Ryan Leslie

On Tour

541,029 plays (59,948 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

Listening now: miss1ko

185 shouts

Add to my Library Share

Get Ringtones

Like most aspiring producer/songwriter/singers, Ryan Leslie started out making his own records as a teen because he couldn’t afford to pay for studio time or producers when he wanted to record his demo. Counting self-contained producer/artists like Stevie Wonder and Prince as his heroes, it’s been a long ride from being a 19-year-old senior in college who had no music contacts - to overseeing studio sessions with the likes of Diddy, Usher, Britney Spears, and many other of today’s top stars.

The road was not easy, as anyone who has tried to make it in music would understand. When he graduated from Harvard in 1998, Ryan started out selling beats for $200 to anyone who would buy - a questionable career move for an ivy-league graduate. He stayed in the Boston area for a while, taking on a community service job to make ends meet, and spending his nights in the recording studio. Eventually, in the summer of 2000, he linked with a young artist named Corey “Latif” Williams, and he produced a song that won a contest sponsored by Teen People magazine, earning them a performance at the famed Apollo theatre in Harlem.

A few months later, in 2001, the two had generated enough buzz as a producer/artist duo to score Latif a record deal with Motown. Though initial excitement in the project was strong, the album they made together in thirty days took two years to get released. In the meantime, Ryan returned to a suburb of Boston and began to experiment with making his own records again.

Tagged as:

rnb, soul, hip hop, urban, hip-hop
See more…

1	How It Was Supposed To Be full track	681
2	Used to Be full track	307
3	You Need Somebody full track	269
4	Spendin' the Night full track	213
5	Diamond Girl	200
6	You're Not My Girl	199
7	Gibberish	191
8	Just Right (Radio Edit) full track	175
9	Quicksand	139
10	Valentine	136
11	You're Fly	129
12	I-R-I-N-A	119
13	Diamond Girl (Main) full track	116
14	Just Right	112
15	Addiction (Main) full track	105

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

seanChristoper wrote:
yesterday evening

Fabolous Ft. Keri Hilson & Ryan Leslie – Everything Everyday Everywhere, Fabolous Ft. Ryan Leslie – The Fabolous Life, http://sicktingz.net/2009/07/11/even-more-fabolous/

View Profile | Leave seanChristoper a shout
jlegend369 wrote:
Wednesday evening

"If he treats you wrong, let me give it to you my way...Just remember that you're not, you're not my girl!"

View Profile | Leave jlegend369 a shout
mhunke wrote:
Wednesday afternoon

both You're Not My Girl and Something That I Like are pretty dope songs, the former being a bit better tho

View Profile | Leave mhunke a shout
mijkovic wrote:
Tuesday morning

premier forum francais sur ryan ! http://ryanleslie.xooit.fr/index.php inscrivez vous et faites le connaitre !

View Profile | Leave mijkovic a shout
DLoCo1 wrote:
Sunday evening

i luv his music :)

View Profile | Leave DLoCo1 a shout
jlegend369 wrote:
last week

Ryan Leslie can do no wrong! "You're Not My Girl" is a hot first single off the upcoming album!

View Profile | Leave jlegend369 a shout
ilovekeane wrote:
last week

I like this. I wish he had more vocal power though, but all in all this is good.

View Profile | Leave ilovekeane a shout
lady_veronicah wrote:
last week

Yeah! That song got funky sound. Me like it :D

View Profile | Leave lady_veronicah a shout
n3xtselection wrote:
last week

luv his new Son "You're not my Girl"

View Profile | Leave n3xtselection a shout
Officialswitch wrote:
last week

Something That I Like is dope

View Profile | Leave Officialswitch a shout
DeeJayIV wrote:
last week

"Rescue You" is hot

View Profile | Leave DeeJayIV a shout
MarkupMaster wrote:
last month

This is my favorite R&B artist at the moment.

View Profile | Leave MarkupMaster a shout
Denyce wrote:
last month

www.ryanleslieweb.net

View Profile | Leave Denyce a shout
LLCoolD wrote:
last month

my favorite r&b dude at the moment! "something that i like" with pusha t is just heat!

View Profile | Leave LLCoolD a shout
Bloodzie wrote:
last month

http://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Leslie/+images/29733939 & http://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Leslie/+images/29733863

View Profile | Leave Bloodzie a shout
mhunke wrote:
last month

Ryan Leslie >= The-Dream

View Profile | Leave mhunke a shout
Mjuzik_zg wrote:
last month

I almost started thinking that new R-LES is becoming really wack whne this new song MY GIFT TO THE GAME leaked. I fucking love that track!!! Trumpet in it is soooooo old school! BEAT IS AWESOMEEEEEEEE and he sounds great on them effin' verses!!!

View Profile | Leave Mjuzik_zg a shout
marocstar wrote:
last month

Next Selection!! It´s a Lifestyle!!!

View Profile | Leave marocstar a shout
Ayamichan wrote:
May 2009

CAN NOT get past Valentine. it is PERFECT.

View Profile | Leave Ayamichan a shout
RnB_Gentleman wrote:
May 2009

http://www.lastfm.de/group/R%2527n%2527B%2B%2526%2BSoul%2B%2526%2BNeo-Soul thanks thanks thanks

View Profile | Leave RnB_Gentleman a shout