You log onto SoundCloud and click on RJB’s “School Day.” A steady beat blasts through the speakers, and you hear sophomore Riley Bonner’s voice: “Because I wake up, bruh, and I gotta go to school…”

Bonner, aka RJB (Riley Joseph Bonner), started to release songs a month ago. Since then he has released seven tracks on SoundCloud. Five of the tracks are beats, and the other two, called “School Day” and “Weekend,” are raps. His account has gotten over 1000 plays on SoundCloud.

He explains that he starts with a concept of a rap in his head. He then writes lyrics and throws in extra freestyle lines while recording. His songs include whatever he thinks will rhyme or be funny. According to Bonner, he doesn’t put too much time into his songs.

“If you put your mind into something that you have a good time doing, you can do it fairly swiftly,” Bonner said.

Rap music has been a part of Bonner’s life since he was young.

“When I was younger, I would dance to rap music in front of my mirror, and I still do that too sometimes. I would dress up like the rappers in the music videos,” Bonner said.

He shares that rapping was a source of energy for him before games.

“Listening to raps before my youth hockey games would give me a mass of energy,” Bonner said. “I would remember lyrics in the songs and replay them in my head when I was playing.”

Like most rappers, Bonner raps about what he does every day. He raps about taking the bus, going to school, going to hockey and going home. He also includes what he does on the weekends. To Bonner, rapping is very different than any other type of music.

“You can just tell a story with a beat around it, and you have a rap… The opportunities are endless,” Bonner said.

Mixed reviews have been given about Bonner’s music. According to Bonner, some people think it’s cool and funny while others aren’t into it as much.

“The feedback I get from my raps are on either ends of the spectrum and in between,” Bonner said. “My raps are supposed to be funny and make people laugh. Whether they laugh at it [by] poking fun at it or enjoying the lyrics, that’s their take on it. A laugh’s a laugh, so I’ll laugh with them.”

By not caring what others think, Bonner has pursued what he wants to do.

“If I’m interested in doing a little rapping, I’m going to do a little rapping,” Bonner said. “I think a lot of people don’t say things or do things because they are afraid of the feedback from their friends or peers. If people could get over that, then people would be more distinct, rather than follow somebody else’s idea.”

As an advocate for trying new things, Bonner is unsure if he will release any new songs; he wants to start making funny videos instead.

“Life is too short to only do one thing,” Bonner said.

Click here to check out Bonner’s songs.