Remember the Times

“Riley’s tone is appealingly conversational, and colorful behind-the-scene details are interwoven into a big-picture look at how popular music has evolved, from hip-hop to K-pop, during his time in the industry. The result is a candid, illuminating window into the career of one of rap and R&B’s major players.” —Publishers Weekly “To understand Riley’s impact, you have to meticulously connect the dots to a long list of producers and artists who have worshipped at the altar of the genius one-man-band. Without the Guy and Blackstreet leader’s blueprint, there would be no Mary J. Blige, Jermaine Dupri, Jodeci, Usher, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Dru Hill, the Neptunes, Chris Brown, The-Dream, or Bruno Mars. He was merging rap and soul before Roddy Ricch was literally conceived.” —Vibe “Teddy’s just dope … I like to hear something that’s like, Damn, why didn’t I think of that? That’s what I like to hear.” —Dr. Dre“Before I was making records, I was buying [Teddy’s] records. I was inspired by the whole movement that he had with the New Jack Swing and the R&B records … He’s a guy that you sit back and wait for his records to come out, so you can see what you’re going to do next.” —Snoop Dogg“That’s who I patterned myself after because Teddy is not just a hip-hop producer. That’s how I try to approach music … If there wasn’t a Teddy Riley, there would be no Timbaland, no Neptunes, and no me.” —will.i.am

Teddy Riley is a two-time Grammy Award–winning musician and producer with more than one thousand credits to his name across R&B, hip-hop, soul, pop, and more. He invented his own musical genre, New Jack Swing, masterminded groups Guy and Blackstreet, worked with superstars Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and many more, and has continuously produced chart-topping music throughout his nearly forty-year career.

Jake Brown has published sixty books in his twenty-five-year career.