Hosted by Bryan-Michael Cox & Johnta Austin Featuring Teddy Riley

In this session, we sit down with Teddy Riley — the architect behind New Jack Swing — and break down how one sound changed the direction of R&B and hip-hop.

From early beginnings to building a new genre, shaping artists, and influencing generations of producers, this conversation explores the process behind creating music that lasts.

We get into his journey, his impact, and the blueprint behind a sound the world still feels today.

This is SESSIONS.

Hosted by Bryan-Michael Cox & Johnta AustinWelcome back to SESSIONS — where the architects of R&B talk about craft, legacy, and the records that shape the culture.In this session, we start with what’s going on in music right now, then get straight to the question:What happens when the people who make the records start running the business?

From there, the conversation moves into how the industry shifted — from taste and development to data and speed — and what that means for artists today.

We talk about what creatives bring into leadership, the reality of business pressure, and whether that instinct can survive at that level.By the end, it comes back to one idea:Can creators really change the system… or does the system change them?

This is SESSIONS.

What actually makes a song stick?

In this session, we get into storytelling — not just writing songs, but telling stories people feel and remember. The kind that stay with you long after the music stops.

We start simple… what’s the difference between a moment and a real story? Then we get into the records everybody knows, breaking down how those stories were actually built.

From Burn, to Confessions Part II, to Don't Forget About Us — this isn’t just about the songs, it’s about what was really going on behind them. The emotions, the decisions, the structure… and how those records came together in the room.

With Jasper Cameron — the pen behind records like Lloyd's "You", work with Nivea on "25 Reasons", and contributions to artists like Ciara — the conversation goes deeper into what it really takes to build a story that connects and lasts.

Then it gets personal — writing things you haven’t lived yet, songs that end up changing your own life, and how success can sometimes shift the story you were trying to tell in the first place.

We also talk about where storytelling is today… shorter attention spans, faster consumption, and whether a real story can still exist in a 30-second clip.

By the end, it’s about legacy — what your catalog says about you when people listen back years from now.

Just real conversation, real breakdowns, and real perspective.

This is SESSIONS.

This isn’t a podcast… this is a real conversation.

In this first session, we take it all the way back — before the hits, before the success, before anybody knew the names. Just two people, a love for music, and the decision to keep going no matter what.

We talk about where it really started — the homes, the church, the moments that made us fall in love with music in the first place. Then we get into the part people don’t always see… the doubt, the setbacks, being overlooked, and having to believe in yourself when nobody else does.

From there, the conversation shifts into where R&B is today — what’s changed, what’s missing, and what it actually takes to make something that lasts.

And by the end, it’s bigger than music. It’s about legacy… what you leave behind, and what your work really means when it’s all said and done.

No extra. No acting. Just real stories and real perspective.

This is SESSIONS.