Rapper Ben Reilly reveals the origin of HEROMAN, Spider-Man influences, and SAVE! The Album

April 08, 2026

Episode Transcript

Fresh off his Walk...Before You Fly Tour, Rapper Ben Reilly joins the show to talk about his favorite comics, and the origin of his superhero alter ego: HEROMAN. We also discuss his critically acclaimed album: SAVE!, securing a "Stan Lee" cameo, growing up on Spider-Man, the upcoming Spider-Man Noir TV series, and the origin of his East Coast meets down South rap style.

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Ben Reilly 0:04

In this episode of the short box. For me, Hero Man is just an extension of myself. It's, you know, it's just the highlighted version of myself, the highlighted version of my traumas, the exaggerated version of all those things. So with this one, I wanted to do, if this project is supposed to be my superhero origin story, I wanted to give myself the a hero moniker on some blank man shit. Whereas like I I could grab my white T, I could grab my J's, I could grab my Tems, and I could throw on some blue jeans and throw this cape on and put this mask on with a nice watch on some blank man. Blank man was running around in PJs and a blanket on his back. With, you know, like I wanted it to be akin to something like that. I wanted it to feel as if anybody could be a hero.

Intro/ Theme Song 0:52

Ladies and gentlemen, short box podcasts. Fantastic. The short box podcast is recorded live from Jacksonville, Florida. Shortbox video.

Badr Milligan 1:18

Yoo! Short Box Nation, hello again. Welcome back and thanks for pressing play today. If you're brand new, welcome to the show. I'm your host, Badr Milligan, and this is the Short Box Podcast, the comic book talk show, where we bridge the gap between the panels of your favorite comics and the culture they inspire by having some candid ass conversations with the people who put their blood, sweat, and tears into creating the stories as well as the people moving comic culture forward. This is episode 494, and today's guest is Ben Reilly, a multifaceted creative who is currently redefining the intersection of hip hop and storytelling. He's a rapper, a creative director, and if the name didn't give it away already, he's a massive Spider-Man fan as well, whose stage name carries the legacy of the Scarlet Spider himself. We'll get to hear from him shortly, but first I want to give a special recognition to our amazing sponsors who help us keep the lights on. Big shout out to our sponsors, including Gotham City Limit Comic Shop, the best comic shop in Northeast Florida, and IDW Publishing, the company that publishes great comics like TMNT, Beneath the Trees, and Godzilla. Like I said, I couldn't do this without them. So big shout outs to Gotham City Limit and IDW Publishing. Now, without further ado, let's welcome our guest of honor today, fresh off his debut album Save and his walk before you fly tour. Short Box Nation, please welcome to the show, Ben Reilly. Ben, welcome to the show. How you doing? What's good, man? How you feeling? Welcome, Ben. How you doing, brother? I'm good, man. How about yourself? Man, I've gotten no complaints, man. I've been looking forward to this uh interview all day. Uh I when I get a chance to talk hip-hop and comic books, I get extra excited because those are my two bread and butter. I mean, I live in both worlds. So to uh have a guest like yourself that like embodies both things at once is a big honor. So happy to have you here too.

Ben Reilly 3:05

Word for sure. I'm look, I'm happy to be here. I put on my Spider-Man shirt first. Yeah, my Ben Riley and Peter shirt. Yeah. Yeah.

Badr Milligan 3:13

Like I said in the intro, you just wrapped up a uh a tour. Uh the Walk Before You Fly tour. Uh you performed at a bunch of dope spots. Uh Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Portland. How's the tour? How are you feeling now?

Ben Reilly 3:25

Uh well, firstly, I want to uh do a slight correction. Uh we didn't do Seattle in Portland. Okay. Um we did uh Boston, New York, uh uh Rhode Island. It was uh Providence, Rhode Island. Um Chicago, LA, DC. Um I like to count the Atlanta show, although that was the album and release show. I like to count it because it kicked everything off. But um it's always an amazing feeling for like, you know, to to be in a a world where like, okay, um the stuff that I cook up in my bedroom or the stuff that I cook up with my friends, or um just the music that I make, these thoughts that I like uh create are able to not only take me to different places but touch people in different places. And like there's people taking off for work, and there's people like genuinely like taking off work, flying to a different state, driving to a different state to go see a concert. Um it's it's it's surreal, it's a beautiful feeling, but sometimes it is it it throws me for a look. But um it's a blessing, and I'm and I'm grateful. Super, super, super grateful.

Badr Milligan 4:34

What was the last job you had before you decided to do music full time? Bartender. I was a bartender.

Ben Reilly 4:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Badr Milligan 4:41

I was a bartender. Actually, my best friend is also a bartender, and he's kind of made for he's got like the gift of gab, he's very personable, he can literally talk to anybody. Do you feel like uh uh being ab any of those skills come in handy like in the rap world and making music and touring?

Ben Reilly 4:57

Uh yeah, uh people, people skills, you know. Uh working in working in the service industry, you kind of have to like get really good at uh customer service and like speaking with people, do like problem solving. You have to do really good with that, and with that comes with developing uh charismatic traits, if you will, having to like be a little bit more charming, having to be able to like diffuse the situation and make someone go from upset to like smiling, you know. Like, yeah, you all you also have to be really good with like upselling. Like when I was a bartender, we used to sell like margaritas or old-fashions or whatever, and we would have to try our best to upsell. So with that, you gotta have like real good conversation, you know. Put on a good smile. A smile goes a long way in my history. So it's uh I I definitely uh I think that probably helps me when it comes to just engaging with different people, whether it be fans, people in the industry, other artists, or whatever.

Badr Milligan 5:53

Yeah, for sure. That sounds like that sounds extremely helpful. Um, Ben, one of the fun facts I ended up learning was that uh you originally wanted to go by Peter Parker, but if DJ already had that name, I guess uh looking back, why do you feel Ben Riley feels more like the appropriate mantle for your career?

Ben Reilly 6:11

Honestly, if I'm being honest, I just I I really, really, really wanted to just it's not that it was appropriate. It was appropriate because I just really wanted to name myself after a Spider-Man character. Like, this is my favorite hero. I wanted to do something akin to like an MF Doom, where it's just like where I'm referencing something that I love so much, and I feel like it just made the most sense for me to go with a Spider-Man character. I was like, yeah, Peter Parker, but the DJ had it, and I was like a little disappointed. So I was like, I want to choose my next like favorite version of the character. Like nothing's better than the OG. But I'm like, okay, I want to choose my next favorite version. Okay, I'm gonna go Ben Riley. So I chose the name, no one had it. So I was like, okay, cool, this feels good. And uh, you know, uh people started calling me Ben, and yeah, here we are.

Badr Milligan 7:03

Yeah, can I tell you something? Um, I was thinking about, you know, obviously I've had like Spider-Man on the brand, because he's if he's not like my favorite character, he's like 1A, 1B. It's usually between him and Daredevil, depending on like the week. But um my first comic book I ever got from my pops at that was an issue of Spider-Man. It's uh Spider-Man issue 72 from 1996. It's got Ben Riley on the cover. Uh it's also got like a Sentinel from the X-Men on the cover. It was like this onslaught crossover. It was like it blew my mind away. So for me, Ben Riley, I've got a very kind of personal connection with Ben Riley. I also think that he's got one of the best Spider-Man costumes, like, period, in all of comics.

Ben Reilly 7:44

He has he has two of the best Spider-Man costumes. His sensational outfit is fantastic and the uh the uh Scarlet Spider. I think those are the two best costumes ever, for sure. Yeah, I wouldn't. I mean, next to the black suit, of course. Yeah, yeah.

Badr Milligan 7:56

I wouldn't debate you on any of that. Ben, what what is the uh what's the earliest comic book memory you have? Like, do you remember the first comic you got?

Ben Reilly 8:04

Yeah, so um funny, my my grandfather back in New York, uh we like when I was younger, newspapers were still, I don't know if newspapers are still like prominent to the same degree that they were, obviously not, but um I don't know if newspapers still have like the comic strips, the funnies. And um, growing up, I used to read the comic strips, and I used to be so like, oh, like I it was like watching cartoons. Like I would just, you know, go to the uh to the funnies. And eventually, my grandfather, he had a comic book collection, and over time he was like, you know, I see that he like he really into the comics. So he started to like buy a comic when he would buy a uh newspaper and put it in a newspaper for me. I think my first issue was I don't know if it was it was a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man, but I'm I I'm trying to remember if it was one or two. It was the it was the first appearance of Chameleon. I think that might have been one. Um but it was a reprint. It was a reprint. This was like 2000, 2003, four, maybe. Um no, no, no, it might have been earlier, but it was a reprint, and um, I want to say it was like chameleon's first appearance. I think that might have been issues two. I know you were right in the first one.

Badr Milligan 9:13

It was one.

Ben Reilly 9:14

The first one? Okay, first one. Um, and it was a reprint, and uh and it wasn't like it was super good, like it was like a new cover and everything. It wasn't like a reprint of the original, but um that's what started my like comic. Like, I started to really get into it. Um, I think the next thing, like, once I started to like really, really get into comics, I started to ask my mom, oh, take take me to the comic shop, take me to like uh uh one of these like bookstores and give me a graphic novel or whatever it is, you know. Um yeah, yeah, yeah. That was that was my earliest like memory, besides like TV shows, of course.

Badr Milligan 9:50

But I've got a similar uh uh kind of pipeline too, because I I also was really into comic strips, and then my dad led me to comics, but my grandpa used to read the paper every morning, and he would always give me the comic section. So I used to read like this is when like Boondocks was was running, at least in our paper.

Ben Reilly 10:08

Boondocks, peanuts, zits, Marmaduke.

Badr Milligan 10:11

Yeah, Marmaduke, yeah. I love Zitz was Zitz was my jam, and then also Garfield too. I feel like there's so many kind of like tangents that we can we can go down, but I I think I want to go ahead and maybe just jump straight to the album. Okay. Okay, we can't talk about the tour without talking about the album that goes with the tour. The album is called Save. Uh, you're on the cover wearing a mask. Um, this this Hero Man persona, this moniker, this this nickname that you have carries over uh obviously into the visuals. It's on the album cover. You're wearing a mask. For the uninitiated, who is Hero Man?

Ben Reilly 10:49

So for me, uh when I do projects, albums, mixtapes, or whatever, I like to do character uh tracks. I like to have like a uh character that's associated with the project. For me, Hero Man is just an extension of myself. It's you know, uh it's it's just the highlighted version of myself, the highlighted version of my traumas, the exaggerated version of all those things. Uh so yeah, with every project, I like to just do like with my first project, it was called Freelance. Um, the character for that was Red Bird. It was centered around Cardinal Birds, you know. So with this one, I wanted to do. If this project is supposed to be my superhero origin story, I wanted to give myself the the uh a hero moniker. And um the name Hero Man just uh felt right to me. Uh it didn't feel one, it didn't feel like derivative of anything for for one. It felt like its own thing. Um and I kind of wanted it to also feel as if like when you see me on, like when you see me doing the changed clothes, or when you see me doing like just my other music videos, maybe Osborne Park, I had the you know, the white T with the cape on, or even like other videos where I have the uh the mask on, like the the the glitter mask or whatever you with the the jeweled mask, right? Um, the concept of that has always been for me to kind of uh make it feel like can I curse?

Badr Milligan 12:06

Yeah, you absolutely can. Yeah, you're free to.

Ben Reilly 12:09

I want it I wanted it to feel like any nigga could be a hero, right? Any nigga could be a superhero on some blank man shit. Whereas like I I could grab my white T, I could grab my J's, I could grab my Tim's, I could grab my uh whatever, and I could throw on some blue jeans and throw this cape on and put this mask on with a nice watch. And like just like I could be your average dude, but I throw this cape on it, then I'm hero man. That's that's really always been the concept to me. It's like on some blank man, blank man was running around and in PJs and a blanket on his back, but you know, like I wanted it to be akin to something like that. I wanted it to feel as if anybody could be a hero.

Badr Milligan 12:46

I like the concept a lot. I think I think it speaks to the the creative director in you and having like this vision and the execution as well. I gotta say, man, like everything feels very high quality with you. From the music itself, the visuals, um, uh, you know, and and just tying all the themed that the the theme of being hero man, of superhero, of being like, you know, in both realms of comic books and and hip hop. I mean, I was like I said, scrolling your Instagram and even like all your announcements is like, hey, issue number 10, here's the visuals for this. Issue three is this announcement. I was like, damn, this is this tells me that he's thinking, you know, this is a theme that he feels very passionate about. For sure. I don't think I had a chance to mention, but you were born and raised in Brooklyn, you currently reside in Atlanta. I I was curious, how do the two regions and upbringings like directly influence your music? Like, is there any artists or other albums that have that up north and down-south connection that maybe inspire you personally?

Ben Reilly 13:44

Um, when it comes to uh my influences, whether it be from New York or Atlanta, uh I think I I feel like both cities influenced me equally. I've I've been out here since high school, so like I've gotten to live, I've gotten to have my childhood through uh New York, and I've gotten to have my like teenage years through here. And I spent like time like summers or whatever in New York, but like I was able to soak up the culture of both places, the sonics of both places. When you look at New York and you I feel like New York, both Atlanta and New York have a grip, but it it sounds different, it feels different, the accents are different, um, the approach is different. Atlanta has a more melodic approach to things, or uh uh the the beats are a bit funkier, if you will. Or uh um the 808s is super prevalent down here, especially like in my age, you know, my age group. We we came up on Future, Doug, Rich Kids, Travis, you know, Travis Porter, all that type of stuff. And in New York, I grew up on Fab. I grew up on on Dipset and Hove. I grew up on a lot of Rockefeller stuff. I grew up on like like Terror Squad, like, you know, like just that era, that lyricism, that, you know, I I I really I'm not a super flashy person, but I have a draw to the the flashiness of hip-hop when it comes to that. I have a draw to the grittiness of the Wu-Tang or the grittiness of a like most definitely not gritty, but the backpack energy. The, the, the, you know, like, that's what I came up on. My favorite album is one of them, is Black on Both Sides. My favorite Jay-Z album is Blueprint, you know. I love, I love, love, love. Everybody talks about Dirty Sprite 2 when it comes to the future, but I'm gonna talk about astronaut status. Like, I love, I love just both cities so much and they influence so much on my style that like even on certain songs, I'll you'll hear on one song my New York accent might be strong. But you might hear like me sound mad, southern and country on another song. And I do that because I'm able to understand both dialects of the cities. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm I'm able to understand the the slang, the culture, the the street, the the not even the street, like just different things. Like, so I try my best to pull both together and just emphasize both sides of me.

Badr Milligan 15:54

That's well said. I think you said it uh even uh just as well on one of your freestyles. You said geek culture meets street culture, match made in heaven. I'm like, yes. I think that perfectly summarized that up. It's interesting that you know we bring up uh geek culture, street culture, and all that, but the four first voice you hear when you press play on the album isn't yours at all. And I think for any any comic fan Worthus Spit will have maybe have the same reaction I had when I press play. And that's what the fuck? Is this Stan Lee on the intro?

Stan Lee 16:30

So they laughed at me. Well, we'll see how long that lasts. With his powers, fortified with a confidence that his new power I could have given him. He's a new man. Hell of a journey in front. So look out, world.

Badr Milligan 16:55

Here comes What's my motherfucking name? And I'm like, I had to re you know, rewind it a couple times back because I'm like, there's no, you know, I'm trying to do math. I'm like, how old is he? And then Stan Lee passed away. This thing, album came out. Where did you get Stan Lee's voice, and what was the uh inspiration to begin the album this way?

Ben Reilly 17:16

First and foremost, one of my dreams was always like uh when I chose the name Van Riley, I was like, I want my my first like album, quote unquote album, to be called Save. I wanted to be my superhero origin story, and I want Stan Lee the narrator. This is like when I was young, I was a teenager. And that's that was always my thought. Like, I always want that to be a thing. Obviously, Stanley passed. Time goes on, we in the age of AI. I didn't use AI though. Applause to that. I don't like that.

Badr Milligan 17:44

Let me go ahead and give you a little deal. Hell yeah.

Ben Reilly 17:46

You could have took the easy route. Yeah, so so the hard route is, you know, I wrote a script. I wrote a script. I pulled, I did pull things that Stan has said before, but um, I I created my own script to kind of shape, uh, to center it around the songs that I chose for the album. And it's this website. I don't know if I should plug the website or not, but um, it's this website that you can you can hire like actors and extras. Like a fiver.

Badr Milligan 18:17

Like a fiver or something like that.

Ben Reilly 18:18

Uh not like a fiver. So it's called Backstage, right? And you can hire like you could hire like actual actors, you can hire elder actors, child actors, cool, extras, all type of things. And I was like, I was curious. I was like, man, I'm going on TikTok, looking up Stan Lee uh impersonators and everything, like trying to find a person. And eventually I was like, oh, wait, let me see if there's a voice actors section on this website. So I go on the website, I see they have a voice actor section. So I put out a casting call. I put out a casting call, got like hundreds of people uh like reading back during uh reads of the uh of the script that I put out. It was it was a few that I really, really liked. There was a couple that was like, bro, I don't even know why you tried. But um can't lie, like some it was some dudes, some dude, I don't know if they were like Caribbean or what, but like they didn't even try. I was like, you know what? I ain't even mad at you.

Badr Milligan 19:14

Ben, I need um I need their names because I kind of want to hear a Caribbean Stan Lee accent. I think I'll see all mine.

Ben Reilly 19:23

I definitely think I have a couple saved, but um there was a few guys. It was a few guys, like one guy was really, really good, but he almost sounded like Stan Lee if he was in a Frank Miller uh film or something. Like it was too gritty almost, you know?

Badr Milligan 19:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ben Reilly 19:41

Um, and then this other guy, he sounded like Stan Lee, but he also sounded like Gilbert Godfrey. Like he sounded a little too like flamboyant and in with in his vocal delivery. So I was like, ah, that's not it. But then I found this guy named Ed Rossini, and he was perfect. Like he sounded like Stan. He sounded like he sounded close enough to Stan, just enough to be like, okay, that that's like that's not him, but it could be. Like maybe this is from an interview or something, you know? Um, so uh I got with him, I I chose him, I paid him, and then me and him talked on the phone for like an hour or two. And I was just telling him the concept, I was telling him what I was trying to do. He was like, yo, this is like really, really cool. I've never heard of anything like this. And um, you know, we we told he's from New York as well. I'm like, okay, cool. So like there's like a lot of synergy here. And then uh he sent over like vocal, uh vocal takes, and it was like 10. He did, he did like somber tones, he did bombastic tones, he did like super like aggressive, like it was it was a lot to work with. And um, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was it was a fun, fun process. It was really, really cool.

Badr Milligan 20:50

Once again, it goes back to the compliment I paid you earlier. I I think the the attention to detail and tying this whole theme of of hero man, the album is called Save. You know, there's so many nuances and layers to uh to tying it all together. And I think Stan Lee, having like, you know, the Stan Lee voice really helps kind of bring all of that to life, especially considering that, you know, you do a lot of storytelling on this album. You know, you're you're very vulnerable, you there's a lot of candid storytelling, a lot of witty punchline, or the production uh was a journey in itself. You've worked with some really good producers on that. If you want to give them a shout-out here.

Ben Reilly 21:26

Uh so I I worked with a lot of people. So I worked with uh uh my main producers are uh Lale, Madness, Nico Porter, uh Wasil, uh Jupiter Juke, Powers Pleasant. Powers Pleasant, you might be familiar with like if you like listen to like Joey Battles or Denzel Curry, he does a lot uh with them. Um Knife Wonder, uh Knife Wonder is like hip hop less.

Badr Milligan 21:54

One of my top five favorite Wait, wait, which real quick, maybe I didn't, maybe I glossed over. Which one is the Knife? Wonder song on here.

Ben Reilly 22:01

Responsibility.

Badr Milligan 22:02

Oh, track 12. Okay. For anyone uh not uh uh maybe I should have said this too. The album Save is available everywhere you listen to music. I'll have a link in the show notes. Uh we're talking 15 tracks, uh, and it comes in, I think, just about, yeah, just under an hour, too. So uh it respects your time. Um, and like I said, if you are a comic book fan and a hip-hop fan, I think it gives you a little bit of both. Ben, out of all the songs on here, which of you uh which of these songs do you think best represents the character, Ben Riley, like that energy?

Ben Reilly 22:32

The energy of Ben Riley. Ben Riley, me or Ben Riley like Scarlet Spider Man Spider Man.

Badr Milligan 22:36

Yeah, Scarlet Spider Man.

Ben Reilly 22:37

Hmm. That's a good question. That's a good question. You know, I would say, hmm, hmm, hmm. I would I would say a couple. I'll say three. I would say Osborne Park, Walk, uh, Walk Before You Fly, and uh Happy New Year. And the reason why I say Happy New Year is because lately they've been trying to make Ben Riley a villain. And that's the villain's theme song on the album, so I wanted to, you know. But um lately they've been trying to go like the chasm, and then uh when they try to make him the jackal and all that, they try to make him a villain. So I'd probably use that as an example as well.

Badr Milligan 23:15

You mentioned Walk Before You Fly, which is track three on here. It's also the name of the tour that just uh that you just wrapped up. That title to me suggests like a lot of patience. You know, you hear that a lot, hey, walk before you run, that type of stuff. What has been the hardest lesson about walking, quote unquote, in an industry, you know, the music industry, where it constantly feels like it it wants you to fly before you know you walk. You know, it's it's all about the virality, having the hit song, being, you know, up to date. Like, can you speak to that?

Ben Reilly 23:44

Uh the hardest part is I think it's it's it's tempering your expectations. Um as an artist, I like I straight up believe I'm a star, right? Um, but I have to temper my expectations and how things go. Um success is a friend of mine said in the in the in the verse, his name is Chris, he said, success, growth is never linear for someone reaching for success, right? And I feel like the path that I want to take, I've always envisioned it to be like a straight, but it's not, and it never is, right? You know, you're gonna have your ups, your downs, you're gonna have your moments where uh things might see c might seem clearer than ever, but then it might get hazy, and now you gotta figure out how to how to find that clarity again. And you know, at like as an artist, I mean, the phrasing walk before you fly to me, it it says it all. It's like you are able to fly. You have the ability, you have the capabilities, you have the you you dream of flying, but you have to you have to walk, you have to pace yourself, you have to be patient. You eventually you gotta walk, you gotta run, you gotta jump, eventually you'll get to flying, but there's steps to get there. It's frustrating, but you gotta be patient. And it'll be worthwhile once you actually, you know, catch flight, you know?

Badr Milligan 25:06

For sure. Now that's well said. If if you're talking about curving, you know, the your expectations, I'd be curious, you know, where they're at now, considering that the album has landed on a bunch of like best of 2025 list from uh dissect. I mean, it was on like a Pigeons and Planes like list as well. How does it feel to have your debut album recognized as like this cohesive body of work rather than just like a collection of songs? Like it seems like people are really praising how cohesive it is, how it feels like a a solid project or you know, from beginning to end.

Ben Reilly 25:37

Um it feels it feels really good because like, man, we put a lot of work into it. Um we dropped it 2025, but that project was in the works since like I I think I made the I think I wrote down like I I think I recorded my first idea for it in like 2021, maybe 2022. Um so it's it was a very, very long process in in creation. So it feels good that people can say, oh, this is my favorite album this year, or this song from this album is my favorite song, or this is my favorite concept album, or my favorite debut, or whatever, like whatever people label it as their favorite or best, whatever, it means the world to me because that means that you took the time out of it. And regardless of like, you know, what you're like comparing it to, oh, it's better than this or that or whatever, the fact that you took the time out of it and landed in one of your favorite listens, that means the world. That means the absolute world. Because I put a lot of time into it.

Badr Milligan 26:33

Yeah, for sure. It it definitely shows. I want to ask uh maybe some more about your um your rap influences and upbringing. I've read somewhere that your mom, your mom's taste in rap was a big influence. You know, she was a fan of I have here Nasra Kim Keras one. That kind of helped build your foundation. But you've stated in a couple of interviews that Dana Dane's song Nightmares was the specific catalyst that made you want to rap. And for anyone that's not familiar, uh that Dana Dane's song Nightmares was on a night and his 1987 album. Um, and it's about him consulting a psychiatrist about these like nightmares he's he's constantly having. It's like a very storytelling, yeah. Very storytelling song. I I guess what was it? Yeah, and the video was even funnier too. Yeah. What is it about that that song and that storytelling that really clicked for you?

Ben Reilly 27:21

Uh it was it was the storytelling. Like I thought, for me growing up, like, man, I was, you know, I of course I was privy to like Biggie and like everything as a kid, of course. Biggie, not like all the songs that was like hot, I was I was into, of course. But when I actually like when I sat down with my mom, because my mom, pardon me, she had mixtapes. And when I actually sat down with the mixtapes, that was like the song that made me go, oh wait, there's like like he sang something. Like, cause once it got to the end, he was like the nurse was the girl that he was having nightmares about the whole time. Anita the beast. Yeah, you know, once it got that, once it got to that, I was like, whoa, and I rewinded. I was like, Whoa, this is like the coolest thing ever. And obviously, like, you know, you got your slick rips and stuff like that. But as a kid, it was just fun. It was, it was very uh, it was an animated song where like he does the voices, he's like, the day, the day, the day. Like, that was a thing that made me like drawn to it, which which is probably why I do voices and stuff when I do my recordings. But yeah, something that was what it was about that song. It was the twist at the end, it was the build-up, the animation, the hook that like that whole thing, it just blew my mind as a kid. And I was like, this is like the coolest thing ever, which led me to go listen to all the classics, the you know, the Mona Lisa, the the uh Check My Melody, and all, you know, all of this. Like, I I was a kid just enthralled with that. Like that was just amazing to me.

Badr Milligan 28:53

It got me thinking about some of my favorite storytelling, like hip-hop songs, and some of the ones that like immediately come to mind for me is like Nas Rewind. The fact that he told the whole story like backwards is like still uh a master class. Um, I've always loved like Jay's a friend or foe series. I think it's just like the characters he plays, like the cockiness, you know, like really deliver that story.

Ben Reilly 29:17

No should we ever ever ever ever come back no more? Yeah, yeah.

Badr Milligan 29:20

Uh, and then I can't talk about storytelling and not mention outcast the art of storytelling. You know, it's in the fucking name.

Ben Reilly 29:28

Of course, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Badr Milligan 29:30

I brought up Rob Markman before we hit record. Big shout-outs to Rob Markman. Um, uh yeah, he's he's all over the place. He just started a new uh uh YouTube interview series called Best Interview Ever. I think you were his first guest, if I got that correct. Yep, and it was an honor, for sure. I imagine. But yeah, you and Rob ended up having like a really good discussion about you know deliberate and the you know being deliberate, being thoughtful, and the process behind like crafting a project like save and telling, you know, your unique story and and you know, kind of uh, you know, all of that that goes into it. In your opinion, what makes for a masterpiece when we consider like uh you know an album classic for you personally, like what is an album need to have to be considered a classic?

Ben Reilly 30:13

A classic. Um I think I think the quality of the music, first and foremost, like when you hear it, obviously I think uh you don't always get things on the first listen, right? But I think the quality of music, the quality of the music has to be there. The the production quality. Um I one thing about me, I feel like most, I guess, classic projects, they don't feel too they don't feel generic, you know? And I think that's production quality is very important when it comes to like making sure the sound of it sets itself apart. Um there's that argument that like a classic has to be like genre shifting. I don't believe that, but um I think uh lyrically, like specific specifically with hip-hop, I think lyrically it has to be up to standard, it has to be up to par with what's coming out at that time or better, obviously. Um Then when it comes to like standing the test of time, does this music does this music can I can I play a uh just forget the lyrics, can I play the instrumentation from this uh this project? And can it still trigger something out of me that I that I that I enjoy now? Like, does it sound dated or does it sound like it's from this time, but does it still sound really good? Uh uh when I hear it, does it bring me back to the moment I first heard it or the moment that I associate with this project? Uh I think I think there's a lot of things, plus, plus I do think uh see, this is where classic conversation becomes tough because I don't think all classics are commercial success, but I do think a lot of classics are.

Badr Milligan 31:48

I agree.

Ben Reilly 31:49

Right? Like Carter 3 is a classic. Um uh Blueprint one is a classic, black album is a classic, college dropouts are classic. Um But all of those have commercial success, but then you have albums like uh Mob D the Infamous. It's I mean, I it's not commercially, commercially successful, but amongst hip-hop, that is the classic, you know? So um, yeah, I don't know, it's it's tough to call. It's one of those things like if you know, you you you know too, you know, like when you could you could feel it and say, There's nothing like this right now.

Badr Milligan 32:23

I co-sign on on a lot on all of that for the most part. I think I'll also add that I think I think a classic album is almost like it captures like this lightning in a bottle, not just like the talent of the moment uh of of the individuals, but I also think like of the like the time period too. Like you brought up the infamous. Yeah, it's not a commercial success, but when you listen to it, you feel, you know, like you're you're teleported to like 90s, you know, New York, Queensbridge. Like you can, you you know, like the storytelling is so good. Like you, like you know what I'm saying? Like this is not just music for them, but it is their biography. And I think a classic album does a great job of teleporting you somewhere, you know, in that person's life or a time period. And it stands a test of time, you know, like even though it's supposed to be a time period, I think it's something that you can always revisit and maybe learn something new from it. Absolutely. What do you hope that save the album does for someone? Like, who do you think this album is for?

Ben Reilly 33:22

Uh, first and foremost, this album is for people like me, right? I I want people who uh maybe grew up how I grew up. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, but I'm a really nice guy, you know. Um I'm into comic books, but I I can fight. Like, you know, like I want people who have maybe that shared experience with whether it comes with, whether it comes to, you know, the fatherhood, uh, the parental issues that I uh I speak to on the project, or the the the moments of brotherhood that I speak to, or talking about everybody done had a big cousin that they grew up uh idolizing and running behind when they shouldn't have. You know, um I just I feel like especially as a as a black kid, I think I I made that album for people like me. Um now the people uh obviously the people that relate to it or resonate with the album don't always look like me, and I'm okay with that. I love that. Um, because that that transcends my original intention with the album, you know? So I want, I really want people to walk away from this album, getting to know me and finding themselves within the music, you know?

Badr Milligan 34:27

Yeah, no, I like that a lot. That's the power of art that once you put it out in the world, it's like out of your hands, and you can only hope that, you know, reaches the people that you want it to, but also I think maybe this maybe a good part of it is when it resonates with someone that even you didn't see, you know, like, oh wow, I didn't know that would speak to you know this person or this individual. I think that's dope. Um, I want to take it back to comics because you brought up Frank Miller. Okay. What are some of your favorite comic stories? Who are some of your favorite creators?

Ben Reilly 34:55

I would say, so I'm gonna get I'm gonna get the Spider-Man stuff out the way. Obviously, Stan Lee, Dick Cole, Jack Hervey. Um I like um Mark Bagley and Michael Bendis, their run.

Badr Milligan 35:09

Mark Bagley is still to this day my favorite Spider-Man artist just because that is who I grew up with.

Ben Reilly 35:14

Like I literally have an autograph.

Badr Milligan 35:16

Oh, word? Yeah, yeah, that's cool. I used to beg my dad to take me to every comic shop so I could fill out like that entire run.

Ben Reilly 35:23

JMS, I like him. I like Chip. Yeah, I don't know how to pronounce his last name. Yeah, it's a Darcy. I like him.

Badr Milligan 35:32

What is it about Spider-Man for you, like personally? Like, what is it about that character that speaks to you?

Ben Reilly 35:37

I think it was just the first character I truly just fell in love with. Like, obviously, I I love like I love um Batman, I love Superman, I love uh, well, I don't love Superman, I just lied. I love Batman. I love Batman. I like that's I I've actually grown to like Superman. I grew up hating Superman, I can't lie. But I've grown to like him in recent years. I I read like The Death of Superman, and I thought that was really cool. I read a couple Superman stories that I thought was really cool. Um, but uh obviously like I love Batman. I love like, you know, the killing joke. I actually I'm probably in the minority of people that like Hush. Like, I like Hush. Like, you know, um It's fun.

Badr Milligan 36:15

It's a funny thing, too. Like, I remember like I was a kid when Hush came out, and that was like a moment. Like it was all over Wizard magazine.

Ben Reilly 36:24

I saw posters at all the shops, like Yeah, uh so my my two, like my two favorites are Batman and Spider-Man. I don't know, yeah. Something about Peter's character just speaks to me, and um, I think it I think he does have a relatability aspect to it. I I have a thing for sarcastic characters, and I I really, really don't like it when every character is sarcastic, of course. But um I like that Peter is a person that um I like and dislike it. He's a person that hides uh how I guess talented he really is, right? He's he's a very strong hero, he's a very, very smart character, but he kind of like subdues himself a little bit. And I I don't know, I've I've I've seen that in myself a few times, and maybe that's maybe that's what draws me to it. I don't currently feel that way about myself, but I've I've been there before, you know. Um I think that's a that's a thing that I really really I don't know. I just really think the character is amazing.

Badr Milligan 37:25

I I would be remiss if I didn't ask a couple more questions about Spider-Man. Uh specifically with the thought that Spider-Man Noir, which uh the series, this TV series that'll be uh that's starring uh Nicolas Cage is actually coming out. I I'll be honest with you, when they made this announcement years ago, I did not think this was gonna be something we were gonna actually see happen. Little didn't. I know it's like, no, this is actually happening, happening. Nicolas Cage is getting his own TV series spinning off of Into the Spider-Verse, and it's gonna be here before we know it. I'm looking at uh Google Spider-Man Noir, the TV show, will air on May 27th of this year. Soon. It's Ben Riley. Nicholas Cage is playing a character by the name of Ben Riley, a different version of Spider-Man.

Ben Reilly 38:08

I think that's exclusively for the show. I don't remember the Spider-Man award character being Ben Riley.

Badr Milligan 38:15

I thought so too.

Ben Reilly 38:16

I thought I was like bugging, and I was like, No, I think that's I I think that's like a due to like a rights issue or like um I I think they don't want to confuse viewers.

Badr Milligan 38:26

You know what? You could absolutely be right on that, but considering that Nicolas Cage is gonna be playing a character named uh Ben Riley, I mean you got something in common there. I was wondering if the showrunners reached out to you and asked you to contribute to the Spider-Man Noir soundtrack, what's a specific track from your catalog? It could be from Save or anything else that fits the energy of uh I think he's playing like a like a you know, Spider-Man Noir is like a gumshoe detective in the Great Depression era. What do you think would be a good song for the soundtrack?

Ben Reilly 38:56

Good song for the soundtrack. I got a couple. Uh-huh. So I would say if this be my destiny. I think that's a, you know, it's named after a Spider-Man comic, but I think that's a thing's a very moody track. I think it'll fit good with that that's a good one.

Badr Milligan 39:11

Wait, wait, wait. You have a song named If This Be My Destiny?

Ben Reilly 39:15

Yeah, it's on the album.

Badr Milligan 39:16

A hard ass name.

Ben Reilly 39:17

Okay, I'm about to miss that. Yeah, it's okay. Yeah, it's on the album. Uh it's towards the second to last song.

Badr Milligan 39:23

I did not even connect it until now. That is dope.

Ben Reilly 39:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm retelling the comic story in that, yeah. But um, I would I would probably use that song. I would probably use that song because it's moody. I'm I'm already knowing there's gonna be some some angsty, depressing, brooding scenes. And I think that's the type of song that could just fit that vibe so crazy. Like, I wouldn't go, like, you know, he is gonna be a gun toter and all that, and that's gonna be cool, but I wouldn't even go that route. I'll be like, yeah, give me the let me let me get the somber song with the with the rain coming down, you know. Like, I want that, you know, like I want that. That's gonna be the shot that everybody uses for a meme or something wonderful.

Badr Milligan 40:05

So I'm I would say that. I think Nicholas Cage is playing, but the the description for the show says he's uh Ben Riley described as an aging, down on his look hero grappling with his past. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That'd actually be great. I can I can see that, I can close my eyes and see that right now. Well, Ben, let me ask you this. You know, since we're talking about our boy, your boy Ben Riley makes an appearance in Across to the Spider-Verse. Speaking about being moody and and gloomy, uh, which I loved all of his scenes when he's like, I'm just thinking about my past. It's a lot.

Ben Reilly 40:35

It was funny. It was funny because it, you know, uh they were because that's that's that was especially in the 90s, that was his character. Yeah, you know, the lost, uh, the lost years. Um when you have the lost years, when you have like just his, you know, his uh sensational Spider-Man time where like uh Peter's been capacitated, uh he has Janine and all that. Like, I think I think that's that's his character to a T. Obviously they am like made fun of it. Yeah. Uh I was like, I was annoyed because I was so hyped to see him just do some cool shit. But I was like, damn, this is kind of funny though, because this is true. But I really wanted I wanted to see him do some real cool shit, man. And hopefully they they do in the in the next one. You know, it's taking a minute, but I'll be able to.

Badr Milligan 41:22

I have to remind myself every now and then, like, oh, and it hasn't come out yet. Oh, it hasn't come out yet. You know what I'm saying? I remember leaving the theater, like, oh, this is only gonna be a year between now and the next one. Here we are, I think almost three years. So uh hopefully he gets his come up that's all right. Well, well, let me ask you this uh one last question about this uh Spider-Man noir Nick Cage thing going on. I mentioned that he's gonna be playing this, like, you know, down on his look, you know, he's grappling with his past type thing. Grizzly detective. Thank you, Grizzle Detective. You've been in the game for over a decade now. Do you find any common ground with like that jaded veteran perspective? Or do or do you still feel like a hungry, like in your hungry protagonist phase?

Ben Reilly 42:01

Uh a little a little bit of both. So um, you know, I've in practice, I've been, you know, making music for 10 years for sure. Like my first real mixtape was in 2015. I was a part of a group, and we was hitting the streets passing out CDs and all that. Like we was doing the whole thing. So um in practice, yeah, I've I've been at it for 10 years, but like um, I didn't see any type, I didn't see any success until I did my own solo work four years ago, 2020, no, 2020, five years ago, 2021. So um I part of me, I do have that feeling of like, man, like I've always been good, bro. Like just give me the platform and ah, these guys you guys are highlighting suck, or you know, I've always had that feeling, but eventually I got beside I got from beside myself and like understood that timing is very important. And the times that I thought I was ready, I was not ready. Not even close. Not even close. Like straight up. Like if I would have blew up when I thought I was supposed to blow up five, six, not five, six, seven years ago, six, seven, like years ago, I would have, yeah. I don't think I would have been uh I don't think I would have had the same mindset. I would I don't think I would have had the same drive. Like right now, I think I'm hungrier than I've ever been. Like I'm super, like I I want so much out of this right now. Uh and creatively, I'm just like in like in a new space of inspiration. It's a little, it's a little weird. I don't know. I don't know why I feel so much about it right now, but yeah.

Badr Milligan 43:38

I respect that a lot. It makes me think of that saying it takes you 10 years to become an overnight success, right? Like people don't get to see all that work. Yeah. Uh Ben, I want to get into uh uh one last segment with you. I call this the short box friends and family segment. It's where I shut up for a little bit and I let someone else ask the questions. Uh I try to reach out to uh fans, I try to reach out to People you might know, people that might be aware of you, and let them submit a question. And I've got two questions for you, all right? I'm gonna play uh these voicemails. Uh, this first one is from my man Chris Robinson, all right? He's an award-winning comic book editor. Uh, he was a former Marvel Comics editor. Now he's doing his own thing. He's working on independent projects, uh, like where will Frankenstein and all Negro comics? Uh Chris Robinson happens to be uh a big fan of yours. So I reached out to him and was like, yo, send in a question for him. So he'll be the first person we hear for him.

Chris Robinson 44:30

Hello, Botter and the Shortbox Nation. I'm dropping in with a question for our guest, the spectacular Ben Riley. Ben, I am positive that, like the rest of us, you have fond memories of tearing into the uh AT alien CD and discovering that they had tucked a little comic in the uh booklet. I used to love listening to CDs and reading the liner notes at the same time. Maybe you were the same. That was so formative. I was curious, would you ever think about doing the same? Now I know things are not quite the same, everyone listens on streaming platforms, all that stuff, but I think there's still kind of fun ways to deploy comics as sort of expansions to storytelling and music. I don't know. I think it'd be cool. And if you think it's cool, I know a guy. All right, take it easy, guys.

Badr Milligan 45:18

Big shout-outs to Chris. I love a good shameless plug. That was good.

Ben Reilly 45:21

That was great. Um, yeah. Um, I didn't I didn't know that about the AT Aliens. I like that was a little before, like obviously I know the album. I've listened to the album, but I was I'm you know, I'm 30. I'm I was a bit young, uh young to be uh privy to that. But uh yeah, that is something that we have talked about as a team. I've that's one of the things that I really, really wanted to do um was pair the album with a comic. And I still want to do that, like, you know, uh, you know, if the time and opportunity permits, uh, because I have ideas, I have a script, I have like, you know, things like that. So uh we have still been having those conversations. We're we're figuring it out. I'm work I'm I've been chatting with a couple artists as well. Uh but yeah, yeah, that is something that I plan on doing. Absolutely.

Badr Milligan 46:11

Yo, I'm all here for that. And to Chris's point, I do remember the the the little mini comic they had in that CD. I'm actually looking to buy one off of eBay. I I can't seem to find my copy. But obviously, I'm all here for any time we can get like comics and hip-hop overlapping like that. I think most recently, the one that comes to mind for me, uh Freddie Gibbs and Alchemists. Damn, good job. Yeah, yeah, Mike Del Mundo.

Ben Reilly 46:34

I was mad. I was mad. I was like, damn, they beat me to it. I was mad. I was like, damn.

Badr Milligan 46:41

Don't let them stop you, all right? Because they, and especially if you get a really dope artist. I mean, they had a chance to work with Mike Del Mondo, one of the absolute best for that Alfredo comic. So uh, yeah, man. I I think I think Hero Man, you know, uh a Hero Man inspired comic strip or something like that. I'm sure that if you put the call out, you'll get a bunch of dope artists calling or answering. For sure. Yeah. I got one more voicemail from you, and this one, this voicemail really does put the family part in short box friends and family. He is also a rapper and producer. He goes by the name of Mecca the Marvelous. He's also one third of the short box music team. He's produced a lot of the music and sounds you hear on the show. Um, and he had a voice, he had a question for you too.

Mecca Tha Marvelous 47:21

Yo, what's going on, man? My name is Mecha the Marvelous, man. Ben Riley Dog. I checked out that on the radar, Freestyle, that y'all did, you know, and I definitely think you had the best verse on that, man. The way you was, you know, putting those schemes together, the way they was running into each other, dog. I'm a real big fan of that. You know what I'm saying? Um, the question I have for you, you know, I was going through, you know, your discography and I seen that you had a song with Marco Plus, you know, dating back to 2023. You know, so I guess my question is, you know, going into the on-the-radar freestyle, you know, rapping with those guys, like, with maybe not with Marco Plus, but with anyone, like, what was your relationship with them, you know, before the uh freestyle and you know, with the people that you did know, um, how was it, you know, getting that moment, you know, rapping with them guys like years later and seeing like their growth, you know, and seeing your growth from that time as well. You know what I'm saying? That was my question to you, dog, you know, big fan, you know, and I hope you know you keep progressing and you know becoming the artist that you want to be, dog. Peace. Yo, big shout outs to Mek.

Ben Reilly 48:22

Big shout outs to Mech, man. That's that's love. Um, so with that cipher, uh a big bulk of us are like already friends. Like everybody for the most part knew each other, but a big bulk of us are already friends. Uh as he stated, uh, me and Marco, me and Marco have been tapped in for years. Um uh since like 2022. Uh Suave is a part of that cipher. Me and Soave actually went to high school in Atlanta together. So I've known I've known him for quite a while. Uh Chris Patrick, I met Chris Patrick 2021, 2022 as well. Um, Ruben Vincent, same thing, 2022. Uh Ray Vaughn, same thing. Top introducers, top from TDE. He introduced us, uh, me and Ray Vaughn. Uh who am I missing? Who am I missing? Who am I missing? Nassan, I met him in 2023. Uh and then there's Overcast. Me and Overcast, I was supposed to be on his last album, but it didn't work out. Uh his Strike While the Iron His Hot album, I was supposed to be on that album. Um Marlon Kraft, that was my first time meeting Marlon. Marlon's really, really dope. His album just dropped today. I'm I'm I'm actually gonna listen to it uh tonight. Um and LaVriese, that was my first time meeting LaVriese. Lavrizzi is amazing. That man is that's good, that kid is good, bro. But um, yeah, as for like uh, you know, like half of us are in like a chat that we talk almost every other day. We talk all the time. So uh like so some of those, like if you watch the cipher, some of us were kind of like doing like some of the lines or whatever, like because like some of us knew uh, you know, one another's verses or whatever. Like a lot of us are pretty good friends. We got a lot of like cool stuff coming together as well. We work together a lot.

Badr Milligan 50:06

So I don't think it's crazy for me to say that watching that cipher, and for anyone that that m is maybe a little lost, we're talking about the on the radar radio freestyle. You can go on YouTube and just type in on the radio. On the radar radio is the Rap S new class Cipher. I watched that and I could not help but get the same energy and vibe from like the double Excel freshman years. It reminded me a lot of my favorite double Excel freshman class, which happens to be the 20, I think it was the 2009 one. So the one that had like Kid Cuddy, Wale, B.O.B. Yeah. Asheroth was also in that same one. I got the same kind of energy from that. You know, watching watching y'all freestyle and then you know, thinking back to that one. And I think it's because it's a lot of like, I don't know, like especially the the the names I just listed, you know, your Ashroffs, your Wallets, your B.O.Bs, your Charles Hamilton. It was something so incredible about at that time with them utilizing blogs and going direct to fans, and it felt very grassroot. And I think there's something, I think that energy it kind of surrounds y'all. And then hearing that, you know, you guys are all friends too. I know like a lot of those rappers were also friends as well. I I guess I'll I bring all that up to say, you know, you're mentioning, hey, I'm I'm friends with a lot of the folks that I just did Decipher with. When's the last time that you've been starstruck? Have you had a chance to be like truly starstruck? Have you met like some of your idols, or you I don't know, who's the most famous person you've had a chance to like meet?

Ben Reilly 51:38

Uh the most famous person I've had to meet. Uh I'll say two people. Um I was starstruck. I wasn't starstruck. I I met J. Cole a couple times, uh, but I wasn't starstruck. It was it was interesting because like I've been around J. Cole twice in the studio, nothing came from it. Nothing came from it. But uh I think the most famous person that I could just think of, no, two, two, I'll say another one. Andre 3000, I was bartender, he came into the bar. Um, because at the time I was it was a burger joint. He came and got like this mushroom burger we had. He came in, the entire store was like, oh shit. And I was like, I was like, bro, I don't even want a picture, I just want shaking hand. And he was like, like, I was like, yo, like, you a ghost. And then um, I say Stevie Wonder. I didn't meet him, but I was, I was, I I was scared. I was I was scared to even say anything to Stevie Wonder. I was like, whoa. I was like, that's Stevie Wonder.

Badr Milligan 52:45

Yeah, I'm like, I was not expecting that at all.

Ben Reilly 52:48

Yeah, I was at like this event in LA. Um, and one of my friends, she was performing, and uh, she was bringing house down, amazing. And uh uh shout out Jalen Josie, she's on my album, actually. Um and she was doing amazing, and like the whole time she's performing, and we watching me and uh my friend, me and Chris Patrick actually, we're watching the uh you know her perform, and we look and we like is that Stevie Wonder? And like it was like, oh shit, that's Stevie Wonder, bro. Like, I think that might have been the only time I was real deal, like, oh shho. I didn't even know what to do. I didn't even know what to say.

Badr Milligan 53:27

I mean, what do you say or do? You're right. Damn right. I was literally gonna say something kind of corny and like, hey, you know, this is just the tip of the iceberg of who you might meet, but I feel like you've kind of reached the fucking pinnacle, you know. Like Andre 3000 and Stevie One, I mean it's like Stevie One is a big deal.

Ben Reilly 53:43

Now, Andre 3000 All of the above, I want to get a chance to actually just get a moment to like have dialogue, right? Like when I was in the studio with J. Cole, I just I kind of just listened to what he was talking about. You know, I didn't even really like we I introduced myself, but I don't think there was room for conversation, you know?

Badr Milligan 54:03

Um and you're good on you for being able to like read that too, you know. You could have done something like Mad Corny and try to like press the situation. I think being able to like read a room and someone's like energy and vibe, and you know, are they in the mood for this? Is this the right time? Is unfortunately like a skill most people don't have. For sure. Absolutely, for sure. But uh I definitely try. Who are some of your like just absolute dream collaborators? Like, if you uh who are some of these other names that like you would be absolutely thrilled to get in the studio with?

Ben Reilly 54:35

Um I'm gonna I'm gonna name a few. Uh Pharrell, uh Pharrell, Just Blaze. Um I'd say, uh I'd say obviously Andre 3000, Frank Ocean, um the big three, J. Cole, Drake, Kendrick, um, I mean Stevie Wonder, duh. Um, uh, Jay-Z, uh, most Deaf, especially. Most Deaf is like genuine, genuinely like just one of my favorite rappers ever. Um, like the other people I would say like they're not a lot. Like, I would love to like do a Marvin Gaye uh or Prince. Like, maybe I'll sample them and get hopefully get it clear one day.

Badr Milligan 55:17

Man, look, you just uh you just uh mentioned this backstage website. The world is your fucking voice. Real talk, real talk. Real quick, lightning round, real quick. You mentioned Most Deaf is is your uh is your favorite rapper. My favorite most deaf verse, I've got two of them. Is his verse in uh respiration, the new moon road high on the drum list. And then also uh they got a song, him and Talib Kwali have a song called uh Little Brother, that is produced by Jay Dillo, one of my favorite songs, period, but definitely a great most deaf song. What is your favorite most deaf song and or verse?

Ben Reilly 55:54

My favorite most deaf verse is his what's beef freestyle. He's like, What's beef? Beef is what George Bush would do in the fight. Yeah, yeah. And the rest of the that's the answer. That's my favorite most deaf verse. Uh my favorite most deaf song. I like it's tough to say. I like uh I like God, I like mathematics, I like Miss Fat Booty, I like, I like Omi says. Omi says is like used to be my mom's ringtone for a long time. Uh the panties. I like I don't know. I like a I like I like a lot. I like uh uh Elvis Presley ain't got no soul, chuck barriers, rock and roll. Like, I love yeah, yeah. Like, I love I love most dev, man.

Badr Milligan 56:34

That's like I'm probably gonna listen at What's Be Freestyle right after this.

Ben Reilly 56:38

Shit is amazing.

Badr Milligan 56:39

All right, Ben, I got one last question. Maybe this is the second or last. What's the best piece of advice that that you've gotten so far? Like, is is there someone that comes to mind when you think about mentors, whether that be directly or indirectly, that really stand out?

Ben Reilly 56:54

Uh my best piece of advice, I don't even know if it's if it's advice or or rather just a statement. It's from uh Key, my manager. Uh she said to me, she said, you know, when you walk into rooms, never hide yourself because you belong there just as much as everyone else. And uh that's something that I have to remind, like, not even remind myself, that's something that I feel, but sometimes uh your actions don't align with how you feel sometimes. So you kind of kind of remind yourself, like, no, I I belong here. I have to, and sometimes you gotta prove it, of course, but like I belong here. Like, you may doubt it, but I don't. And that's something I have to constantly just like make sure I keep that in the back of my head, no matter how I'm feeling in life. For sure.

Badr Milligan 57:40

Damn, that's the words of live, but I love that. All right, and then a real last question for you. The album Save is out. Yeah, you just wrapped up a tour. What comes next for you, man? What you got planned in the pipeline for the rest of the year?

Ben Reilly 57:52

Uh, you know, we got a we got a few really cool things lined up. Uh I can't say some of them yet, but uh, I'll say this. We're gonna continue to push Save. We got a couple more like visuals and like just moments surrounding the project that I want to, you know, uh get out. Uh after that, I'm like I'm currently working on a new project. You know, I'm I'm aiming to drop something before the end of the year. Uh something that's uh different from save, uh, but true to me, you know? Um, so that's that's two things that that my mind is really occupied with right now. Uh there are other things that are like really cool that's gonna come later, but like I I can't talk about that yet. So, but um a lot of you know, save out now. Yeah.

Badr Milligan 58:41

There we go. Yeah, that sounds exciting. I'm looking forward to all that. But I think with that being said, ladies and gents, this is the short box podcast, and we just finished talking to Ben Riley about a little bit of everything, right? We talked about his uh his album Save, which is available everywhere you get your music. Check out Save. Uh, we talked about uh his name Ben Riley, all right? We talked about Spider-Man, we talked about Spider-Man New York, we talked about comic books, we talked about most def. I mean, this was uh definitely uh this was a fun ass interview, all right? Getting a chance to talk comics and hip hop with someone living it and making art surrounding it is always a good time. So I'm gonna have links to uh Ben's uh social media, I'll have links to his website. Once again, stay, check it out, it's available everywhere. All right, check out the episode description and show notes for all of that. Make sure you give Ben a follow, keep an eye out for the future projects and announcements, and that's what I got for you. Ben, you've been great. Thank you so much, man.

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