Boots Riley

Boots Riley
Riley in 2010
Background information
Born
Raymond Lawrence Riley

(1971-04-01) April 1, 1971
OriginOakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • filmmaker
Years active1991–present
Labels
Member of

Raymond Lawrence "Boots" Riley (born April 1, 1971) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and filmmaker. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature film directorial debut as the writer and director of the science fiction dark comedy film Sorry to Bother You (2018), which originated from The Coup's 2012 album of the same name, and went on to create and direct the surrealist comedy series I'm a Virgo (2023). He is also known for his communist activism.