Riley Wuz Here

The episode opens with Riley's graffiti habit — tagging houses in the neighbourhood — as a source of conflict between him and Robert. Graffiti is a recurring motif in the series: Riley's artistic expression is always at odds with the law and with his grandfather's sense of propriety. The punishment of art lessons turns out to be a backhanded gift, because Riley discovers he actually enjoys the creative outlet under the right guidance.

Source: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode summary: "Robert forces Riley to take art lessons after he is caught painting graffiti on houses")

Riley's art teacher is a direct parody of Bob Ross, the beloved American painter and television host of The Joy of Painting (1983–1994) on PBS. Ross was famous for his calm, encouraging delivery and his "happy little trees" catchphrase. Casting a Bob Ross figure as the foil to Riley's hyper-aggressive personality creates a comedy of opposites: the gentlest possible teacher for the most reckless student.

Sources: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode summary: "Riley's teacher, styled after Bob Ross from PBS"); Bob Ross — Wikipedia

Rob Paulsen, a prolific voice actor best known for his roles as Yakko in Animaniacs and Pinky in Pinky and the Brain, voices Riley's art teacher. Paulsen's casting in a Boondocks episode — a show known for its edgy, adult-oriented satire — stretches his usual family-friendly repertoire, adding an extra layer of incongruity to the gentle-natured teacher character.

Sources: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode listing: "Rob Paulsen guest stars as Riley's art teacher"); Rob Paulsen — Wikipedia

Huey's experiment is a direct reference to Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me, in which Spurlock ate only McDonald's food for 30 days to document the health effects. Huey replaces fast food with black-oriented television (BET and similar networks), testing whether the content affects his mind the way junk food affects the body. The satire targets the argument that black-oriented media reinforces negative stereotypes.

Sources: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode summary: "Huey conducts an experiment similar to the documentary Super Size Me"); Super Size Me — Wikipedia

The "black-oriented television" Huey consumes is understood to be BET (Black Entertainment Television), a network that The Boondocks frequently criticised for its programming. Series creator Aaron McGruder was an outspoken critic of BET's content, and the network becomes a recurring target throughout the series — most notably in the Season 2 episode "The Hunger Strike," where Huey goes on a hunger strike to protest BET. This episode prefigures that later critique.

Sources: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode summary: "watching only black-oriented television"); BET — Wikipedia

The episode features "Today" by Tom Scott, the American saxophonist, composer, and member of the jazz fusion group The LA Express. Scott's music appeared in several episodes of the series, providing a jazz-inflected soundtrack that contrasted with the show's hip-hop and R&B-heavy score. The use of a jazz instrumental during Riley's art sequences underscores the episode's theme of finding unexpected creative outlets.

Sources: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode listing: "Music: 'Today' by Tom Scott"); Tom Scott — Wikipedia

Kalvin Lee directed the episode, one of several he directed in the first season (along with "Return of the King" and "The Block Is Hot"). Aaron McGruder, the series creator, wrote the episode himself. McGruder wrote or co-wrote the majority of first-season episodes, establishing the show's distinctive voice before handing more writing duties to his team in later seasons.

Source: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode list: "Directed by Kalvin Lee, Written by Aaron McGruder")

The first season of The Boondocks premiered on November 6, 2005 and aired fifteen episodes through March 19, 2006. "Riley Wuz Here" aired on February 19, 2006, making it the twelfth episode of the season in broadcast order. The episode was produced with production code 113.

Source: The Boondocks season 1 — Wikipedia (episode list: "Aired February 19, 2006")