Harlem, New York.

As a child prodigy since the age of 5, Teddy Riley’s gifts manifested themselves as he began playing multiple instruments at church in his hometown of Harlem, New York. His uncle, owned the famed Harlem club The Rooftop, and built a studio in the club in which at age 14, a precarious Riley would spend most of his time crafting beats for local New York emcees.

Under the tutelage of local music producer Gene Griffin, Riley formed his first group, the short-lived Kids at Work. ​In 1985 Riley worked on the production of Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show" , but things would take off for the producer when at the age of 17, he would produce rapper Kool Moe Dee's 12" single, "Go See the Doctor" which would became a crossover hit, reaching #89 on The Billboard Hot 100.

Sought after for his impeccable ear, and masterful ability to fuse musical styles to create a fresh feeling, Riley’s writing and producing for other artists was ushering a new sound that would become known as New Jack Swing.On November 25, 1987, the New Jack originator co-produced R&B singer Keith Sweat’s debut solo studio album titled, Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies.

The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "I Want Her" (#1 R&B/#5 Pop), and was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit #2 on the R&B charts.

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