Million Dollar Baby (Tommy Richman song)

After having moved from his hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia to Los Angeles in 2022, Richman quickly garnered attention for his "signature production style" without being confined to "genre labels". In 2023, he was recognized by American musician Brent Faiyaz with whom he embarked on his Fuck the World tour that also exposed him to a larger audience.^[1] Richman was then signed to Faiyaz's label Iso Supremacy through a joint venture with Pulse Records as the first signee.^[2]

Following a string of single releases under the label, Richman started teasing "Million Dollar Baby" on his social media on April 22, 2024, and posted footage of recording sessions using a "VHS-style recording".^[3] The snippet amassed over 9.5 million views on TikTok in less than a week,^[4] and helped give it an "explosive debut".^[5] Richman described the sound as "palatable and listenable" and referred to it as something he likes and is "interested in". His goal was to "make cool shit for people" and for him.^[6] Post-release, the song received continued popularity on the platform: Forbes reported that it had become the soundtrack to several trends, including a dance challenge, "prom transition videos" and "the 'Black wife/girlfriend effect'... videos of Black women showing off how their partners’ styles have evolved since the start of their relationships".^[7] "Million Dollar Baby" was featured in the soundtrack for EA Sports' Madden NFL 25^[8] and was added as an emote in Fortnite.

"Million Dollar Baby" is a "funk-infused"^[9] R&B^[4][10] song with hi-hats from Southern trap, synths and a psychedelic sound.^[11][12] It features staccato synth lines, a "ridiculously bouncy" bassline and trap percussion; Richman's multi-tracked vocals range from a "pitched-down chant" to a "soaring falsetto".^[9] The song consists of "one verse and two choruses", and is in the key of F-sharp minor with a tempo of 137 BPM.^[9] The artist also released a "VHS" mix of the song, emulating the mix of the snippet posted to TikTok, which features a more "blown-out bass".^[9]

"Million Dollar Baby" became Tommy Richman's breakthrough hit, becoming immensely popular on streaming platforms: Billboard reported that the song had gained 4.6 million "on-demand US streams" on its release day (April 26, 2024).^[13] On the chart dated May 11, 2024, the song debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, with "38 million streams, 302,000 in radio airplay audience and 4,000 sold", behind Taylor Swift and Post Malone's "Fortnight".^[14] This became Richman's first entry, setting a record as the highest debut from an artist with no prior history on the chart since "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony Music the previous year.^[15]

"Million Dollar Baby" was also very successful globally, reaching the top five in multiple countries. The song reached number one in New Zealand, Australia and Latvia;^[16][17][18] number three in the United Kingdom and Canada; number four in Lithuania; and number five in Ireland.^[19][20] Billboard also reported that, following the song's success, the rest of Richman's catalog had received a "gain of 106%" in US streams (in the April 26–29 tracking period).^[13] The song is the longest running consecutive number-one song on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, having stayed at the top spot for ten weeks from May to July 2024.^[21][22]

The song received critical acclaim by critics. Jordan Rose of Complex called "Million Dollar Baby" a contender for "Song of the winter" as Richman delivers his "most electric song so far".^[23] Eric Skelton of the same publication praised its concise fullness, likening it to "dessert for dinner"; he also singled out the variety and production of Richman's vocals, commenting that "the Virginia singer layers his own voice on top of itself... in an endearingly self-indulgent way".^[9] Likewise, Carl Lamarre at Billboard also thought the track was a "song of the summer" contender with its "funky sound" and "seamless vocal riffs". Lamarre went on to praise the track for its "sticky hook" and "an undeniable bass".^[4] Robin Murray of Clash highly praised it for "a ridiculously catchy hook, an effervescent beat, and some of Tommy’s catchiest bars".^[24]

Writing for HotNewHipHop, Gabriel Bras Nevares pointed out the "creative blend of classic Southern trap" and "poppy" vocal passages with "melodic leads". Bras Nevares thought the song was the "boiling point" of the "steady build-up" Richman has had experienced up until that point, as he found out a way to "capitalize" on the best aspects of his "unique style". The writer furthermore described it as an "odd mix" between sounding "pretty hard" and "quite sophisticated".^[25] Katherine St. Asaph of Stereogum acclaimed "Richman’s falsetto, the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis cowbell, and [the song's] slick funk with massive summer jam potential".^[12]