Just when you thought that Ivy League schools are cookie-cutter factories where creativity goes to die, out pops Ryan Leslie. Leslie is a self-taught singer/songwriter/producer from Harlem, N.Y., who graduated from Harvard University in 1998. He has worked with a slew of artists including Britney Spears, P. Diddy and Beyonce, and even has a few albums out himself. Of all the musical hats he wears, his producer hat is the most embellished. He has a natural ear for Pop and R&B, loves the synth and often lends his own voice for hooks or harmonizing. He has what I like to call the “P. Diddy Syndrome” of producers singing on songs. But unlike Diddy’s occasional grunts of “Aw…yeah…uh-huh,” Leslie has a smooth singing voice that fits with each track. You’ll probably recognize his work on Cassie’s “Me & U,” or more recently on Fabulous’ “You Be Killin’ ‘Em.”
Cassie - "Me & U"
Fabolous - "You Be Killin' 'Em"
What is as equally impressive as his producing skills is the way in which he manipulates technology and entertainment to promote himself and others. The man’s a genius when it comes to social media. He created his own music-media company called NextSelection Lifestyle, and pioneered the whole artist-making-it-big-via-the-internet phenomena. He used this method to launch singer Cassie’s career through music video blogs, and that exposure catapulted her single “Me & U” to the number 3 spot on the Billboard Top 100. Like I said before, the man’s a master manipulator of media. I probably wouldn’t even know who he was if it weren’t for these YouTube videos of him working his magic:
Ryan Leslie makes “Addition”
Ryan Leslie Improvises Over "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne
Just in case you were wondering, those two videos alone have over 5 million views total. Makes it kind of hard for hip-hop fans to not know who he is, don’t it? If you go to his website you can see a bunch of in-studio videos like the ones you just saw. I also read on there that he recently was a panelist for some entertainment and technology summit in Washington, D.C. He can be booked for lectures, too. So my question is – when is Leslie coming to Northeastern?
By Courtney Flynn
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