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Before R&B-leaning singer Tommy Richman vaulted into the mainstream conversation, he recorded music in his mom’s basement. An ardent supporter of her son’s career, she’d often tell him her favorite songs — but oddly enough, his breakthrough hit hardly cracks the list. “‘Million Dollar Baby,’ that’s the one everybody likes?” Richman playfully teases during our Zoom conversation in late May, mirroring his mom’s reaction. “She likes a lot of older songs way more and [other] stuff off the album, too.” But while his parents may not be captivated by the ‘80s funk-inspired track, the rest of the country has been infatuated, giving him a steady top-5 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
A native of Woodbridge, Va., Richman, 24, grew up listening to 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Though the small town near the nation’s capital lacked an active music scene, he earned some of his musical sensibilities from his father, a drum teacher. And despite many residents working government jobs, his musical aspirations trumped the idea of a traditional 9-to-5 career. He self-released the somber single “Pleasantville” on YouTube as a freshman in college; then, he spammed various YouTube pages linking to it and urging listeners to “be brutally honest with the last song I posted.”
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The positive feedback he received online encouraged Richman to chase music as a full-time career, and in 2022, he met Darren Xu, COO of Brent Faiyaz’s imprint, ISO Supremacy, and his now-manager. Before long, Xu felt Richman was ready to take the next step and connected him with Faiyaz. By last August, the two artists were in business as well, with Richman signing a record deal with ISO Supremacy in partnership with PULSE Music Group. He also joined Faiyaz on his F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour that summer, and in October, they collaborated on Faiyaz’ Larger Than Life album standout “Upset” alongside FELIX!, which reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart.
“[My team] values me as a person,” Richman says. “A lot of people look at you as an object: ‘We have to stay around this guy because he makes good songs.’ This sh-t wouldn’t have really transpired like that if we didn’t get along as people.”
He adds that “Drake reached out super early when I put out [2023 single] ‘Last Nite.’” And as the A-list cosigns began to accumulate, Richman’s confidence grew. He released two grooving singles in 2024 before his breakthrough, first with “Soulcrusher” and then “Selfish.” On April 13, Richman uploaded a teaser of another track — what would ultimately become “Million Dollar Baby” — to social media, shot in a grainy VHS style and featuring the artist and his friends dancing to the beat in the studio. It went viral, garnering over 12.5 million views on TikTok alone, as his falsetto in the infectious chorus quickly struck a chord with fans: “Cause I want to make it so badly/I’m a million dollar baby, don’t at me,” he sings.
“It was the combination of the sound of the VHS camera, the vibe of the people in the studio, how short the snippet was and how in your face the audio was,” says Richman. “The audio is really loud. I compare the audio to my other TikToks, and the one snippet is in your face. I think that’s why it caught on.”
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He followed it with a few more clips, and according to PULSE Music Group vp of marketing Sara Ahmed, they made the decision to drop the song just four days before its ultimate April 26 release. Richman turned in the master recording at 1:00 a.m. on April 23. “I built him a rollout [plan to] build into the hype of the song,” she says. “We didn’t have much lead time to [create] a campaign.”
Nevertheless, “Million Dollar Baby” had a seismic debut, netting 38 million official U.S. streams in its first full tracking week (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate. It entered at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and atop Billboard’s Streaming Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts — a particularly notable feat given the track was released amid the vicious hip-hop battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Lamar’s “Euphoria” arrived as “Million Dollar Baby” was gaining momentum; in the same weekend as its release, Drake’s “Family Matters” and Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” dropped, elevating the culture-defining feud. But even as the heavyweights threatened to stymy his opening week numbers, Richman remained unfazed.
“It was a blessing, low-key,” Richman relays. “I was reading a lot of comments like, ‘Damn, this is like the worst time to drop your song.’ It was kind of funny. A lot of people looked at us like we were the palate cleanse.”
“There’s nothing out there like this,” Ahmed adds. “I think people are looking for something new, exciting and different, and Tommy is it. This great song coupled with sharp strategy and Tommy’s determination really carried the song through — and we have barely scratched the surface.”
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In five weeks on the Hot 100, “Million Dollar Baby” has remained a fixture in the top 10, and according to Richman, the song’s music video will arrive ahead of summer. As for a potential remix, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up. “There’s no remix, man,” he says. “A couple people [have reached out]. It’s cool, but for the integrity of the track, let’s keep it by itself.”
As Richman savors his newfound success, he’s already chipping away at his debut album, Coyote. Though he doesn’t have a release date, Richman believes his project will showcase his artistry beyond being a one-hit wonder.
“This is a big record, but this s–t doesn’t define me,” he says. “I’m using this as ‘We’re here. We arrived.’ Not as ‘We made it!’ This is the start of a run.”
A version of this story will appear in the June 8, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Emerging New York City rapper Cash Cobain scores his first career entry as a billed recording artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated June 8), thanks to his new collaboration with Don Toliver and Charlie Wilson, “Attitude.”
Released May 22 on Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records, the song debuts at No. 96 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 5.7 million official U.S. streams in its first full tracking week (May 24-30), according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 29 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The song is slated to appear on Don Toliver’s fourth album, Hardstone Psycho, due June 14. It samples Snoop Dogg’s No. 6-peaking 2003 Hot 100 hit “Beautiful,” featuring Pharrell and Wilson.
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Cash Cobain, from The Bronx, has had an eventful year so far. After Billboard named him among the R&B/Hip-Hop Artists to Watch in 2024, the MC scored his first chart appearance as a recording artist when his viral breakthrough track “Fisherrr,” with Bay Swag, debuted on the May 4-dated Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ranking. It hits a new No. 16 high on the latest list, while rising to No. 15 on Rap Airplay and No. 19 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. It also reached No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The song has been boosted by a viral dance trend on TikTok, “The Reemski,” helping it soundtrack over 75,000 videos on the platform to date. In April, Cash Cobain released a remix of “Fisherrr” with Ice Spice.
On the June 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Cash Cobain tallied his second entry, via his featured turn on A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s “Body” (No. 46).
Before debuting as a billed recording artist, Cash Cobain produced two tracks that charted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: B-Lovee’s “My Everything” (No. 37, December 2021) and Drake’s “Calling for You,” featuring 21 Savage (No. 5, October 2023); the latter likewise hit No. 5 on the Hot 100. He has also produced songs for Central Cee, PinkPantheress, LUCKI and Trippie Redd.
Last month, Cash Cobain teamed with J. Cole on “Grippy,” a reworked version of the former’s song “Dunk Contest,” as well as Jay Critch on “Kick It” and Lancey Foux and Teezo Touchdown on “Daylight.”
Billboard named Cash Cobain its R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for April. He has teased upcoming collaborations with Lil Yachty and Frank Ocean, after releasing six solo projects to date: Sliick Cobain, 719, Nirvana, Slizzy Timing, 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy and Pretty Girls Love Slizzy.
Ashley Cooke is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The singer-songwriter debuts at No. 95 on the latest chart (dated June 8) with her single “Your Place.”
Released in July 2023 via Back Blocks/Big Loud, the track debuts on the Hot 100 with 23.3 million radio airplay audience impressions and 2 million official U.S. streams May 24-30, according to Luminate. It also holds at its No. 7 high on Country Airplay and climbs 25-23 on Hot Country Songs.
Cooke is just the second woman to reach the top 10 of Country Airplay in 2024, after Lainey Wilson, whose “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” hit No. 5 in May.
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In a December interview with Billboard, Cooke shared her experience of dumping a boyfriend after discovering that he had cheated on her and how that inspired her current hit. “In a weird way, writing ‘Your Place’ was kind of my line in the sand of, ‘Hey, I’m going to turn a new leaf and not deal with those kinds of relationships anymore,’ ” she said. “Singing that song every night on tour, you feel that power kind of being put back into who you are and your worth and your respect for yourself. And it’s cool to see people in the crowd also responding to that.”
Cooke’s relationship experiences are further detailed on her sophomore LP and major-label debut, Shot in the Dark, which includes “Your Place.” Released in 2023, the set reached No. 14 on Heatseekers Albums (which ranks the most popular albums each week by new or developing acts) last August.
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“As a young person growing up and falling in and out of love — and what you think is love, and what actually isn’t love — I think it’s easy to get so caught up in it,” she shared. “I put up with a lot of stuff in different relationships that, if you listened to my whole debut album, it’s a lot about relationships and about toxicity.”
“Your Place” was produced by Jimmy Robbins, who earns his second Hot 100 entry in that role, following Kelsea Ballerini’s “Half of My Hometown,” featuring Kenny Chesney (No. 53, 2022).
Cooke scored her first overall Billboard chart appearance in April 2022 when “Never Til Now,” with Brett Young, debuted and peaked at No. 5 on Country Digital Song Sales, No. 14 on Digital Song Sales and No. 46 on Hot Country Songs. The track also hit No. 49 on Country Airplay that December. She followed with “It’s Been a Year,” which hit Nos. 2 and 6 on the respective sales surveys.
Shoreline Mafia, the Los Angeles-based hip-hop act comprising OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin, banks its first career Billboard chart hit with “Heat Stick.”
Billed as by Shoreline Mafia Presents OhGeesy & Fenix Flexin, the song debuts at No. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated June 1 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 6.5 million official U.S. streams May 17-23 (up 31%), according to Luminate. The track, released May 10 on Atlantic Records, also debuts at No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and jumps 42-29 in its second week on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
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Shoreline Mafia originally formed as a quartet in 2016, comprising OhGeesy, Fenix Flexin, Master Kato and Rob Vicious. The group split after releasing its debut studio album, Mafia Bidness, in 2020 as all four artists pursued solo careers. Earlier this month, OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin reunited with “Heat Stick” under the Shoreline Mafia name—it marks the first release for the act, now a duo, in four years.
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Shoreline Mafia reached Billboard’s charts twice before “Heat Stick.” Its EP Party Pack, Vol. 2 hit No. 32 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in September 2019 and Mafia Bidness reached No. 19 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 in August 2020.
After the group went on hiatus, OhGeesy’s debut solo LP Geezyworld (released in 2021 via Atlantic) topped the Heatseekers Albums chart and reached No. 102 on the Billboard 200. Its follow-up Geezyworld 2 peaked at No. 2 on Heatseekers Albums in 2023. The set’s breakout single “Geekaleek,” featuring Cash Kidd/BIA (which samples Petey Pablo’s 2004 Hot 100 top 10 “Freek-a-Leek”), hit No. 25 on Rap Airplay and No. 44 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in December 2023.
OhGeesy has released one other solo project: Tropies, with Berner, in December.
As for Fenix Flexin, the rapper released four solo projects while Shoreline Mafia was inactive: Fenix Flexin Vol. 1 (2021), Fenix Flexin Vol. 2 (2022), Fenix Flexin Vol. 3 (2023) and Back Flexin (May 24). The opening track on the new album is another collab with OhGeesy, “Pick N Roll.”
Shoreline Mafia signed to Atlantic in 2018. OhGeesy told Billboard at the time, “Besides growing up and always wanting to be apart of a major label, when it finally came time to it, I knew Atlantic was the best move because of the facts behind it. It’s simple. Look at their roster. Everybody is winning and they know how to market music in a way that I feel is better than any other label.”
Koe Wetzel is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, as his new single “Sweet Dreams” debuts on the chart dated June 1 at No. 47.
Released May 17 on YellaBush/Columbia Records, the song debuts with 10.9 million official streams and 3,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 23, according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 11 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Wetzel’s seventh entry and first top 20 hit.
Here’s a look at Wetzel’s history on Hot Country Songs, with titles ranked by peak position.
Peak Position, Title, Peak Date:No. 11 (to date), “Sweet Dreams,” June 1, 2024No. 24, “Wasted” (Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley feat. Kodak Black & Koe Wetzel), Jan. 28, 2023No. 28, “Creeps,” Sept. 10, 2022No. 29, “Damn Near Normal,” March 23, 2024No. 29, “Cabo,” Oct. 1, 2022No. 36, “April Showers,” April 23, 2022No. 45, “Money Spent,” Oct. 1, 2022
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Wetzel has also logged eight entries on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, including “Damn Near Normal,” which climbs 22-21 on the latest list (after debuting at its No. 12 high in March).
Wetzel first appeared on Billboard’s charts in July 2019, when he opened at No. 9 on Emerging Artists. The arrival was fueled by his LP Harold Saul High, which debuted and peaked at No. 10 on Top Country Albums and No. 65 on the Billboard 200 that week. He has since charted two additional albums on the Billboard 200: Sellout (his major-label debut on Columbia Records; No. 88 peak in 2020) and Hell Paso (No. 12 in 2022). The latter also reached No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 3 on Top Country Albums.
Wetzel (full name: Ropyr Koe Wetzel; Koe is an homage to country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe) hails from Pittsburg, Texas. “Sweet Dreams” is slated to appear on his forthcoming LP 9 Lives, due July 19. He’s currently on the road on his Damn Near Normal World Tour, which runs through November.
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