Teddy Riley Reminded the World Why He’s a Legend
Teddy Riley, renowned for creating the beloved genre of new jack swing, has produced hits for legend after legend, but regardless of his impressive production credits, the man is an icon in his own right.
During the 2016 Soul Train Awards, not only was he honored with the Soul Train Legend Award, but he also generously lent his musical talents to us once again, giving a soulful and star-studded performance full of surprise guests.
During his heartfelt acceptance speech, Riley mentioned that while he agreed when fans pointed out that such recognition is "overdue," he's grateful for the opportunity to accept such an honor, attributing the timing being perfect thanks to God. He then humbly dedicated the award to his late parents and all ten of his children, with Twitter joking that 75% of his speech was him simply naming his children one-by-one.
For his highly-anticipated tribute performance, he brought out the likes of Guy, Bobby Brown, Doug E. Fresh, Wreckx-N-Effect, V. Bozeman and Tito Jackson, further proving that he wasn't here to play around. While running through some of his own chart-toppers, he also performed several celebrated tracks that he produced for other artists, such as Wreckx-n-Effect’s "Rump Shaker," Michael Jackson’s "Remember The Time" and Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid."
In addition to performing a medley from his extensive catalog, the veteran musician also reunited on stage with Guy for the first time in years. Much to the delight of those tuning in, the two performed a handful of their collaborative tracks including "I Like" and "Groove Me."
Take a look at Teddy Riley reminding us why he's a legend in the magical performance above, as well as check out what some fans had to say in the tweets below.