Ryan Leslie

Passes in Chicago

Ryan Leslie — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:04:18 +0000

When everyone is sleeping on my tour bus and it’s 5:21am, it’s good to be able to send out a message and get a friendly response from someone else in the world who’s up. On my way into Chicago, I posted an update offering passes to my show and Britney Clark was the first to respond:

I appreciate Britney and everyone else who’s following my career as it unfolds. You make the journey that much more worth the while. Thank you!

A Moment of Silence

Ryan Leslie — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:58:57 +0000

I was on my tour bus when I heard the news that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital. Almost immediately it seemed as though the world held its breath, hanging on the words of the media outlets they trusted to tell them he was going to pull through. I received a flurry of text messages and phone calls. I did my best to hold back tears when CNN finally confirmed his passing, and I honored his contribution to history with a moment of silence at my show in Atlanta that night:

The reverence I experienced in the room at that moment will stay with me for life.

The end of this clip shows me reverting back to my childhood for a moment during soundcheck. For a few seconds, I took off my cool and became the little boy that believed I could be just like him. I’m sure many of us can remember what came over us when we saw Michael perform. We wanted to dance like he did - to feel the exhilaration and pass on the electricity that we’d just experienced. I appreciate Michael’s contribution to my life. In many ways his music, videos, and live performances lit the spark in me to pursue the career path that I chose as a young teenager. His ability to bring people together in peace and celebration serves as a standard to which we as entertainers are all measured.

Highway Heart

Ryan Leslie — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:30:50 +0000

When I was blogging almost daily from NS4Life.com from 2005-2006, I captured hours and hours of footage that’s still in my archives. Here’s an example:

We were on our way back to London from a gig I’d done just outside of the city when we saw a car catch fire and flip over in the rear view mirror. I immediately told my driver to stop and ran to the scene of the accident. There I found a man miraculously standing on the side of the highway nursing a head wound. Having no first aid kit, I gave him the shirt I was wearing to use as a bandage. Unexpected circumstances are the norm on the road. If you know this man, I’d like to send him a copy of my album and a message thanking him for the new appreciation I have for life based on this experience.

Feels Good To Give

Ryan Leslie — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:48:19 +0000

The 24-hour Apple Store on 57th street in NYC gets most of my business because I can stop in on my way home from the studio - usually in the wee hours of the morning. I really appreciate everyone who follows my updates, and I’m always looking for ways to cross the virtual/digital bridge and meet you in person. Here’s an example:

I’m grateful that I can communicate with you directly. Here I was: driving in Manhattan, listening to “Zodiac”, enjoying life, and inspired to pass on the good energy in some way. When I randomly posted the message that I’d be at the Apple Store in 15 minutes giving away signed iPods, I got a few @replies asking if I was joking or misleading everyone. This video shows I’m a man of my word! Listen closely and you’ll hear how the live instrument textures on “Zodiac” really sweetened the record. Stay tuned for more regarding the new album very shortly. Studio vid anyone?

My Time

Ryan Leslie — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:28:19 +0000

Aside from the fact that I spent part of it shooting a video with Fabolous, the day captured in this footage is an especially historic one in my career:

Receiving two BET Award nominations (Best Male R&B Artist & Best New Artist) is truly an honor. From the time I started the pursuit of my passion as a young singer/songwriter/producer in college, I have always aspired to create music and art that had value. My parents taught me that I could not expect recognition or rewards without merit. That understanding is what got me into Harvard. My father stressed that he wanted me to deserve my spot in the freshman class by nature of my academic aptitude and performance and not my eligibility for affirmative action. To be recognized in these categories validates the work ethic and commitment to excellence I’ve applied to every aspect of my career.

I named this post “My Time” for two reasons. First, the scene I shot (for one of the records I produced for Fabolous) is an epilogue to his video for “My Time”. I have my friend Helly Nahmad to thank for the Rolls Royce in which I showed up to set. Second, I waited and watched (as their producer) two of my very close friends take their turn as artists before me. I supported and encouraged them as they fought their way through the obstacle course that is the music industry. All the while, I was evaluating what made me deserving of the opportunity that they had been granted. Now that the window has opened for me, I am resolved to make the most of it by staying true to my internal sense of musical integrity and giving all that I can afford to give. As I begin this new album cycle, I believe that now more than ever, it’s my time!

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Fab’s “My Time” video premiered via MTV yesterday so here’s the piece that features yours truly:

As always, I sincerely appreciate your continued support, love and encouragement.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mrs. Leslie!

Ryan Leslie — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:35:40 +0000

Dear Mom - I love and appreciate you for more reasons than I could ever write. I’m on tour now and though I’m not there to tell you face to face, I thought I’d send you this greeting with the help of my audience at Stony Brook University last night:

Thank you for your encouragement, your prayers, your tolerance of my sometimes wayward decisions and above all - your unconditional love. I’ll see you soon and I’m calling you right now!

Rutgers in the Rain

Ryan Leslie — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:28:36 +0000

When I stepped on stage to do this show, I had already been warned that rain was eminent. Regardless, I made up my mind to give the most explosive show possible given the circumstances. As it began to pour, stage hands and friends did their best to cover my favorite performance board - first with towels and then with plastic. Evan did his best to cover the camera with a green cloth (you’ll see it flapping in the clip) so that I could share this moment with all of you:

Despite the rain and the shortened set, I had a blast and made a note to always bring a change of clothes. My tee, jeans, socks, and shoes were still heavy with water after a 2-hour drive home.

Many thanks to the band who rocked out with me as their instruments were drenched. God bless everyone in the audience who pulled out their umbrellas, ponchos, or just got soaked the same way I did so that they could encourage me as I performed. I appreciate and love you all.

In Studio w/Fab and Keri

Ryan Leslie — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:57:51 +0000

Fabolous has always looked out. When my very first official single “Used 2 Be” was released, he lent his talent to a then unknown artist looking for a break. More recently, he featured on “Addiction” and showed up for both videos. When I heard his album was almost finished, I made it a priority to get him into the studio so that I could reciprocate his good will:

I picked up the talkbox the night before my SOB’s concerts. I’m still learning how to get the sound I want from it, so I’m always practicing with it in sessions. The riff I’m playing was just for fun and is only recorded in the video footage. Keri Hilson happened to be in an adjacent room and stopped in to hear what I was working on. Glad she was inspired to touch the record. Her talent is clearly evident. Shout out to Funk Flex, DJ Clue, Duro and Lenny S for appearing in this post and continuing to support me & NextSelection.

Radio Room

Ryan Leslie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:52:33 +0000

For those of you that have been following my frequent updates, you know that I’ve been having a blast in the studio over the past few weeks working on everyone’s projects from Mary J. Blige to Fabolous. How do these collaborations happen? This video will give you an idea. Every year at the Grammy’s there is a radio room that houses DJs from stations all across the country. Artists that are in town for the awards visit this room and often exchange information, encouragement and details about their new projects:

Shout out to all of the stations and all of the artists in this vid (Krys Ivory, Keri Hilson, Musiq, Boyz II Men, Tay Zonday, Chrisette Michelle, David Banner, Christina Milian). Thanks to all of you as well. It’s because of your support that I was able to attend the radio room this year. Here’s to making Grammy worthy music in 2009 and beyond!

Precious

Ryan Leslie — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:41:28 +0000

There are only a few big studios left in New York. Sony and the Hit Factory closed a while ago, and Right Track on 38th just closed as well. Though I have my home studio, there’s a certain magic in knowing that there are other creative people in the same building in different rooms making records. “Precious” happened exactly that way. I ran into Jim Jones in the lobby of Chung King one night and minutes later he had ordered some keyboards and a guitar for me to the room in which he was working. We did this over two days. The second day, I came in fresh off the red carpet of a Valentino fashion week event. I believe one of the best aspects of music is its ability to bring people together. Shout out to Damon Dash and Jim Jones for valuing my creativity. You can get the single from iTunes now by clicking here.

When you make music, it’s rewarding when an artist is excited enough about what you’ve created that they want to make an investment in exposure. This includes spending on radio promotion and in the best case, a music video. I introduced my friend Armen to Dame and Jim and I believe he brought a great sensibility to this clip. We shot this as an outro to Jim’s current single “Blow The Bank”. His album drops Tuesday. Special thanks to my girl DW for coming through in the clutch even though her agency restricts her from appearing in music videos. Enjoy: