Lil Buck was born in Chicago and raised in Memphis. He discovered jookin when he was 12 years old after his older sister showed him some basic jookin dance moves in their living room. After learning more about the dance from neighborhood mentors he spent less time doing his other hobbies, including drawing and basketball, so that he could focus solely on improving his dancing. When he was 17, he appeared in a locally produced jookin DVD called Memphis Jookin Vol. 1.: 1 
Lil Buck studied ballet for two years while on scholarship at the New Ballet Ensemble (NBE) in Memphis. He accepted the scholarship under the condition that he would not have to wear tights, but he eventually relented so that he could perform with the company. It was also while at NBE that Riley first performed "The Dying Swan", a choreographic collaboration with his instructor at NBE, Katie Smythe (CEO / Creative Director - NBE). She explained the background of the piece on the way to a NBE school performance in West Memphis, Arkansas.
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Lil Buck moved to Los Angeles when he was 19 to pursue a career in dance.: 2  In 2010, he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and co-choreographed the music video for the song "Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe.

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