEY [sic] a hip hop artist,” he responded to the backlash on Wednesday (October 2). In addition, the COYOTE artist directly responded to DJ Hed. “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.”

DJ Hed’s answer to Tommy Richman was more sympathetic than his original statements, but still warned him of the dangers of this rhetoric. “Understood, however there are nuances that can be perceived when statements are made. I don’t believe you have malicious intent but I do believe there is much to be learned about the system that you have entered within this thing we do. I hope it works out for you [fist emoji] (Not sarcasm).” While most folks today know Hed for his association with Kendrick Lamar, he’s out here defending rap culture in many different ways.

Even though Tommy Richman deleted his original tweet, his other remarks on the matter are still up. The exchange made the misunderstanding clear, so much so that fans are currently debating over whether or not hate towards him is justified (spoiler alert: hate isn’t the same as criticism, and the former is a slippery slope). We’ll see what the “WHITNEY” creative does next with his versatile artistry. Only labeling him as hip-hop is part of the problem, but so is disregarding the culture’s influence. Neither Tommy nor DJ Hed displayed either attitude here.