Boots Riley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boots Riley
Riley in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Raymond Lawrence Riley
Born	(1971-04-01) April 1, 1971 (age 54) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres	Political hip hop alternative hip hop funk rock rap rock
Occupation(s)	Rapper music producer screenwriter director
Years active	1991–present
Labels	ANTI-/Epitaph Wild Pitch/EMI

Raymond Lawrence Riley (born April 1, 1971), better known as Boots Riley, is an American rapper, music producer, film director, and activist. He is famous for being the lead singer of the hip hop group The Coup and the band Street Sweeper Social Club.

Riley is also a successful filmmaker. He wrote and directed the popular movie Sorry to Bother You in 2018. In 2023, he created the TV show I'm a Virgo. Through his music and films, Riley often shares his ideas about making the world a fairer place.

Early Life and School

Boots Riley was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1971. His parents were both activists who worked for social justice. His father, Walter Riley, is an African-American lawyer. His mother, Anitra Patterson, is of African-American and Jewish heritage. Her mother was a refugee who escaped from Germany in 1938.

Riley's family moved to Detroit when he was one year old, and then to Oakland, California, when he was six. In Oakland, he went to Oakland High School.

Even as a teenager, Riley was interested in politics and making a difference. When his high school planned to cut funding, Riley and his friends organized a student walkout. About 2,000 students participated in the protest. At age 14, he joined a group that fought against racism.

Career in Music and Film

The Coup: A Hip Hop Journey

Riley performing in 2007

In 1991, Riley started the political hip hop group The Coup with his friend E-roc. Riley wrote most of the lyrics and produced the music. The group signed with Wild Pitch Records and released their first album, Kill My Landlord, in 1993. Two songs from the album, "Dig It" and "Not Yet Free," were played on the radio and on TV channels like BET.

The Coup's second album, Genocide & Juice, came out in 1994. It featured famous rappers like E-40 and Spice 1. The album was becoming popular, but the record label was bought by a larger company, which stopped its rise on the charts. After this, E-roc left the group.

In 1998, the group released Steal This Album. Rolling Stone magazine called it a "masterpiece." One of its most famous songs was an eight-minute story about a man dealing with his mother's killer. The story was so powerful that it inspired a novel.

The Party Music Album

The Coup's fourth album, Party Music, was released in 2001. The original album cover was created in May 2001. It showed the group in front of the World Trade Center towers with an explosion. The album was scheduled for release right after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Because the art was so similar to the real event, the album's release was delayed. A new cover was made. The album was a huge success with critics. The Washington Post named it the "Pop Album of the Year," and Rolling Stone called it the "Hip-Hop Album of the Year."

Riley's political lyrics and the controversy over the album cover led to many television appearances. He appeared on news shows to explain his views.

Later Music and Collaborations

In 2006, The Coup released Pick a Bigger Weapon. It featured famous musicians like Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Talib Kweli, and Jello Biafra.

Riley and Tom Morello later formed a band called Street Sweeper Social Club. They released their first album in 2009 and toured with major bands like Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction.

Riley has also worked on other projects. In 2005, he produced the music for an episode of the TV show The Simpsons.

Making Movies and TV Shows

After a successful music career, Riley moved into filmmaking. He had worked as a telemarketer, and this experience inspired him to write a movie script.

In 2018, his first film, Sorry to Bother You, was released. He wrote and directed it himself. The movie is a dark comedy about a telemarketer who discovers a strange secret to success. It stars Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson. The film was a big hit and received great reviews.

In 2023, Riley created a TV series called I'm a Virgo. The show is about a 13-foot-tall young man living in Oakland. It was released on Amazon Prime Video and was also praised by critics. Riley is currently working on a new movie called I Love Boosters.

Activism and Community Work

Riley speaking at a rally for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 2017

Riley is a communist, which means he believes that a community should own and share its most important resources. He has been an activist his whole life, using his art to fight for social change.

In the 1990s, he started an organization called The Young Comrades to help his community in Oakland. The group worked on local issues, such as protesting rules that they felt were unfair to young people.

In 2000, he led a group of young artists who put on "Guerilla Hip-Hop Concerts." They performed on a flatbed truck that traveled around Oakland to protest a new state law.

Riley has also worked as a teacher. In 2002, he taught a high school class in Oakland about how to use lyrics to express ideas and create change. In 2011, he was very involved in the Occupy Oakland movement, a protest against economic inequality.

Discography

With The Coup

• Kill My Landlord (1993)
• Genocide & Juice (1994)
• Steal This Album (1998)
• Party Music (2001)
• Pick a Bigger Weapon (2006)
• Sorry to Bother You (2012)
• Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack (2018)

With Street Sweeper Social Club

• Street Sweeper Social Club (2009)

Filmography

Film

Television