Ryan Leslie

An exceptionally astute architect of beats, lyrics, stage presence, deals, and his own mythos—once enlisting a videographer to capture nearly every moment for meticulous editing and YouTube uploads—Ryan Leslie launched his musical pursuits while still in his teens, achieved a flawless 1600 on the SATs prior to obtaining a driver’s license, and earned his Harvard degree at 19. Within four years after commencement he secured an entry point into the recording business. Through the close of 2005 he had composed and produced material for 702, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Carl Thomas, and New Edition, although a completed project of his own remained unreleased.

His genuine ascent occurred in 2006 as the mastermind of Cassie’s “Me&U,” the R&B chart-topper that also climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Cassie’s full-length follow-up, almost wholly helmed by Leslie and issued via Diddy’s Bad Boy imprint, came within a hair of the summit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B/hip-hop album tally. He then inked a deal with Casablanca through Universal Motown as a frontline artist while launching his own NextSelection boutique imprint. Early 2008 saw the arrival of his first single, “Diamond Girl,” which entered the Hot 100 yet stalled at number 95; the subsequent releases “Addiction” and “How It Was Supposed to Be” paved the way for his self-titled LP in February 2009. That November he swiftly delivered Transition, a collection sparked by a clandestine summer romance.

Although both projects reached the upper tier of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Leslie and his label parted ways. Operating independently, he issued Les Is More in October 2012 on NextSelection via distribution from the Sony-owned RED. He next turned his attention to a fourth album, Black Mozart.