Ryan Leslie

Music:

Member Since: 7/5/2005
Band Website: ns4life.com
Sounds Like: It's my pleasure to present the first of my two "Diamond Girl" videos below. I remember seeing a video of James Brown performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1966. As I was watching, I decided that I wanted to perform on that EXACT stage in my video. I commissioned a replica to be built and the result is below:

Moving on...Me (the Artist), Myself (the Producer), and I (the Engineer) get together in the studio almost every day to create music. Included here are a few of the most popular sessions (I film them all).

FEATURED: Here's an exclusive look at the making of "Addiction" - stayed up all nite ('til 8am) going crazy in the studio, producing, writing, arranging and making it all happen:

Ryan Leslie Creating "Addiction"

1. Reviewing the footage from the original "Diamond Girl" session revealed that it was possible to edit the video with an interesting twist: as though all of my alter egos were recording the song simultaneously, and even interacting with one another.

Ryan Leslie Creating "Diamond Girl"

This is my first car - a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. I still own it and drive it from time to time in the summer. I installed a very loud stereo system and listen to my mixes while driving through New York city turning heads:

2. Making music for Cassie is always inspiring because she's not only the flagship artist of the NextSelection brand, she's the first artist that really spread my music to the mainstream. Here's a clip of the making of "Sometimes" - a song that's been played over 5 million times on her profile. This clip is especially meaningful because I made this record in Sony Studio B before the whole place closed down in 2007. I was one of the last producers to work out of that legendary room.

Ryan Leslie Makes "Sometimes" for Cassie

After checking the vids above, I'm positive you can see the love I have for this music. This would be a perfect time to go get my single from the iTunes store or gift it to a friend. Your support makes it possible for me to continue making music for a living:

Click here to buy "Diamond Girl"

3. I used a Hammond organ with a Leslie speaker for this instrumental. The sound of the huge speaker with 'Doppler effect based' vibrato, tremolo and chorus effects was very moving. The second half of the clip was filmed on the day I was photographed for Men's Health magazine. You can see that I'm wearing the same suit in the article to the right.

Ryan Makes a Track w/the Leslie Organ

Traveling has brought me a wealth of experiences. In fact, many of my most memorable performances have been overseas. It's funny, American Express closed my first account with them because I couldn't pay the bill. I was young and had no idea how to handle my finances. Took 7 years to get that mark off my credit report. Now I use AmEx all the time when I travel (and to spontaneously buy musical instruments - see "I Gets Money" video below). Evan Rogers shot this ad during my first trip to Milan. If you can dream it - you can do it:

4. Here's a clip of me working in my pre-production studio on a song called "I Gets Money". I did this before I'd heard 50's hit song of almost the same name. Though it's been highly requested, it was only released on a TapeMaster's Inc. mixtape...Regardless, had a blast making this one with all the parts:

Ryan Leslie Creating "I Gets Money"

My album is currently scheduled to drop September 16th, 2008. I've put together a show that is influenced by all of my favorite performers. Here's an out-take from a Vibe magazine photo shoot by Miko Lim in which I'm channeling one of them:

5. This is a my version of a break-up song. If you're going through one or have been through one - I'm sure you can relate.

Ryan Leslie - "Promise Not To Call"

This article in Remix magazine describes my creative process and also presents (in my opinion) one of the most honest reflections of my attitude towards my career thus far. It was published just after Cassie's debut album was released.

6. A good songwriting experience for me requires imagination and an open mind. I'll sometimes sing unintelligible syllables to lay down a guide melody during the creative process. Here's an amusing example of this with my voice running through a very strict pitch correction processor:

Ryan Leslie Making "Gibberish"

In recent interviews, I've been getting quite a few questions about my personal style. I've been accustomed to wearing custom clothing since I was very young. The whir of my mother's sewing machine put me to sleep many nights. Once, she even made me a pair of M.C. Hammer-style parachute pants. Now, my shirts are custom made in London, suits hand made in Naples, and all of my jeans custom made by my great friend and personal tailor Roger Hinds. Here's a shot of the jeans matched with a blazer and a white shirt at an party in Milan hosted by Tom Ford, who shook my hand that night and said he thought I had great style. That's one undeniably fashionable co-sign:

7. This next clip was shot very, very early one morning by my friend Guillaume Doubet. I was about to leave the studio when the concept for this song took over...it was 48 hours before Valentine's day:

Ryan Leslie - "Valentine"

Record Label: NextSelection Lifestyle Group
Type of Label: Indie