Teddy Riley (producer)

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Teddy Riley
Birth name Edward Theodore Riley
Born October 8, 1967 (1967-10-08) (age 42)[citation needed]
Origin Harlem, New York
United States
Genres New jack swing
R&B
Hip hop
Dance-pop
Occupations Record producer
Singer-songwriter
Musician
Performer
Rapper
Years active 1987–present
Labels Interscope
MCA

Edward Theodore "Teddy" Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, keyboardist, and record producer credited with the creation of New Jack Swing.[1] Through his production work and membership of the groups Guy and Blackstreet, Riley is considered[by whom?] to have had a seminal influence on the formation of modern R&B, Hip-Hop and Pop since the 1980s.

Contents

[edit] Career

Teddy Riley was raised in St. Nicholas Houses, Harlem. At the age of seventeen, Riley produced Kool Moe Dee's 12" single, "Go See the Doctor".[1] Released on an independent label in 1986, the song became a crossover hit, reaching #89 on The Billboard Hot 100.[2] Riley also worked on the production of Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show" in 1985.[3]

In 1987, Riley, Aaron Hall, and Timmy Gatling formed the R&B group Guy. Riley's work with Guy helped to pioneer the New Jack Swing style of R&B, which had been showcased in Riley's productions for Johnny Kemp ("Just Got Paid"), Bobby Brown ("My Prerogative"), and Keith Sweat (Make It Last Forever), among others.

In 1991, Riley co-produced half of Michael Jackson's album Dangerous, featuring the Riley co-produced singles "Remember the Time", "Jam", and "In the Closet". Dangerous is the most successful new jack swing album of all time with 32 million copies sold.[4][5]

In 1992, Riley formed a second group, Blackstreet, with Chauncey Hannibal as lead singer. The group released several major hits, including "Don't Leave Me" (1993), the number one single "No Diggity" (1996, featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen), and "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" (1999, with Janet Jackson, Eve, and Ja Rule). By 2005, following several lineup changes, Riley had disbanded and reformed Blackstreet. Riley also worked on an album with Outsiderz 4 Life, producing "Wil' Out" and other songs. He also was one of few people to use the talkbox as effectively as Roger Troutman did.

At the start of 2006, was part of the New Jack Reunion Tour, featuring Riley's own Blackstreet and Guy, in addition to After 7, SWV, and Tony 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 June 2008, a fire destroyed Riley's Virginia Beach recording studio. Fire investigators said an electrical problem caused a blaze that burned the abandoned recording studio. The Virginia Beach Fire Department said lightning in the area also could have been a factor, although there was no direct strike. The empty studio was for sale and was insured for $336,000.[6]

Riley has long-standing financial problems, including a 2002 Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a 2004 IRS lien for $1,000,000, the 2006 sale of his house to settle financial obligations including taxes, additional tax liens in 2007 and 2008, and garnishment of bank accounts and other assets.[7]

In 2009, Riley performed with Guy at the BET Awards.[8]

Recently, he has been going by the alias Taja Riley, as indicated on Lady Gaga's album The Fame Monster.


Teddy Riley has six children: Dejanee (Deja) Riley (21), Nia Riley (20), Taja Riley (17), Tiarra (Bobbie) Riley (15), Lil Teddy (6), and Samar Riley (4), 5 of which are adopted individually.

[edit] Albums

Solo: Black Rock (Unreleased)
Guy: Guy discography
Blackstreet: Blackstreet discography

[edit] References

[edit] External links