Behind MORE Bops w/ Riley & Lee

So guys, thanks for being here. Riley, I would offer you a drink, but yous a baby under the legal age and all. Now, congrats on all the success. And double congrats, RIley, on finally linking up with Janet Thee Jackson herself. Fans of the show know how big that is for you.

~Answering through a wide grin on his face~ Thank you! It’s obviously been a dream for me and uhm...not just meeting her and talking with her, but her actually bringing me on to her new project and trusting in me is a big deal. I was just geekin’ the whole fucking time.

How did this all come together?

So, I know Janet's A&R guy, Jareiq, from a couple classes he used to teach from when I was in school just learning everything and we bumped into each other the Grammy party and caught up with each other n’ shit. About a week later he reaches out to me talmbout "We need to talk about Janet." cuz she was about to start recording. This was just before she went on tour. We go to meet with Janet for the first time and I'm nervous but this one is just smiling and staring at her like a nutcase. Nigga couldn't even speak right..was just nodding the whole time. And she was just talking to us about what she really wanted to talk about on this record. She said she wanted it to be about love and the world coming together. She wanted it to be about unity. She felt like, where in the world was that? She was a place where she felt like she could help bring it together culturally, spiritually, mentally, by love. I was like, wow, no pressure!

Yeah, but besides all'lat shit: being face-to-face with her? Breathing in the same air as she was? Like, in that moment, she could've called me a knocked knee, wide-mouthed, patchy headed ho and I woulda been like “damn, she right” and still been a fan. Bruh-

Like she can do no wrong…….except for Jermaine Dupri. But going back to this record, the first thing that came out of her mouth was "energy. I want people to get up and dance." which is a way different direction from her previous album where the overall vibe was very downbeat/quiet storm R&B and pop, very chill. At least the lead single was very much that. With “Made For Now” we went with a different sound she hasn't really been heard on before, except for maybe “Feel It Boy” and “Heartbeat Love” I guess you can say, but never on a wide release project of hers. She has dived into so many genres - r&b, pop, opera, house, edm, country, rock and so on - so we thought it was great to add another under her belt and she just glided on it. It's different for her without sounding different on her, if that makes sense.

And with that video, she took the afrobeats and latin influence and put it all front and center and showed off the beauty in the cultures. The clothing, the people, the choreography. It just all came together effortlessly.

Switching gears I'm also understanding you guys worked with Pardison & Cardi B?

I know how to go and get a baaaaaaaag, don't I? I know how to make a BITCH maaaaad, don't I? Make my ex wanna get it baaaaack! Dassa FACT, say it louda for da BITCHES in da back, chea!

Aye, I started working with Cardi and Pardi months ago, even while she was pregnant, on that track and we couldn't get a chorus for that right. So I call this dude and about 30 mins later he sent over that chorus cuz i knew his fuckin hoodrat ass would come up qith something. Let this nigga fool you if you want. This quiet shit? A front. But we sat on that song and video for moooonths until they released it. The timing was a whole nother thing. But...you know….one is still receiving her blessings putting out bops that hit and the other went screaming on the radio, so….still a win for Cardi.

And Ariana Grande? Tell us about that.

“R.E.M.” So uhm..aiite. My cousin,  Raven, sings. And she just makes shit for her own personal records. Just to get thoughts and emotions out. Scream, growl, whatever she's feeling on her mind to put on wax. A couple months after she gave birth to her kids, she recorded this track called “Wake Up” as a dedication to them and her baby daddy - one of the twins is even cooing at the end of the track. About a month later Ariana was shopping around tracks for Sweetener and I sent that in and Ariana liked it and bought it. My cousin was PISSSED. I was on the phone with Ariana giving her insight to the track and my cousin took the phone and told Ari if she fucked up the song that she would snatch her by that tired broom she called a ponytail and fling her lil long-back back to Nickelodeon.

Why can I hear her voice saying that right now? WHY?

Yeah…...so….my cousin heard Ari's finished product and didn't even say anything. She just walked out the room and left like that NeNe gif so that tells me what she thought of it, but I thought it was great.

Well!.....oh my ~she laughs a bit before moving on~ any upcoming projects?

We still got more to come with Janet and right now and possibly Phoenix. Nothing set in stone with her as we're still working out schedule times n shit, but we're definitely linking again. And-

And Missy Fuckin Elliott next year. Janet and Missy. Bruh…..I can retire happy next year.

Okay then! Get them legend bags then! Now I wanna play a game with you Riley. You're no stranger on voicing your thoughts on the show, so I wanted to get your thoughts on a couple artists.

Okay, shoot.

Jorja Smith.

She sings in ubbi dubbi and it irks the fuck outta me.

The fuck yo young ass know ‘bout some ubbi dubbi?

Fellow cast mate, Micah Gray.

He fine as fuck. ~he laughs a bit~ but as an artist, I think he's dope.

Would you work with him?

Uhm, sure. I don't have any issues with him. At least none that I know about. He's more of a trap nigga so I'm not sure if he'd be up for trying out a more….uuuh…..gentle, I guess, type of production, but it'd be dope to see what we could do. Lee has more experience in hip-hop than I do, so i know I can lean on him for help.

Jaser Cruz? Along with television, It's been rumored he's up in yalls studio. Is he working on something?

My lil nig. ~he smiles~ You’d have to ask him.

Drake Andrews.

Oh, he fine as fuck, too.

Nigga. This is suppose to be about him as. an. artist.

I know that but I can acknowledge he still fine. I mean, It's a reason he got more kids than Kids Next Door. But he's cool. I appreciate that I can hear and understand his bars. It's not covered in a bunch of slurring n shit.

Judgey ass. Shut up.

I specifically asked you about your castmates at the end because I heard a rumor that you won't be coming back for future seasons?

It's not that I'm not coming back. Just a little limited on my time there on when I can actually film. But I will be showing up later.

So no showing up at Chanel’s party or appearances on a KiKi Session or any interaction with other cast members as of now?

You know what's crazy? I wasn't looking for an invitation to neither, but I got one to come on the radio show and I turned it down with the quickness. I don't have anything to say or “hash out” with any of them. So, fuck that. As far as anyone else? ~he sighs and smiles~ Yosef and I still....talk n stuff...from time to time. Jaéshon and I met up and talked when I heard about what happened to his brother. But even then he was short and still being mysterious on why he left. He would talk to me, but wouldn't TALK to me. But I'm still trying to be there for him as much as I can.

That's sweet. We actually did a poll of your relationships and a lot of people were wanting you two to hook back up. 2nd, was you and Yosef. Third place was people wanting you and Lee together, exclusively. 

Last place, people wanted you and Isaiah to work out your issues and give it another try. Any thoughts on that?

We had a sit down. Didn’t work. Next.

Oop! Well, that's all the time we have tonight. I know how booked you two are, so thanks for taking time out yalls busy schedule to talk with me and good luck on those future projects.

Anytime.

Thanks for having us.