Houston rapper Riff Raff arrived on the scene in 2009 by appearing as a contestant on MTV's competitive reality series From G's to Gents, a program that placed street-hardened figures in situations designed to refine their social graces, and his eccentric style quickly aligned him with Soulja Boy, Andy Milonakis, O.G. Ron C., and Diplo's Mad Decent imprint. OutKast associate and series host Fonzworth Bentley declared the aspiring MC "beyond" his guidance, yet also described him as "crazy like a fox," an assessment borne out when Riff Raff tattooed the MTV logo on his neck and thereby secured legal permission to reference the network in the titles of his MTV Riff Raff mixtapes, his video-sharing uploads, and his freely distributed social-media tracks. Public mentions of his phone number within his lyrics prompted like-minded artists Dirt Nasty and Andy Milonakis to reach out, resulting in joint recordings that surfaced beginning in 2010; by the following year Riff Raff had joined Soulja Boy's S.O.D. Money Gang Inc. label and production company. That affiliation proved brief, however, and in 2012 he moved to Diplo's Mad Decent roster, releasing the Birth of an Icon mixtape that contained the early tracks "Jose Canseco" and "Jody Highroller" as well as the Action Bronson collaboration "Bird on a Wire." The same year also brought the Three Loco album and project with Milonakis and Nasty, while 2013 yielded the Jumpin Out the Gym full-length recorded with DollaBillGates. Returning to solo work, Riff Raff delivered the Mad Decent album Neon Icon in 2014, which included the singles "How to Be the Man" and "Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz"; a year later DJ O.G. Ron C. reworked the project into Purple Icon: Chopped Not Slopped. Issued on the rapper's own Neon Nation imprint, Peach Panther arrived in 2016 and featured the single "Carlos Slim," the Gucci Mane and Danny Brown track "I Drive By," and multiple productions from Atlanta's 808 Mafia collective. Later that year Riff Raff and DJ Afterthought issued the star-studded Balloween, which showcased appearances by Skepta, Quavo, DJ Paul, and additional guests. Continuing his rapid output, the MC unveiled the Aquaberry Aquarius mixtape and the full-length The White West in early 2017, then opened 2018 with the DJ Afterthought collaboration Cool Blue Jewels before following it months later with Alcoholic Alligator.
