Ryan Leslie
Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Working predominantly in contemporary R&B and hip hop, he has released six studio albums and written songs for artists including Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Diddy, Fabolous, LL Cool J, Kanye West and Usher, among others.
Leslie is credited with discovering R&B singer Cassie in 2004, who signed to his NextSelection record label in a joint-venture with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records two years later. Leslie wrote and produced her 2006 debut single "Me & U", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); he did so on the entirety of her eponymous debut studio album (2006). In his own recording career, Leslie signed with Universal Motown Records to release his self-titled debut studio album (2009), which was met with moderate critical and commercial reception. It was supported by the singles "Diamond Girl," "Addiction" (featuring Fabolous and Cassie), and "How It Was Supposed to Be," and followed by his second album Transition (2009), and his self-released third album, Les Is More (2012).
Outside of music, Leslie founded the direct text marketing service SuperPhone in 2015.
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