Even limiting to the crop of overnight sensations, not many have caught on as quickly as Tommy Richman. Though there was select mainstream proof of his career before “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” (chiefly constrained to Brent Faiyaz’s catalog, the R&B crooner who provides the biggest name in his corner pre-blow-up), he went from largely unknown to nearly a household name with that “song of the summer” #1 hit. Now plotting his first full year as a known commodity, Tommy Richman just let loose “ACTIN UP,” his first single of 2025 and his first release after his debut album.
Much the same way that throwback funk set the tone for “MILLION DOLLAR BABY,” “ACTIN UP” owes much of its appeal to the early 2000s, with many already catching the similarities in the steel pan production to both Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” and Cadillac Don & J-Money’s “Peanut Butter & Jelly.” Accompanying that choice is a smattering of speaker-rattling drums and percs, a dense, heavy undertone that contrasts the Tommy Richman style (layered, falsetto vocals) for a pretty balanced effort overall.
To continue the comparisons to that seismic single, “ACTIN UP” also dips into the miniature runtime, barely squeaking past the 2-minute mark (MDB clocks in at 2:03 in its radio edit, likely the version you’re most familiar with.) All of these factors combine for a song that’s easy to criticize: it’s built with heavy use of songs that already proved extremely popular two decades ago, it’s intentionally bite-sized for easier social media consumption, and it uses pieces of the formula that already brought Richman success.
Tommy Richman Redoubles Commercial Appeal Via “ACTIN UP”
Even with those apparent pitfalls, it’s nonetheless hard to ignore that the calculus simply works. The bridge/breakdown section, where the Virginia singer repeats “for what it is” as almost everything in the beat, but the percussion falls away, immediately conjures up a crowd of people coalescing into a circle. For the digital crowd, it’s easy to imagine a potential dance trend and wide social media adoption from that same propulsive aspect.
On a musical level, while tapping into nostalgia for Soulja Boy & co. is admittedly a bit cynical, you can at least admit it’s mining an untapped vein in an increasingly backward-facing industry. As we mentioned in our coverage of Gelo – Tweaker, there is also clearly an audience for music that does, so while it’s perhaps predictably populist, Richman’s mastery of this sound is undeniable.
Though Coyote was something of a mixed bag both creatively and commercially, denting the nascent Midas Touch he built with “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” and “DEVIL IS A LIE,” “ACTIN UP” showcases that Tommy Richman remains a force all the same. Catch ACTIN UP and the entire Tommy Richman catalog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Anna Shoemaker – Back Again proves one of the songwriter’s most complete efforts to date as we look ahead to her sophomore LP.
