The "Million Dollar Baby" singer released his "Coyote" album last week, and while spreading the word on social media, he declared the project "Album Of The Year" ... while telling fans to make no mistake about his music when he posted that he's NOT a hip hop artist.

The hip hop slander didn't sit well with Kendrick Lamar gunner DJ Hed -- who just happened to be prepping his mix for his Sirius XM show "Effective Immediately" -- and immediately removed Tommy from any potential playlists!!!

Tommy insisted he loved hip hop and simply didn't want his artistry to be boxed in -- but later deleted his post after Hed continued to apply pressure and scan for a culture vulture card.

The 20/20 hindsight is undefeated ... Tommy later clarified he MEANT to say he's not SOLELY a hip hop artist!!!

We reported on Tommy's "Coyote" album release party last week ... all vibes and no demand for the Virginia-bred artist to flex his hip hop side. It's anyone's guess why Tommy made the anti-hip hop post ... maybe because he ain't never rep a set, baby?

After Hed laid down the law, conversations exploded online about whether or not hip hop pundits should gatekeep the future Tommy Richmans of the world.

Post Malone infamously turned down the coveted XXL Freshman cover in 2016 and became a Diamond-selling rock/pop artist ... and many are thinking Tommy is renegading the same blueprint.