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Teddy Riley
Riley in 2017
Background information
Also known as	Lil Man Street Swingbeat The Finisher Jam[1]
Born	Edward Theodore Riley[1] (1967-10-08)October 8, 1967 (age 58) Manhattan,New York City, U.S.
Genres	R&B hip-hop new jack swing
Occupations	Record producer songwriter singer
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Interscope Uptown MCA Lil Man DreamWorks
Member of	QDT Guy Wreckx-n-Effect
Formerly of	Blackstreet
Children	9
Website	teddyriley.com

Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer and songwriter credited with the creation ofnew jack swing, ahip-hop andR&B fusion genre. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwriting — namelyMichael Jackson,Bobby Brown,Heavy D & the Boyz,Keith Sweat,Hi-Five, andthe Jacksons, among others — helped popularize the genre with several hit songs and albums from the late 1980s to 1990s. He is the founder and lead vocalist of the musical groupBlackstreet, as well as its predecessorGuy.^[2]

With Blackstreet and Guy, Riley has released four and three commercially successful studio albums, respectively. He has produced fourBillboard Hot 100-number one singles: "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" byHi-Five, "Stutter" byJoe, "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown, and "No Diggity" (featuringDr. Dre andQueen Pen) by his group, Blackstreet. His other productions include the 1992 singles "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson and "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" bySWV. Beginning with his work on the extended playTeddy Riley, the First Expansion In Asia (2011), Riley has since worked on releases in theEastern pop market, having produced the singles "Call Me Baby" forExo in 2015, "The Boys" forGirls' Generation in 2011, and "Mamacita" forSuper Junior in 2014.^[3]

A two-timeGrammy Award winner, Riley's influence oncontemporary R&B production had led to further usage ofsamples, sound effects, and rapping segments as well as singing — a practice which in part was reminiscent of theJackson family. He is also credited with popularizing modern use of thetalk box vocoder, and discoveringPharrell Williams in 1991.^[4][5]

Riley was raised inSt. Nicholas Houses inHarlem,New York City. Achild prodigy from the age of five, he began playing instruments in church. His uncle, who owned the Harlem club The Rooftop, built a studio in the club in which Riley would spend most of his time while growing up. By age 15, he was beginning to work with artists likeDoug E. Fresh.^[6]

Under the guidance of local music producer Gene Griffin, Riley formed the short-lived groupKids at Work. At the age of 18, Riley producedKool Moe Dee's 12" single "Go See the Doctor".^[2] Released on an independent label in 1986, the song became a crossover hit, reaching number 89 on theBillboard Hot 100.^[7] Riley had previously worked on the production ofDoug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show" in 1985.^[8]

In 1987, Riley,Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling formed theR&B groupGuy. In 1989, Riley producedBig Daddy Kane's "I Get the Job Done", as well as other work forthe Jacksons,the Winans, andJames Ingram. That same year, he helped produce the debut albumWrecks-n-Effect of his rap group,Wreckx-n-Effect.^[9]

After the release and tour of Guy's second album,The Future, Riley co-produced half ofMichael Jackson's albumDangerous on the recommendation of Jackson's long-time producerQuincy Jones.^{[citation needed]} After the disbandment of Guy in 1992, Riley moved on to producing and promoting Wreckx-n-Effect's second albumHard or Smooth, which he also performed on.^{[citation needed]}

In late 1991, Riley formed a second group,Blackstreet. The group would go on to release several major hits, including "Don't Leave Me" (1997), the number one single "No Diggity" (featuringDr. Dre andQueen Pen) (1996), and "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" (withJanet Jackson featuringJa Rule andEve) (1999). By 2011, the group had disbanded and reformed several times.

In 2000, Riley worked withSpice GirlMelanie B on the tracks "ABC 123", "I Believe", and "Pack Your Shit" for her solo debut albumHot.^[10] He also worked on an album with Outsiderz 4 Life, producing "Wil' Out" and other songs.

At the start of 2006, he was part of theNew Jack Reunion Tour, featuring Blackstreet and Guy, in addition toAfter 7,SWV, andTony! Toni! Toné!. In May 2006, Riley announced that he would be working on two key projects: a new Blackstreet album and a new Guy album.

In 2008, Riley was the victim of aPonzi scheme that left him bankrupt. In June 2008, a fire destroyed Riley'sVirginia Beach recording studio. Fire investigators said that an electrical problem caused the blaze that burned the abandoned recording studio. TheVirginia Beach Fire Department said lightning in the area also could have been a factor, although there was no directstrike. The empty studio was for sale and was insured for $336,000.^[11]

In 2009, Riley performed with Guy at theBET Awards.^[12] In the same year, Riley worked withAmerie andRobin Thicke on their respective albums. Leading on from his work onSnoop Dogg's albumEgo Trippin', Riley became part of the production supergroupQDT, which featuresDJ Quik as well as Snoop Dogg.^[13][14][15]

Riley produced and co-wrote the song "Teeth" withLady Gaga for her EPThe Fame Monster. Speaking in March 2010 toBlues & Soul's Pete Lewis, Riley said that he was no longer affiliated with Guy (Riley had last performed with the group in October 2010). Riley also said that the current lineup of Blackstreet consisted of himself, Chauncey "Black" Hannibal,Dave Hollister, and Sherman "J-Stylz" Tisdale. He confirmed that he was working on a new Blackstreet album, though intended to release his own album – entitledTRX – first. Artists he could possibly be working with for the project includedStevie Wonder andElton John, plus his own new, upcoming acts.^[16] However, Hannibal stopped performing with the group and the lineup became Riley, Hollister, Mark Middleton, and Eric Williams. In 2012, Hannibal returned to Blackstreet; Middleton and Williams left the group. As of 2019, the group's lineup now consists of Riley, Hollister, J-Stylz, and Rodney Poe under the name "Blackstreet 2".^{[citation needed]}

In August 2010, co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate, John Branca, confirmed that a posthumous album from Jackson would be released, containing work done in the previous five years with producersTheron "Neff-U" Feemster,Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, and Riley, as well as work written and produced solely by Jackson himself. The albumMichael was released on December 14, 2010, in the United States. After the release, several people questioned some of the music Riley produced for the project. Riley insisted all of the songs were sung by Jackson and claimed that vocal artifacts were added from overprocessing Jackson's voice. However, Riley made comments in an interview with Dan Dodds (also known as Soul Jones) in which he stated that there were some elements of his voice in the music. Riley is reported to have said, "They may use some elements from me, put together ideas but I haven't been working on the new album."^[17]

Recently, Riley has stepped into the Korean music market. Riley worked with rapperJay Park on an English track titled "Demon", which was originally meant for Michael Jackson. Riley produced amini-album for the girl groupRania.^[18][19]

He produced the tracks "Believe" and "Flow" by the R&B groupBoyz II Men for the albumTwenty. He has also produced Korean girl groupGirls' Generation's single "The Boys" for the group's first international release. He has also produced songs for Girls' Generation's labelmatesShinee andExo. He worked with Shinee on "Beautiful", "Shine", and "Dangerous" from their two-part third studio albumThe Misconceptions of Us. Riley also produced the songs "Milk" and "All Night" forf(x)'s third studio albumRed Light and the song "What Is Love" for Exo.

As of 2025, Riley has nine children.^[20]

With Kids at Work

• Kids at Work (1984)

With Guy

• Guy (1988)
• The Future (1990)
• Guy III (2000)

With Blackstreet

• Blackstreet (1994)
• Another Level (1996)
• Finally (1999)
• Level II (2003)

• 1967 births
• Living people
• African-American record producers
• Record producers from New York (state)
• African-American male singer-songwriters
• American male singer-songwriters
• American dance musicians
• Blackstreet members
• Grammy Award winners
• New jack swing musicians
• Musicians from Manhattan
• People from Harlem
• Singers from New York City
• American contemporary R&B singers
• Record producers from Virginia
• People from Virginia Beach, Virginia
• 21st-century African-American male singers
• 21st-century American male singers
• 20th-century African-American male singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• Singer-songwriters from New York (state)

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