- published: 06 Sep 2011
- views: 1324
Boots Riley (born Raymond Lawrence Riley in 1971) is an American musician, vocalist, writer, and public speaker most known for being the front man and producer of The Coup as well as the front man for Street Sweeper Social Club.
Boots Riley was born in 1971 into a family of radical organizers in Chicago. The family later moved to Detroit and then to Oakland. His interest in politics began at a young age, inspiring him to join the Progressive Labor Party and the International Committee Against Racism.
In 1991 Riley founded the political hip hop group The Coup with fellow United Parcel Service worker E-roc. Pam the Funkstress, DJ for the group, joined in 1992. Boots was chief lyric writer and produced the music on the albums. They released a song on a 1991 compilation album called Dope Like A Pound Or A Key along with fellow former UPS worker Spice-1 and future Thug Life member Mopreme Shakur, then known as Mocedes. The album was released on Wax That Azz Records, which was owned by Pierre "The Beat Fixer" James, Too Short's DJ.
Black boots, black boots, black boots on
So you got my number, flash that smile at me
You said this, I said that, when we really gonna meet?
I was lookin' sharp like the rollin' stones
And you kept talkin' about some party
You're blowin' up my phone like where you at?
You wanna go, go, go, I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah
So I'm puttin' on my favorite song
And black boots, black boots, black boots
Excuse me miss, how did it come to this?
We were lovers undercover
And then you started talking about love
So we said goodbye, everybody says goodbye
And I know you'll say hello again
You're blowin' up my phone like where you at?
You wanna go, go, go, I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah
So I'm puttin' on my favorite song
And black boots, black boots, black boots
There's somethin' goin' down, you know where it's at
I need you now, now, now, just say yeah, yeah, yeah
So I'm puttin' on my favorite song
And black boots, black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots, black boots on
I got my black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots, black boots on
I got my black boots, black boots
Now you're turnin' up the song
You're blowin' up my phone like where you at?
You wanna go, go, go, I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah
So I'm puttin' on my favorite song
And black boots, black boots, black boots
There's somethin' goin' down, you know where it's at
I need you now, now, now, just say yeah, yeah, yeah
So I'm puttin' on my favorite song
And black boots, black boots, black boots
Black boots, black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots, black boots on
I got my black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots
I got my black boots, black boots, black boots on
I got my black boots, black boots