The Atlantic: Do You Actually Know What Classical Music Is? Does Anyone?
But, counterintuitive though it might seem, I don’t think sound is always a helpful way to understand genre. I’m a composer and conductor in the field that’s broadly known as Western classical music, ...
In this context, riffing doesn't just mean improvising - it means to use an existing idea as a starting point for something new. The term 'riffing' originates in music, but has a slightly different meaning in other contexts. In music, a 'riff' is a repeated musical phrase, although in many styles of music which involve improvisation (Jazz, for example) it is common to vary the phrase rather ...
The original meaning of the verb to riff off came from jazz, where it specifically meant to borrow and elaborate on (a musical phrase) - as opposed to to rip off (which simply means to steal). That slang verb usage has been "nounified" in OP's example, where the intended meaning is that the two young men in question dress and act like archetypal / stereotypical gangsters as portrayed in movies ...
0 "Take it easy and riff" and expression created by the writers. A riff is a repeated musical phrase. To "riff" on something means to take a theme and repeat it, often with small variations. It can also mean "to improvise around a theme". So figuratively it means "to make it up as we go along".
The Best of Classical Music - 50 Greatest Pieces: Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach... Fundraiser HALIDONMUSIC 4.98M subscribers
The Best of Classical Music - 50 Greatest Pieces: Mozart, Beethoven ...