Anthony Ryan Leslie (known as Ryan Leslie) (born September 25th, 1978) is an American record producer, vocalist and rapper hailing from Washington D.C., US, who has found success through his shrewd business sense and self-promotion.
Ryan Leslie, from a young age, has been proving himself a bit out of the ordinary. Achieving a remarkably high SAT score as a teenager, Leslie went on to graduate from Harvard at the age of 19 with a degree in Political Science. Following an obsession with Stevie Wonder, Leslie wished to pursue a career in music, devoting much of his time whilst completing his studies to creating and producing music in a studio basement on campus.
After graduation, Leslie worked hard to enter the music industry, eventually landing a production internship, going on to produce the song "Keep Giving Your Love to Me," which was later featured on the Bad Boys II soundtrack, performed by Beyonce. He then went on to produce tracks for Britney Spears, Carl Thomas and New Edition. Yet it was in 2006 that Leslie really made a name for himself, following his work on Cassie's "Me&U" which went on to become a number one hit on the R&B Singles Chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Leslie then produced Cassie's entire album which also faired well in the charts.
Leslie went on to release his own solo recordings under his label Next Selection, to which he achieved moderate success. His first single, "Diamond Girl" (2008) broke into the top 100 at 95, going on to release his self-titled album in 2009 and his second, "Transition" with both albums entering the top ten of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. Following these releases, Leslie decided to produce his music independently with his 2012 album, "Les Is More,"which featured an appearance from Raekwon.
Leslie's biggest success lies in his use of online media, such as YouTube, Twitter and Myspace, developing a huge fan base thanks to his clever videos and earnest interaction with his audience. Realising the importance of using online resources in order to make a success as an artist in the modern age, he continues to expand his digital presence through well thought-out marketing.
Kalandra
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