Hip-hop fans are understandably out-of-sorts with breakout Virginia singer after he denied the “hip-hop” classification on social media. After Richman tweeted, “I am not a hip hop artist,” Los Angeles DJ and radio host DJ Hed (who also co-hosts Uproxx’s podcast, ) : “Fasho. So every Hip-Hop station playing [‘Million Dollar Baby’] or [‘Devil Is A Lie‘] should stop today.
” Richman , reasonably pointing out, “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.” Now, Richman certainly has a point; he’s more R&B singer than MC. But, as Hed noted, his most popular song has received its biggest push from hip-hop radio stations and playlists, while a number of hip-hop-associated acts have given him props and much-needed co-signs.
It seems Richman has found himself in a similar predicament as Post Malone, who was early in his career, despite not doing much rapping vocally. As Post expanded his musical palette, , combined with , haunted his reception among some hip-hop fans. However, that didn’t stop Malone from becoming one of the biggest stars in America, with a slew of No.
1 albums, a juggernaut of a hit in “Sunflower,” and respect from across the musical spectrum, even as he recently shifted into country music. Because hip-hop is equally regarded as a culture as much as a musical genre (which is often conflated with rap), there is an additional level to his rejection of t.
