BEN REILLY

CENSOR ©

Alright, boom, we starting off in 3-2-1. What's going on? I'm here with Mr. Ben Riley, of course. Glad he could stop by. You know, I did my research. I see you going on tour with Westside Boogie soon. September 19th, right? Yep. Are you excited for that?

BEN REILLY

Yeah. I'm real excited.

CENSOR ©

Is this your first tour?

BEN REILLY

Nah, the second.

CENSOR ©

Second tour. When was the first tour?

BEN REILLY

Uh, earlier this year we was on tour

CENSOR ©

Cozz, right?

BEN REILLY

Nah, it wasn't with Cozz. It was with Token. We were... We did most of the East Coast and most of the Midwest and in the south. So it was like 20-30 days.

CENSOR ©

How was that performing on tour for the first time? Going around the world?

BEN REILLY

It was cool. It was a learning experience. I learned a lot. I always felt like... I always been told that I was a good performer, but like, seeing how I was performing before tour and after tour... I see the difference. Yeah, it changed how I just approach shows, write songs.

CENSOR ©

Was it weird for you your first performance? I know Token got a pretty large audience. So was that weird having a whole bunch of people staring up at you?

BEN REILLY

Nah. Nah, it wasn't weird because before then I did, like, I've always done shows. But like all year last year, I was doing like Rolling Loud and all types of different festivals. While it wasn't like thousands of people it was still like something that was like, kind of like... familiar with it.

CENSOR ©

Yeah, you was cool with it. What's been your favorite place to perform?

BEN REILLY

Uh, Austin, Texas.

CENSOR ©

South by Southwest?

BEN REILLY

Yeah.

CENSOR

Why?

BEN REILLY

The energy in Austin was just great. Very hospitable, but they love, like, live shows. Yeah, I performed in Austin about three or four times. And like, three out of them four times was, like, perfect. You feel me? Like, it was just amazing. So, I'd probablly say Austin.

CENSOR ©

I love Austin. Very weird.

BEN REILLY

Oh, and Boston.

CENSOR ©

Boston?

BEN REILLY

Boston was fye.

CENSOR ©

That's surprising. Why was Boston fire?

BEN REILLY

Same thing. The crowd energy was crazy. It was very youthful. So a lot of people were like just receptive to like, the energy I was giving. Shit, they cleaned me out my merch. They sold me out in Boston. And... yeah, it was dope. Like, Boston was cool cus like, this kid, got my autograph tattooed.

CENSOR ©

Are you serious?

BEN REILLY

I swear to God. So like, Boston was like a really cool show. So I'll say Boston and Austin. They rhyme. Like Boston and Austin, for sure.

CENSOR ©

How would you describe your fans? Are they real down to earth? Or are they like, wild, rowdy?

BEN REILLY

Oh, they super chill.

CENSOR ©

Super chill.

BEN REILLY

Yeah, I be talking to some of my fans sometimes. Like, I gotta Discord server. And I just be chopping it up with them niggas. Like just on some cool stuff. Oh, can I curse?

CENSOR ©

Yeah, of course. So at what age did you move from New York to Georgia?

BEN REILLY

Uh, what... 12, 13? So I've been out here since like, eighth grade, ninth grade. But yeah, so like, I spent my whole like, teenage years here and I'd spend like summers in New York type thing. So like, I'll spend a semester here. Summer, Winter, Thanksgiving, I'll spend it in New York until my grandfather died. He died like 2010, 2011. So like, 2012 we moved my Grandma out here. It's been like, I'll still go to New York but it'll be like, twice a year. Not like five times a year like I used to.

CENSOR ©

It's way more... Which one you like more? Do you like growing up in the South? Or do you wish you would've stayed in New York?

BEN REILLY

So like, I mean, my whole childhood was basically in New York, but nah. Because I feel like I got a good experience with both. Besides, like, just being like a teen in school in New York. Like I still was able to experience like summers in New York. And like, I feel like summer in New York is like undefeated.

CENSOR ©

Yeah.

BEN REILLY

So you know what I mean? So it's like... it's different things. I love the South, though. Like, I wouldn't live in any other place besides New York or Atlanta.

CENSOR ©

Yeah of course.

BEN REILLY

So it's like, I'm cool.

CENSOR ©

So who you think better: Southern rappers or up North rappers?

BEN REILLY

Um... bars wise. New York rappers.

CENSOR ©

Of course...

BEN REILLY

Creativity wise, I'll give it to the southern rappers. I think more is done vocally. More is done with beats. Just as like, straight up spitters, I don't think people are really seeing a lot of New York rappers.

CENSOR ©

Of course. So your name, Ben Riley. Spider Man. Did you grow up on comic books. Was that like... was that planned?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, so... So as a kid, my grandfather put me on the comic books. And like, ever since I was young, I would collect but I didn't start taking collecting comic books seriously until I was like... until like I graduated high school... always had comics. Like anybody that's been in my crib, like from high school on would always be like, "Oh, he got comic books hanging in his room and shit. Like, that ain't weird cause he like all that shit hanging up?" You know what I mean? Like, "little cartoons on the wall and shit." So, yeah nah. I've always been a big Spider Man fan. That's like my favorite superhero. I feel like he's always been like very relatable. And, yeah, Ben Riley is my favorite version of the character. So, I was just like, I'mma name myself after him. I got "with great power comes great responsibility" tatooed on my rib. I got Spider Man on my calf. Like, I love comic books. You feel me? So...

CENSOR ©

That's different. I never heard anybody say Ben Riley was they favorite Spider Man. That's mad unique.

BEN REILLY

Yeah, I feel like his story can get convoluted, but I feel like it's very interesting. Aesthetically, I think he's just a dope character.

CENSOR ©

Yeah. So, you were in a group, right? Abstract Media?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, I'm still in my group.

CENSOR ©

How did y'all form? Was that like a high school thing? Y'all been together?

BEN REILLY

Yeah. So all of us, most of us were best friends since high school. Me and Luke, we put the group together when we were... like 2013... I meant yeah 2012. 2011, 2012. We put the group together and like we were known for just like, raps. Like, kids around school would be like, "Yo, like, we wanna rap with y'all." We'd be like, "Aight, spit a 16." If you fye we gon say "yeah". If you not, "no." So like, it was like that for a while.

CENSOR ©

Man, real old school. 16 on the spot?

BEN REILLY

Because we used to just go everywhere and like rap. We would go everywhere and just be like, "oh, we finna cypher." On some, like corny, like Disney Channel shit. Like we would like be at house parties rapping outside.

CENSOR ©

On some Let it Shine type shit.

BEN REILLY

I ain't gon say that. On some like house party type shi... Like, it's been plenty of like parties we've been to where like, niggas would just start rapping and everybody's like paying attention. You know what I'm saying? It's been like that a lot of times. So yeah, that's how the group started and then over time, we got like, super into the art of it. And I got super serious and super, like, meticulous about things.

CENSOR ©

Yeah, I see the art. I see a lot. I've watched a lot of your music videos. Very talented. Are you very hands on with your videos? Like do you like directing?

BEN REILLY

Yeah. So I mean, essentially, I don't... obviously, I don't I don't edit my videos. But when it comes to like, the concepts and some of the compositions, like yeah. I write my treatments. I write my video treatments. I do all my creative direction. So almost every video you see, I've come up with the creative... besides like the group videos, we would collaborate on that, obviously. Yeah, but my solo videos, besides maybe two, I came up with the concepts myself. I like to shoot with my director, Jacob Rink. He's a mentally like... he's a genius. So it's like, sometimes he'll be like, "Yo I got this idea. How you feel about it?" And I'll be like, "Aight I love that, I don't like that, we scrapping that, that's crazy." Well, you know what I mean? So it's a lot of that. But like, for the most part, I write my treatments, and then I pass it to Bro. Bro come up with the shot list and how we want to execute. Yeah, you know what I mean?

CENSOR ©

So you and your whole family from NY, right?

BEN REILLY

Pretty much. Like, me, my mother, my father, my siblings. Pretty much, yeah.

CENSOR ©

How are they about the music thing? I know a lot of people... A lot of parents aren't really receptive at first when it comes to especially hip hop.

BEN REILLY

So my pops actually, like... My mom used to rap.

CENSOR ©

Oh wow.

BEN REILLY

But she wasn't able to, like get into her career. My pops had a short career as a rapper. Like back in New York, like back in the day. But that didn't really go too far. But, my pops didn't raise me, you know what I'm saying? My mother raised me. Put me on like hip hop and all that. But like, ironically, when I moved to the south, and I started like high school, I was like, 14. My pops, he reached out and he was like, "Yo, I'm tryna get my shit together. Let's link." For the longest, I was like, nah. And eventually, like we you know, we got tight. And then he was like, "You know, like, your mom told me that you like to rap." He was like, "Come to the studio with me." So he was my first like experience in the studio with my pops. Took me to one of his homie's cribs and I rapped in the studio type shit.

CENSOR ©

You've been going on ever since.

BEN REILLY

Yeah, type shit. So like, me and the homies would like go to my father's friend's house to record. And eventually we like started working jobs, doing what we got to do to get some money, and then put it in buying our own shit. You know what I mean? So, yeah, that was that but like my mom and my pops was super supportive. Like, when I dropped out of college and I was working my job, I told my mom I was like "Yo, school not for me, bruh. I love rap." And I was like, I was dramatic. I'm on brand, but I was dramatic. I was like "Bruh like, I'd rather die." Like I'm not even joking like I was just like, "I'd rather die than not like do music. And I was like, "Ion wanna go to school no more." She was like "Aight." She was like, "Nigga okay. You hustling. You gon get your money and do what you got to do." So she was like, "Go hard with your music but you got until you're 25." She was like, "I'll let you crash. I'll let you work here. I'll let you stay at the crib. Just help me with the bills and yada yada yada, but you got until 25. If you're not... if you don't make it by 25. You out. And yeah, when I turned 25, I dropped my first project. And then that following year, it blew up.

CENSOR ©

What college did you go to?

BEN REILLY

Chat Tech. I was working on a transfer to GSU, but when I was eligible for my transfer, that's when I was like fuck it.

CENSOR ©

Was it a moment in particular while you was at college that made you say, "Man, fuck this shit. Ion wanna...?

BEN REILLY

So like, community colleges or like technical colleges are different from like universities. But I don't know cause like, I was in class. I'm in here and I'm seeing like, seeing people my age. I'm seeing people that like, just take classes here. For like, just extra shit or whatever. And then I'm seeing like, there's some old niggas in this bitch too. And I was just like, "Ion like this. Y'all like this? This shit ain't it." And I was just like, like, I'll love learning. Forever, I would love to like... I love learning. I love reading and all that shit, but I was just like, "I can't do this no more." And I was like, "I'm cool." I was like, "I don't feel fulfilled." You know what I'm saying? So, that's what it was and I told her that. She understood. Thank God she did. She's been very supportive. Drove me to my first show and all that shit.

CENSOR ©

So with your parents being into hip hop, do you show them your music? Are they like very critical of the things you make?

BEN REILLY

Oh yeah. My mom... So, my pops... They got different opinions. They both think I rap really well. They love my music. My mom hates it when I do like, my weirder vocal tones. When I be like singing or like I get like really high. She hates that shit. So she'll tell me, she'll be like, "Yo, that's wack." She'll be like, "Yo, like your bars are crazy but like, that's wack."

CENSOR ©

The vocal inflection and stuff.

BEN REILLY

Yeah, like just just wrap and then hops. If you like I get what you're trying to do. And be like, you just need to be a little bit more aggressive sometimes like but like, they both be like, Oh, not that. That was crazy. They love it when I spit. I mean, me and my pops, when we go on like family vacations and shit we be rapping in the car on the road. Like and the whole family just... we just be going back and forth. So, like yeah nah. They really love the music for sure.

CENSOR ©

So, your dad a cold freestyler as well?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, he nice though.

CENSOR ©

Okay, damn that's crazy. So growing up with a mom in hip hop that's... you don't hear a lot of that shit often I ain't gon lie. Most moms are like more into r&b and soul music

BEN REILLY

She was into that too. But like, when I tell you like... because my moms was also young when she had me. She was 20.

CENSOR ©

Oh, my mom was too.

BEN REILLY

Like she 20. In the heart of Brooklyn and the heart of the East Coast West Coast beef. Big ass Tupac fan, though. Big ass Biggie fan. So like me as like five, six years old. We got VHS and all that shit. So like I'm watching old Biggie videos on VHS. Eric B, Rakim, [incoherent], Slick Rick. I'm watching Tupac interviews. Like, hip hop was like just...

CENSOR ©

Always around.

BEN REILLY

Yeah, you know what I mean? And I'm in Brooklyn. Like everybody's rapping. You know what I mean? I'm seeing Memph Bleak and Jay Z posters on the way to school. So it's like I'm just in it.

CENSOR ©

So, who was some of your favorite rappers growing up?

BEN REILLY

Growing up, Lil Wayne was my favorite rapper growing up.

CENSOR ©

Really?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, hell yeah.

CENSOR ©

Well what moment made you realize Wayne?

BEN REILLY

Shit... That's a great question actually. Damn, what was one of them songs that made me say like, "I love this dude and I gotta hear everything he do?" Uhh, shit I think it might have been on Carter I or Carter II. Is it... It might be hustle music. Hustle music?

CENSOR ©

Hustle music?

BEN REILLY

Is that Hustle music?

CENSOR ©

I would understand because that song is very crazy.

BEN REILLY

Hold on, I gotta check. My bad bruh.

CENSOR ©

No, go ahead.

BEN REILLY

Is it on Carter I or Carter II? Let me see.

CENSOR ©

I gotta look too. Hustler Musik is Carter II.

BEN REILLY

Carter II? It might have been Carter II. When did Carter II come out?

CENSOR ©

2005. Carter II.

BEN REILLY

Yep, so it was around Carter II. I think I heard Hustler Musik. "I ain't never killed nobody..."

CENSOR ©

Yeah

BEN REILLY

Yeah, yeah. Around that time, and then I got into his mixtapes and I was like, this nigga crazy. But like before then it was like most guys. I used to... always loved Outkast, Jay Z, of course Kanye. But yeah nah, when I really like started to like really understand shit it was Wayne. and I was like, I love this shit. But like growing up like, my big three when I was like around that age was Wayne, Fabulous, and Juelz Santana.

CENSOR ©

Fabulous is surprising, actually.

BEN REILLY

I'm from Brooklyn. So it's like I was a big Loso fan when he was doing the Loso's way and the soul tapes and there's no competition. Like I was a big Fabulous fan growing up. So, um, and obviously like Dipset was my shit.

CENSOR ©

So, is Fabulous and Wayne where the melodies come from?

BEN REILLY

Nah that's where the punch line like when I get into my punchline. The melodies come from like niggas like Mos Def and Andre 3000. And even like some like Drake in there, some Kendrick in there like, I'm influenced by like, rap period. Yeah. So um, so yeah, that's probably where the melodies come from the bars come from the Waynes, the Fabs, Jay-Z,

CENSOR ©

Yeah I feel like Fab is real underrated when it comes to bars. So you've been... I've been seeing you around. Ion know if you remember this, but I was at the Since the 80s camp with you. And you were around. Like we had... Usher made an appearance. JID...

BEN REILLY

I didn't see Usher there. I caught T.I. I caught JID. I was in the studio with JID and EARTHGANG. Um who else was in there? Damn there was somebody in there and I was like, "What the fuck?" Who else was in there?

CENSOR ©

It was a lot of folks in there.

BEN REILLY

It was a lot of folks. Because I didn't get a chance to meet Usher. When I found out Usher was there I was like...

CENSOR ©

That's crazy.

BEN REILLY

Yeah. But like, I caught T.I. because I was in the studio with his son. And he walked in. I think that was his studio.

CENSOR ©

Yeah, that was his studio.

BEN REILLY

Okay, yeah yeah. So, damn I didn't know you was there that's hard.

CENSOR ©

I know, right?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, that's hard.

CENSOR ©

How was it being around all that history... all that... you know T.I. is a legend of course, JID is coming up.

BEN REILLY

For sho.

CENSOR ©

How was that experience?

BEN REILLY

It was dope. When I was in the studio with JID, we ain't get no recording done. I played like a couple of records and niggas was fucking with it. We ain't really get no recodring done, niggas really just talked and it was cool to like just like hear niggas perspectives on things and like hear, like, their experiences when they on the go. And just hearing like, oh, y'all niggas is like rappers. You know what I mean? Like this is y'all prof... Like I'm getting into my career. Like I'm a full time rapper now. But like, at that time, I was still getting into it then like adjusting to it. Like seeing like niggas is talking about booking trips to India, and shit. I'm like oh y'all niggas is like...

CENSOR ©

Like, this is crazy. Yeah, it's a different world.

BEN REILLY

Yeah. So I was just taking that in and just like also like, the times that I would catch someone performing... or not performing but recording, I'll study how they were doing it and like observing like ok I see how y'all get down. You know what I mean? And seeing like okay, what can I learn from that? But, yeah no, it was a dope experience. It was a very... it felt like... obviously, I'm not very close to everybody there. I made a lot of like new friends there for sure. But it felt like very familiar. Everybody just felt like we just in this bitch. And that was some cool shit, that was some cool shit for sho.

CENSOR ©

Have you been starstruck yet?

BEN REILLY

CENSOR ©

Not at all?

BEN REILLY

Nahhh. I'm trying to think. There was a couple people I met, but like, I ain't really meet nobody that had me like, "Ohh shit."

CENSOR ©

"Oh, this is crazy." Yeah.

BEN REILLY

Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Hope so. If I meet like fucking like Wayne or like Hov, nigga Imma... I might fan out. I might fan out, for sure.

CENSOR ©

Yeah. Of course. So what do you want people to take from your music?

BEN REILLY

I really hope someone who listens to my music and walk away feeling... feeling empowered. You know what I'm saying? Just feeling... feeling like they relate to me in some way or just seeing themselves in my music or even if the music just feel good for them. I want them to feel like they gained a new superpower when they listen to my shit.

CENSOR ©

Yeah. Oh, we had listened to your last tape that you just put out in August too. The whole morning we was spinning it. How long have you been working on that?

BEN REILLY

So I'm working on my album. So the EP is really just songs that I felt like they fit the... maybe the sound or the texture of my album, but like I just felt like they weren't... they didn't fit the narrative. You know what I'm saying? So like, um...

CENSOR ©

So this album is gonna be real story driven?

BEN REILLY

Yeah, it's like super personal. Very personal like, because I feel like that's something... I've always been personal in my music but I feel like this album... I feel like it'll get people to know me.

CENSOR ©

Yeah.

BEN REILLY

So, but the EP is... It's really, I don't want to say throwaways, because I still feel really good about those songs. Cause I think those are great songs because I wouldn't put it out if I didn't. Yeah nah the Ep, it came together like, like the [columns] was beat I heard at the Since the 80s camp. I got that from the Since the 80s camp. And [Crystal] from Since the 80s made the [Edna beat] and I met him shortly before then so like two of those songs... Like two of those songs, I had last year. And then the rest I made like around tour and after tour. So, the songs came together quick. I had a lot of different options for songs because like I said, I'm working on an album so I had a lot of songs [but it was quick. It was quick].

CENSOR ©

You think the ablum will be coming this year or 2024?

BEN REILLY

Nah, yeah it's definitely coming 2024.

CENSOR ©

I'm excited man. From what I heard this morning, "I was like, damn, this boy just spit. Like this shit crazy."

BEN REILLY

Appreciate it, bro. Thank you, man.

CENSOR ©

Well, man thank you for sitting down with us.

BEN REILLY

For sure.

CENSOR ©

I'm excited for you go on tour. I wish I could fly out to Europe...

BEN REILLY

We gon be doing shows in Atlanta anyway bro.

CENSOR ©

Yeah, so I'll definitely be there. And thank you.

BEN REILLY

Thank you my nigga.