by Amanda London·September 12, 2022

Tom MacDonald does have a tendency to drop confrontationally-braggadocious lyrics here and there, but “Riot” is perhaps the first song of his we’ve come across that is entirely of that nature. So when you see the title of this track, don’t get to presuming that he’s dropping something that’s pro-MAGA or anything like that.

');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })(); You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Tom MacDonald's Riot at Lyrics.org.

Rather, Tom really uses the opportunity of “Riot” to celebrate the fact that he’s, if we were to be honest, perhaps the most-successful independent rapper out there right now. Indeed it’s hard to remember when, if ever, MacDonald was backed by a major label. Yet he has been able to sustain a lengthy career largely through social-media results and, as forcefully noted in these lyrics, a very-loyal fandom.

Of course, he’s not the type of rapper to drop a song without making at least one striking statement that’s intended to offend a particular group of people. In this case the target does appear to be mainstream rappers. He specifically targets those rappers who have come to rely heavily on namedropping to peddle their wares. The overall message the vocalist is making behind such statements is that his standing and talent is such that he does not have to rely on gimmicks, if you will, or even labels in the name of generating bread. 

But, the title/chorus would imply that he’s more specifically dissing peers who are unable to generate the type of buzz that he does.

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Tom MacDonald

Tom has actually had a pretty-busy 2022. The year in question saw him drop an album, “The Brave”, in collaboration with Adam Calhoun earlier in the year. However, it would appear that his material is not generating the types of headlines they were back in 2021, which has thus far been the most-notable year of his roughly decade-long career. 

“Riot”

The above said, MacDonald has never been mainstream. So he continues pushing forward with the 9 September 2022 issuance of “Riot”, which, as with his previous efforts, is a self-released joint. 

Furthermore, as also is his standard, this song did make an immediately-noteworthy impact on social media.

MacDonald produced this track himself, and he co-wrote it with a regular collaborator, Nova Rockafeller, who also served as the music video’s director.