Exclusive Interview
Feb 12, 2026
Produced by: Rudy Manager
Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch
Ryder Johnson - Nashville Producer Behind Polo G’s “No Return”
Ryder Johnson is a Nashville-based producer and songwriter who has worked with artists like Kid Laroi, Polo G, Chief Keef, Lil Tecca, Trippie Redd, Rod Wave, City Morgue, and many more. In this interview with Studio Talks, he opens up about his journey into music, his creative process, his experiences with major placements, and his honest advice for the new generation of producers. From learning on YouTube to building records that have reached a global audience, Ryder shares the lessons, struggles, and mindset that have shaped his career. This interview was conducted by Rudy Manager via video call on February 6, 2026.
“You’re going to take a lot of losses. The worst thing you can do is quit. Be patient and keep learning.”
- Ryder Johnson
Can you introduce yourself for people who might not be familiar with you or your work?
My name’s Ryder Johnson. I’m from Arkansas, and I’m based in Nashville, Tennessee. I do production, writing, demos, whatever you need. I can usually handle it. There are a few things I can’t do, but I’ve worked with a lot of artists, like Kid Laroi, Polo G, Mac Hankins and the Moonlighters, Pecos & The Rooftops, and Sterling Elza. I’ve also worked with Chief Keef, Lil Tecca, Trippie Redd, Mike Posner, Tom Morello, and Rod Wave. City Morgue as well. That’s actually how I got my start, by working with City Morgue.
Can you share how you first got interested in music and eventually in music production?
I first got into music through old school hip hop, especially boom bap stuff. I was really into J Dilla and MF DOOM. I really love MF DOOM. I’ve got a bunch of his collectibles somewhere in here that I definitely spent way too much money on. That boom bap sound is really where I first started falling in love with music. I was also into Pro Era early on, like Joey Bada$$, and I also loved A$AP Rocky. I was really into Raider Klan too. I was pretty young when all that stuff was coming out, and it definitely influenced me, especially in high school. I was just doing whatever, not really up to any good, listening to that music, but it still had a big impact on me.
A lot of what I listened to made me think, “Man, I kind of want to learn how to do this.” At one point, I was stuck at home because of a situation, so I started teaching myself. I was watching YouTube, shoutout to Busy Works Beats. That’s the GOAT. I learned a lot from him and from old FL Studio tutorials from around 2014 and 2015. You can still look them up. That’s really how I got my start and why I wanted to do this.
How did you improve in music production? Did you have any mentors or attend a musical institution, or was it mostly self-taught?
It was mostly YouTube and being self-taught. I was also part of Internet Money for about four years, and being around that team really pushed me forward. The level of talent there was so high that it honestly made me feel like, man, I’m not that good yet. These guys are crazy. Being surrounded by people like that and seeing that level of skill in real time taught me a lot. There are too many people to even name, but just watching how talented everyone was showed me what was possible and helped me grow as a producer.
Most of it, though, was still just self-taught. It was a lot of trying things, throwing stuff at the wall, and seeing what stuck. I’m from a really small town, so there wasn’t much around me. I couldn’t just go to the next city and ask someone to show me how to make beats. It was more like, if I wanted to do this, I had to figure it out on my own.
Do you remember how you managed to get your first placement?
It actually started on Twitter. I was in one of those old networking group chats with a bunch of producers. This was back in the day, so I’m definitely showing my age a little. It was kind of like how Instagram DMs are now, but honestly, they felt way more productive back then. People were always asking for loops or beats for different artists. I got a lot out of those group chats. There was this producer named 61st Street in there, and he asked if anyone had loops for SosMula from City Morgue. He said, “Do you have any loops for SosMula?” and I told him I’d make some. I was a big fan at the time, so I was excited.
I made two really simple, bare minimum loops and sent them over right away. One of them ended up turning into the song “1K Shotz” with Bonez MC. It was originally a SosMula song, and then Bonez MC jumped on it and released it. It went pretty crazy in Germany. I honestly didn’t even see any money from it because I was like 18 and didn’t know anything about registering songs or publishing yet. I found out later it got radio play over there, and I remember thinking, man, I really missed out on that one. But that was my first major placement, and it came straight from a Twitter group chat like that.
If we’re talking about my very first placement ever, though, that came even earlier. Back in 2015, I used to go on Elevator Magazine’s website and look for new artists. If someone had under 5,000 views on a song, I’d usually email them. DMs weren’t really a thing yet, so email was the move. My mindset was that if they had under 5,000 views, they’d probably respond. So I was just sending emails nonstop, like, “Hey, I’ve got some beats for you.”
I got maybe two responses, and one of them was from an artist named Freshie. I was in 11th grade at the time, walking into science class, checking my phone when I wasn’t supposed to, when I saw his email. He said he’d used one of my beats. I was like, “Yeah, f**k it, let’s run it. Let’s drop it.” I was so hyped, but I didn’t even know who to tell. I didn’t really understand what a placement was back then. I was just thinking, what do I even do with this now?
What are your thoughts on AI in music production?
I’ve got kind of a weird relationship with it. On one hand, coming from a songwriting background, I think AI, especially Suno, can be useful for getting ideas down quickly. I don’t think it’s replacing anything, mostly because of how fake it sounds. If you’ve ever heard a Suno song, especially one you’ve generated yourself, you can usually tell right away. I don’t think using it is wrong. I think it becomes wrong when you upload it and claim it as your own work. If you’re putting out AI music and saying, “Yeah, I made this,” that’s where it crosses a line. That’s not cool to me.
If you’re using it for inspiration, though, like putting in a guitar loop and getting three or four different melody ideas back, I don’t really see the issue. I know I might get some flak for that, but I don’t really care about that. I use a few tools like that myself. I use Audimee for harmonies sometimes, so if we can’t find the right harmony in a session, we’ll throw it in there to get some inspiration. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Now, if I was taking those ideas, dropping them straight into a song, uploading it, and calling it my own, that’s wrong. At that point, you’ve lost me.
To me, it’s no different than using tools from companies like Native Instruments, or using chord and melody generators. If it’s helping you get inspired, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But if you’re making a whole beat in Suno and sending it out as your own work, that’s terrible. At that point, if you’re just good at writing prompts, you might as well get a job doing that. You don’t even need to be in music. We’ve got enough musicians already.
Now I want to talk about your bigger placement, the platinum song with Polo G featuring The Kid LAROI and Lil Durk, called “No Return.” Can you share the story of how that one came about?
I honestly wish there was some crazy story behind it, but there really isn’t. A producer named Mason Wu sent me the loop while we were both part of Internet Money. I built the beat around it, and if I remember correctly, I actually made it on a livestream too. We were sending out so many beats back then. Taz would always be like, “We need beats for this and that,” so we were constantly putting together packs. I think this one ended up in a pack that went to The Kid LAROI, but honestly, I might be wrong about that. This story might be something I’ve just made up in my head over time. I don’t even really remember personally sending it to Polo G myself. One of them got the beat, and then the song came together.
There was also a lot of rearranging on the production side. They recut the beat and changed the structure. They made the intro and hook, then brought my drums in for the verse, and then went back to it. When Laroi’s singing, it’s mostly just the melodic part, and then the beat drops in after. Originally, I had it set up differently, where the chorus had the full beat and the verse was more minimal.
At first, it was supposed to be a single, but then Polo dropped a song with Lil Wayne first. Around the same time, I had a song with Rod Wave come out. Then, about three weeks later, I was in college, at a house party, when I got a call from Joshua Hall. I was pretty messed up at the time, and he was like, “Go to the bathroom. Go to the bathroom.” I’m like, “What do you want right now?” And he tells me, “You just got a song with Polo G and Kid Laroi.” He starts playing it over the phone, but I couldn’t hear anything. I was like, “Whatever, man. Just send it to me. I’ll hear it when it comes out.” But I was standing in the bathroom holding my phone up, trying to listen, thinking, man, this is crazy right now.
He sent it to me that night, and I was so hyped. I played it at the party, which I probably shouldn’t have done, even though it was just my friends. A couple of weeks later, it officially dropped, and they released a video too. The director, who’s a friend of mine, Mooch, shoutout to him, was showing me previews and even put my name at the end of the video. I thought that was amazing. I was really excited about it. It came out during a really strange time in my life, so it definitely felt like a blessing.
Out of your whole catalogue, do you have a favorite production that you’ve ever worked on?
That’s a good question. I’ve got a few, and that’s kind of the thing. One of my favorites is with the band Static Dress. They asked me to remix their song “...Maybe!!? (Oblivion Redux)” for their album, and they featured me on it. They’re one of my favorite bands, so getting to be part of that was really special. That meant a lot to me, and it’s still one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.
Another one I really love is “CHOPPA SHOOT THE LOUDEST” with Lil Tecca, Chief Keef, and Trippie Redd. That song was really cool to be a part of. In general, though, it’s hard for me to love a lot of my own production. I struggle with sitting back and being like, “Yeah, I love this,” especially when I’m really invested in the artist and the process. A lot of the time, I get kind of fatigued from it because I’ve listened to the song so much before it even comes out officially.
Sometimes I’ll have a song for two years before it’s released, and by the time it finally drops, I’m completely over it. I still love it, and I loved it when I made it, but at that point in my life, I’ve already moved on. It’s hard for me to sit and dwell on songs that are coming out or that have already come out. I’m always trying to look forward to the next one and focus on what’s ahead.
I’ve also got some new stuff coming out in the next few months that I’m really excited about. The beats on those are crazy, and they’re something I’ve never really done like this before. It’s with one of my favorite artists too, so I’m definitely looking forward to that.
What advice would you give to the new generation of music producers who are just starting out and want to build their careers in the industry?
It’s hard for me to answer because I don’t feel like I’ve completely figured it out myself yet. Things change so fast in music that the advice feels different every day. But if I had to say anything, it’s that you’re going to take a lot of losses along the way. I’ve had moments where I felt like I had everything, then lost it, and then built it back again. You’ve got to be willing to take those hits and keep getting back up. If you quit just because you hit a bad moment, that’s the worst thing you can do to yourself. You really have to love this, because if you don’t, it’ll show.
The biggest thing I’ve had to learn is patience. I’ve been doing this since I was about 15, and learning how to wait and trust the process has probably been the hardest part. Wanting something really bad doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away. When an opportunity finally comes, you’ve got to be ready for it. It’s also harder now than it’s ever been. There’s content, TikTok, and all this extra stuff, but at the core, making good music still matters most. Talent speaks for itself, even if it takes time.
So my advice is to keep taking the punches, stay patient, and always be willing to learn. Don’t get too caught up in losses, and don’t get lost in wins either, because neither lasts forever. Keep being a student, keep improving, and appreciate where you are right now. Chasing it is usually more meaningful than finally getting there.
Thank you so much for that. You shared so much knowledge and wisdom.
I’ve just been in positions where I had everything and blew it. I was 21, on top of the world, and I lost it all. It is what it is. That part isn’t hard for me to admit. What would be hard is if I just said, “I’m done,” and quit on myself. I think about that every day. I really believe this is what I’m meant to do, and I’m going to be working in some form of music for the rest of my life. This is it for me.
If I died tomorrow, I wouldn’t be satisfied. I’d feel like I could’ve done more. So every day, I try to be better than I was yesterday. I want to impress the version of myself from the day before and keep growing as a person every day. That’s really my biggest piece of advice. It’s not just “keep making beats” or “keep your head down.” People want real life advice, and music is one of the hardest things to break into. If you’re at the point where you’re getting a plaque, Billboard spots, or number one albums, you’re in less than one percent of the population doing this. Even now, with TikTok and everything being more accessible, it’s still incredibly hard to do that, and to do it over and over again consistently.
If you’ve got five under your belt, you’re really living. So for me, the worst thing I could ever do is just stop and give up. I know in my heart I’ve got so much more to give. That’s why I keep going. You’ve just got to keep taking the punches, take them head on, and keep moving forward no matter what.
What are your plans for this year, both personally and professionally?
This year, I’m working with a lot of artists who I really believe are going to blow up. They’re super talented and really cool people to be around. Professionally, I want to build more songwriting credits and gain more experience. I’ve got a few already, and I’m still growing in that area, but I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met along the way. I’ve got a lot of new music coming out with some of my friends, and I’m continuing to work across different genres.
On a personal level, I really want to get a house. That’s a big goal for me. I’d also love to get to a point where I can support and sign artists, and maybe get into some A&R type roles myself. I wake up every day feeling like I’m meant to do something bigger than myself, and I try to chase that feeling constantly. I’ve got some songs coming out soon that I’ve been sitting on for a while, and I’m thankful for that. Overall, my plan is just to keep moving forward, stay motivated, keep learning from other people, and watch my friends perform the songs we’ve made together. Everything I’m focused on is centered around music. I just want to keep living and loving what I do every day.
Follow Ryder Johnson on Instagram: @ryderjohnsn
More Blog Posts
See our latest blogs
