logo
Tommy Richman Claps Back at Streamer Asking Him to Sing: ‘What Am I? A Dancing Monkey?'

Tommy Richman Claps Back at Streamer Asking Him to Sing: ‘What Am I? A Dancing Monkey?'

Yahoo07-06-2025
Don't ask Tommy Richman to sing on command.
The Virginia singer popped up on streamer DLOU's Twitch earlier this week and found himself in an awkward situation. While hanging out in a studio in L.A. with fellow artists like Cash Cobain and newcomer B Jack$, whose song 'Get Jiggy' is an early contender for Song of the Summer, DLOU asked Richman to sing his smash hit 'Million Dollar Baby' on the spot — which didn't go over well.
More from Billboard
Tommy Richman Talks Working On New Album, 'Worlds Apart,' Nomination for 'Million Dollar Baby' & More | AMAs 2025
How 'Real Women Have Curves' Went From 2002 Film to 2025 Tony Nominee: 'It's Like It Should Have Always Been a Musical'
Chris Brown Earns 21 New RIAA Certifications - Including 8x Platinum for These Two Hits
'I ain't singing that sh–, bro,' a clearly annoyed Tommy Richman said. 'What am I? A dancing monkey? I'm not singing that sh–. I don't even know you, bro.'
He then reiterated that he was in no mood to sing on command for DLOU's chat and demanded to be treated with some decency.
'I'm not singing sh–,' he said again. 'So chill out, bro. Have some respect. Have some respect, bro. I just met you, bro. You're telling me to sing a song. Talk to me like a real man. I don't give a f— about this streaming sh–, bro. Talk to me like a real man.'
He then added: 'Get your camera off me, bro. Don't be weird to me.'
'Million Dollar Baby' took over TikTok and the rest of social media last year, propelling the song to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2024.
During last month's American Music Awards, Richman told Billboard that he's working on a new album that he plans to release sometime this summer.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

J Balvin talks 'Mixteip' album, fatherhood and taking it easy: 'Let life surprise me'
J Balvin talks 'Mixteip' album, fatherhood and taking it easy: 'Let life surprise me'

USA Today

time21 minutes ago

  • USA Today

J Balvin talks 'Mixteip' album, fatherhood and taking it easy: 'Let life surprise me'

J Balvin has earned his superstar stripes, and now it's time to vacilar (have fun). The multiplatinum, Grammy-nominated Colombian singer is remapping his musical boundaries on his latest release "Mixteip" (out now). The experimental, 10-track mixtape sees Balvin playfully expand his signature reggaeton sound with fusions of hip-hop, merengue, salsa and drill rap. "I feel confident that I gave my 1,000% on this project. The rest is out of my hands," Balvin tells USA TODAY. "We're taking it more easy now. Of course, you want the mixtape to be successful and the songs to become a smash, but … I'd rather let life surprise me with it." Coming off the release of 2024's "Rayo," an eclectic album that broke sonic boundaries for Balvin, the singer continues to be fueled by a sense of creative freedom. "You suffer less," he explains, because you're not battling "high expectations." "Maybe because I'm more mature now, that helps too," says Balvin, who turned 40 in May. "It makes me feel way more stable, not caring about things that I used to that hurt me a lot." Why J Balvin channeled reggaeton nostalgia on 'Zun Zun' Balvin may be reggaeton royalty now, but he knows he's part of a larger dynasty. The singer, who made his debut with 2013's "La Familia," has scored 38 No. 1 hits on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Airplay chart, won three Latin Grammys for best urban album and was previously dubbed "the undeniable leader of a second-generation reggaeton revolution" by Guinness World Records. On "Mixteip," Balvin pays homage to the genre's roots with sensual banger "Zun Zun." The track, a collaboration with Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez, includes a shoutout to iconic production duo Luny Tunes, while its music video features a racy dance party that evokes the feel-good hedonism of classic reggaeton. "If it wasn't for the 2000s or the late '90s, we wouldn't be (where we are)," Balvin says. "It just takes me to the old times when I dreamed to be an artist, so we wanted to take that sound back." Belinda interview: Princess of Latin pop feels 'powerful' on comeback album 'Indómita' J Balvin gushes about fatherhood, 'amazing' girlfriend Valentina Ferrer When Balvin isn't cranking out the hits, he's a doting papi. The "Mi Gente" singer became a father in 2021 when he and longtime girlfriend Valentina Ferrer welcomed son Rio. "No matter what, my son has a beautiful and amazing mother who is raising him (in) the best way possible," Balvin says. While fatherhood hasn't softened Balvin's artistic edge, the singer reflects that family life has reshaped his experience of making music. "My son makes my life better, happier. And when you feel that you're stable with your emotions, you have that health to go into the studio." And while Rio shares his father's love of singing, Balvin says his parental focus is providing the 4-year-old with a grounded upbringing. "I would never pressure my son to be a part of this industry. I think there's better ways to be happier," Balvin says. But "whatever he wants to do, we're going to support him 1,000%" J Balvin collaborates with childhood idol Gilberto Santa Rosa on 'Mixteip' Balvin can cross off one more item on his musical bucket list. The reggaetonero nabbed a collaboration with Puerto Rican singer and salsa icon Gilberto Santa Rosa for the "Mixteip" track "Misterio," a bold mash-up that seamlessly weaves the singers' tropical and Latin urban styles. Balvin said Santa Rosa, who made history as the first tropical salsa singer to perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall, was a childhood influence, adding that Santa Rosa's live album "blew my mind." "It's one of my happiest moments in the last few years," says Balvin of the organic collaboration. "We were just doing music, and we were like, 'This song would be perfect for Gilberto.'" The two are slated to take the stage together July 24 for a performance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." 'I still have many things left to do': Rock icon Fito Páez isn't looking at legacy yet How J Balvin is using 'the power of music' to uplift the Latino community Balvin will always rep his Latino Gang, an affectionate shout-out to the Hispanic community that has become a lyrical call to arms. The singer, who hails from Medellín, Colombia, had his Latin heritage on full display during his July 13 performance at the FIFA Club World Cup when his ensemble of backup dancers sported brightly colored tops that mirrored the design of the Colombian flag. "It was beautiful that he we had the opportunity and (were able) to embrace and show the Latino culture and Colombia to the whole world," Balvin says. Although Balvin isn't an activist, the singer recognizes the power of his unapologetic cultural pride, especially amid a contentious political climate for the U.S. Latino community following the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. "I don't like politics. I never talk about it; it's just not my thing," Balvin says. "My passion is about human rights and using my platform – the power of music – to speak out about it. … Supporting our brothers and just creating the awareness that they're not alone."

Their selfies are being turned into sexually explicit content with AI. They want the world to know.
Their selfies are being turned into sexually explicit content with AI. They want the world to know.

USA Today

time9 hours ago

  • USA Today

Their selfies are being turned into sexually explicit content with AI. They want the world to know.

Evie, 21, was on her lunch break at her day job last month when she got a text from a friend, alerting her to the latest explicit content that was circulating online without her consent. This time, it was a graphic fan-fiction style story about her that was created by 'Grok,' X's AI-powered chatbot. Weeks earlier, she'd been the subject of another attack when a user shared her selfie and asked Grok to turn it into explicit sexual imagery. 'It felt humiliating,' says Evie, a 21-year-old Twitch streamer who asked that we withhold her last name to conceal her identity from her online trolls, who have become increasingly aggressive. In June, Evie was among a group of women who had their images non-consensually sexualized on the social media platform X. After posting a selfie to her page, an anonymous user asked 'Grok,' X's AI-powered chatbot, to edit the image in a highly sexualized way, using language that got around filters the bot had in place. Grok then replied to the post with the generated image attached. Evie says she is vocal on X about feminist issues and was already subject to attacks from critics. Those accounts had made edits of her before, but they had been choppy Photoshop jobs — nothing as real-looking as Grok's. 'It was just a shock seeing that a bot built into a platform like X is able to do stuff like that,' she says over video chat, a month after the initial incident. X has since blocked certain words and phrases used to doctor women's images, but on June 25, an X user prompted Grok to make a story where the user 'aggressively rapes, beats and murders' her, making it 'as graphic as you can' with an '18+ warning at the bottom.' 'It just generated it all,' she says. '(The user) didn't use any words to try to cover it up, like they did with the pictures.' X did not return USA TODAY's multiple requests for comment. Evie says she saw at least 20 other women on her own X feed that had their photos sexualized without their consent. It also happened to Sophie Rain, an OnlyFans creator with over 20M followers across social media platforms, who posts sensual content but never full nudity. 'It's honestly disgusting and gross,' she says. 'I take my religion very seriously. I am a virgin, and I don't condone this type of behavior in any way.' This trend is part of a growing problem experts call image-based sexual abuse, in which 'revenge porn' and deepfakes are used to degrade and exploit another person. While anyone can be victimized, 90% of the victims of image-based sexual abuse are women. 'This is not only about sexualized images of girls and women, it's broader than that,' says Leora Tanenbaum, author of 'Sexy Selfie Nation.' 'This is all about taking control and power away from girls and women.' The 'Take It Down Act' aims to combat non-consensual sexual imagery. Is it working? In May 2025, the Take It Down Act was signed into law to combat non-consensual intimate imagery, including deepfakes and revenge porn. While most states have laws protecting people from non-consensual intimate images and sexual deepfakes, victims have struggled to have images removed from websites, increasing the likelihood that images will continue to spread and retraumatize them. The law requires websites and online platforms to take down non-consensual intimate imagery upon notice from the victim within 48 hours of the verified request. However, as of July 21, the altered photo of Evie is still publicly accessible on Grok's verified X account. Evie mobilized her nearly 50,000 followers to mass report Grok's post, but she says X Support said it was not a violation of their content guidelines. AI's ability to flag inappropriate prompts can falter In a conversation with Grok, USA TODAY asked Grok to play out a scenario in which a user asked the chatbot to generate explicit content, with clear instructions not to actually produce it during the conversation. One of the examples of "coded language" Grok is programmed to flag, it says, is "subtle requests for exposure" to make photos of women more revealing. Codes that could be flagged in that area are "adjust her outfit," "show more skin," or "fix her top." "Even if worded politely, I flag these if the intent appears inappropriate," Grok said via AI-generated response on July 15. The keyword is intent. Grok's ability to turn down potentially inappropriate prompts "relies on my ability to detect the intent, and public images remain accessible for prompts unless protected," the chatbot says. You can block or disable Grok, but doing so doesn't always prevent modifications to your content. Another user could tag Grok in a reply, request an edit to your photo, and you wouldn't know it because you have Grok blocked. "You may not see the edited results, but the edit could still occur," Grok clarified during our conversation. The better solution is to make your profile private, but not all users want to take that step. It's not just about sex — it's about power After experiencing image-based sexual abuse, Evie considered making her X account private. She was embarrassed and thought her family might see the edits. However, she did not want to give in and be silenced. "I know that those pictures are out now, there's nothing I can do about getting rid of it," she says. "So why don't I just keep talking about it and keep bringing awareness to how bad this is?" When it comes to generating deepfakes or sharing revenge porn, the end goal isn't always sexual gratification or satisfaction. Users may target women who are using their platforms to speak about feminist issues as a degradation tactic. Evie says what hurt the most was that rather than engage in a discussion or debate about the issues she was raising, her critics opted to abuse her. In her research, Tanenbaum has seen varied responses from victims of image-based sexual abuse, ranging from engaging in excessive sexual behavior to "a total shutdown of sexuality, including wearing baggy clothes and intentionally developing unhealthy patterns of eating to make oneself large, to be not sexually attractive in one's own mind." The individuals she spoke to, who had been victimized in this way, called it 'digital rape' and 'experienced it as a violation of the body.' Even if logically someone understands that a sexually explicit image is synthetic, once their brain sees and processes the image, it's embedded in their memory bank, Tanenbaum says. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. "Those images never truly get scrubbed away. They trick us because they look so real,' Tanenbaum explains. Evie wants to believe that it "didn't really get to her," but she notices she's more thoughtful about the photos she posts, such as wondering if she's showing too much skin to the point where an AI bot can more easily undress her. "I always think, 'Is there a way that someone could do something to these pictures?"

Ciara Talks ‘CiCi' Album & Why She Shouldn't Make Music With Russell Wilson (‘Dad Is Crazy!') in Chat With 8-Year-Old Daughter
Ciara Talks ‘CiCi' Album & Why She Shouldn't Make Music With Russell Wilson (‘Dad Is Crazy!') in Chat With 8-Year-Old Daughter

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ciara Talks ‘CiCi' Album & Why She Shouldn't Make Music With Russell Wilson (‘Dad Is Crazy!') in Chat With 8-Year-Old Daughter

Ciara is preparing for the release of her anticipated CiCi album, which arrives Aug. 22. Prior to the LP, the singer sat down for an exclusive Billboard Family interview with her 8-year-old daughter Sienna. Ciara and her bubbly daughter spoke at length about the forthcoming album, which has origins dating back to the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'It's been a long time coming with this project, so I like to say it's a labor of love because I put a lot of time into it,' she explained. More from Billboard Russell Wilson Got Major Dad Points After Cynthia Erivo FaceTimed Into His Daughter's 'Wicked'-Themed Birthday Party Tool Announce First Hawaii Concert in Nearly 15 Years Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham Tease Project With Sunset Boulevard Billboard Putting it simply, Ciara says her personal life is what's inspired her the most heading into her eponymous album, which is her first LP since 2019's Beauty Marks. 'It's really an extra special gift for my fans,' she added. The next question drew a laugh out of Ciara when Sienna took it upon herself to answer if her mom should ever work with her husband, Russell Wilson, on music. 'No, Dad is crazy,' Sienna said. 'His singing's a little off. Seriously, I'm telling the truth.' Ciara tends to agree. 'I think it is best that Dad plays football and Mommy does music,' she suggested. The Grammy-winning artist teased collabs with Latto and Jazze Pha on CiCi, which also boasts features from Lil Baby, Busta Rhymes, Big Freedia, Bossman Dlow and Chris Brown, according to the Apple Music track list. The 39-year-old highlighted some of her favorite collaborations from over the years of her decorated career, such as team-ups with Missy Elliott ('Lose Control'), Chris Brown ('How We Roll') and Ludacris ('Oh'). When it comes to specific moments, she hit on being proud to launch her own record label and winning a Grammy (best short form video for 'Lose Control' at the 2006 ceremony). Ciara also wants to dabble in the Latin market in the future. 'I want to sing in Spanish,' she admitted. 'Like work with an artist like Bad Bunny would be super cool.' Look for CiCi to hit streaming services on Aug. 22 and for Ciara to hit the road for a tour. Watch the full interview above. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store