SoundNexx

TEDDY RILEY JAM FOR ME!
I've been meaning to do this post for a minute now. It's time to page homage to one of the true legends in the producer game Teddy Riley! He has not only written and produced music for just about everyone that is anybody over his years in the game, but he has also helped build several music careers as well. Before you had producers like Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, Dallas Austin, 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, Scott Scorch and Timbaland, there was Teddy Riley! It amazes me how Teddy never gets mentioned on most people's list of great producers? Believe me, Teddy Riley is your favorite producer's favorite producer. Mr. Riley started out in his first group Kidz At Work back in the 1980 with his partner Timmy Gatlin. I've never heard any of their tracks, so I don't know if they sucked or not? Here is a music trivia fact that most people don't know about Teddy Riley. Did you know at the age of 15 he was the music arranger for the hip-hop classic "The Show" featuring Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D a.k.a Slick Rick? What is a Music Arranger you ask? A Music Arranger is someone who adapts a musical composition for voices, instruments, and/or performance styles other than those for which the music was originally written. It may not sound like much, but it's a critical factor in making a great record.

Those early career moves definitely setup a solid foundation for Teddy, but the majority of the world recognizes his success with the R&B group Guy! Talk about a group with some hellified classics! Guy set the standard for true Rhythm & Blues in the 80s and the 90s. The original members of Guy were Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall and Timmy Gatlin who dropped their classic self-titled debut album that featured hits like "Groove Me," "Teddy's Jam" & "A Piece Of My Love." Timmy Gatlin left the group just as they were getting popular amongst music fans, so a lot of folks thought that Damian Hall (Aaron's brother) was an original member of the group. Damian came onboard after Timmy parted ways for a solo endeavor. Since, the core of the group remained in tact, the Guy sound was not lost after Gatlin's departure. With the success of Guy's debut, everybody was trying to recruit Teddy Riley to produce their record. He was working with everyone from Keith Sweat to Kool Moe Dee. Damn, do you folks remember when Keith Sweat was the man back in the day? He was a crying fool on every song too, but the ladies loved him! Anyway, if Teddy wasn't producing hot tracks, he was remixing them. By the way, when I say Teddy REMIXED tracks I don't mean those lame azz remixes you hear today where the beat the exactly the same as the original with a guest rapper spitting a couple of cheezy azz extra verses. NOPE!! I mean a true remix where the whole song is reworked from top to bottom dammit! That's what a real remix is for you new up & comers! Not only would he do one remix for a track, but he'd sometimes drop three or four different versions of a remix to make sure all his bases were covered. In 1990, Guy released their second album "The Future," which solidified that they were not just a one album wonder. Even with all of their success as a group, they decided to part ways and pursue some other options. Those damn EGOs again! As a producer Mr. Riley went on to worked with some of the hottest artists like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Stephanie Mills, Heavy D, Public Enemy and James Ingram.

Outside of producing for several movie soundtracks and remixing hits, Teddy was able to establish a brand new sound for the 90s that he called "New Jack Swing." Whether you loved or hated it, you definitely had to respect his movement, which seemed to own the urban musical culture for a minute. I dug it actually. In 1992, while everybody was wondering if Guy was going to get back together again, Teddy formed a new group named "Blackstreet." Shamefully, Blackstreet made me forget all about the days of Guy. With Blackstreet...Teddy's sound seemed a little more rugged, but yet polished like Tyrese's balled head. The original members of the group were Dave Hollister, Joseph Stonestreet, Levi Little & Terrell Philips. The one track that should come to your mind immediately when you think of Blackstreet is the azz shakin' anthem "Booti Call!" The term "booti call" took on a life of its own, and it's still used even in 2007 as played out as it is dammit! I think I even heard Oprah Winfrey say something about making a booti call after her TV show finished taping?? The term was originally coined by "used2be" funnyman Bill Bellamy back in the first seasons of the HBO Def Jam Comedy series, but Teddy took the phrase worldwide by making a song about it. Also, I don't care what black folk's party/celebration you attend around the country, it's not official until the DJ plays the "Booti Call (Miami Remix)" so the party people can get their BC hustle on!

Just like the group Guy, after several hit singles, two successful albums and several band member changes the Blackstreet was going through some rocky times. Those damn egos again! Even with all of the internal struggles the group went on to release 3 more albums between 1996 and 2003! Their last two albums sucked like Monica Lewinsky? Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the Guy reunion album "Guy III" that dropped in 2000 (Yawn)?? Overall, it was just OKAY by my standards, but who am I? During the last few years Teddy has managed to keep his name musically relevant to a degree, but he has some a serious reemergence in 2007? He's currently working on comeback albums for The Backstreet Boys and Michael Jackson! I know most of you could care less, but I felt the need to share that little tidbit with you anyway.

Okay, on the real reason why you frequent this site on the regular....the damn music! Since, Teddy Riley is one of the greats I am sharing the mix that sparked this post in the first place. I actually made it about 7 years ago, and I call it the TeddyRileyJamz Mixx, which is basically a compilation of my favorite Teddy Riley produced and remixed tracks. Sometimes, I hate sharing these older mixes that I made years ago because my perfectionist mind state always finds several flaws in the mixes themselves, but I am trying to get over it dammit! It's part of my therapy. If you didn't already know, the majority of the mixes that I post on this site were originally created for my ears only, but I end up sharing most of them with you folks. Hopefully, you can attain the same eargasmik bliss that I do from this great music? This mix only contains a smidgen of the great tracks that Mr. Riley has blessed us with over the years, so think of this mix as only a glimpse into his extensive discography.

TEDDYRILEYJAMZ MIX TRACKLIST:

01-Big Bub - My Way
02-Guy - Lets Chill
03-Blackstreet - Tonight's The Night (Remix) feat. SWV, Craig Mack & Screwface
04-Mary J. Blige - My Love (Remix) feat. Heavy D
05-Blackstreet - No Diggity (BJ Remix)
06-Guy - Spend Time
07-Men of Vision - Do Thangs
08-Guy - Tell Me What You Like
09-Blackstreet - Joy (Remix)
10-Blackstreet - Fix (Remix)
11-Pure Soul - I Want You Back
12-Blackstreet - Booti Call (Booti Pop Remix)
13-Wreckx-N-Effect - Wreckx Shop (Remix) feat. Apache
14-Guy - I Like
15-Keith Sweat - Something Just Ain't Right
16-Guy - Crazy
17-Guy - Wanna Get With You
18-Guy - D-O-G Me Out (Remix)
19-Abstrac - Right & Hype
20-Wreckx-N-Effect - Ready Or Not feat. Big Bub
21-Johnny Kemp - Just Got Paid
22-Blackstreet - I Like The Way You Work (Remix)
23-Guy - Dancin'

This link has been updated to MP3 format!
GET THIS MIXX HERE!