Ryan Leslie is a singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, composer from Washington D.C., United States. He is a Harvard University graduate who has also tried his luck in entrepreneurship. He started NextSelection Lifestyle Group and became the CEO and the founder of SuperPhone app which connects artists with their fans. He has released many studio albums such as “MZRT”, “Black Mozart”, “Les Is More”, “Transition”, etc.
Sun Sign
Libra
Residence
New York City, New York, United States
Nationality
Education
Ryan attended the Bear Creek High School in Stockton, California. While there, he scored the perfect SAT score of 1600 at the age of 14. He then studied at Harvard University and graduated at 19 with a degree in Government, focusing in Political Science and Macroeconomics.
He also joined the Krokodiloes, a cappella group while studying at Harvard. Ryan was selected as the Harvard Male Orator during the undergraduate Class Day ceremonies.
Manager
Ryan is represented by the California-based Paradigm Talent Agency.
Genre
Hip hop, neo soul, pop, R&B
Instruments
Vocals, keyboards, sampler, synthesizer, drums, guitar, bass guitar, trumpet
Labels
Disruptive Multimedia, NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Casablanca Records, Sony RED, Universal Republic
Girlfriend / Spouse
Ryan Leslie has dated –
- (2011) – Leslie began dating Tunisian model Kenza Fourati in 2011. Kenza is the first practicing Muslim swimsuit model and comes from an influential background herself. Ryan seemed to be in awe of her but the two couldn’t work things out for long and broke up the same year.
- (2009-2010) – Leslie fell for the beauty of Australian model Nicole Trunfio and the two dated from 2009 to 2010. The couple appeared in Vogue magazine together in 2010 before their breakup towards the end of the year. Ryan wrote a break-up song about his ex-girlfriend titled “Joan of Arc” released in 2011.
- (2008) – American model Chanel Iman and Ryan dated from March 2008 to September 2008. Although they never confirmed their relationship and kept everyone guessing, the two were spotted out and about on numerous occasions.
- (2002-2007) – Ryan first spotted American singer Cassie Ventura in 2002 and the two got introduced by a common friend DJ Crimson who is
Comb’s make-up artist. They dated from October 2002 to March 2007 and she appeared in his music videos too. Her single “Me & U” was written and produced by Leslie in 2005 which catapulted Cassie into stardom. However, things got awkward when Cassie was seen dating Diddy, after their break up, who is good friends with Leslie. - – Ryan was rumored to be dating Australian model Shanina Shaik. However, neither spoke out about their relationship status openly. He is referred to having dated her in the past though.
- (2016-Present) – Ryan and Brazilian model Daniela Braga first started dating rumors when he shared a picture of the two on May 14, 2016. A month later, on June 7, they attended the Fragrance Foundation Awards together confirming their romantic status. As of 2018, there has been no news of their relationship so it is possible that they are just maintaining a low profile.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Wide smile
Brand Endorsements
Ryan has done endorsement work for the following brands –
- National Urban League (Vote) (2012)
- Adidas
Religion
Ryan grew up in a practicing Christian family but his present religious beliefs are unknown.
Best Known For
- His business venture ‘Disruptive Multimedia’ whose clients include and Talib Kweli. Additionally, he is known for launching the product SuperPhone, which is an app used by musicians to connect and engage with their fans directly.
- Receiving a Grammy nomination for his R&B album “Transition” in 2011.
First Album
In 2003, Ryan began working on his debut album Just Right of which he released two singles “The Way That U Move Girl” and “Used 2 Be” with Fabolous. However, the album never saw a release date due to the growing differences between him and the record label.
He released his debut self-titled album Ryan Leslie on February 10, 2009, in the United States.
First Film
Ryan made his theatrical film debut with the film Love + Hate which was released in the UK in May 2006. Subsequently, the film was released in the theaters in Italy and Norway in January 2007.
First TV Show
Ryan made his first TV show appearance on the talk show The Mo’Nique Show as a guest on December 9, 2009.
Personal Trainer
In 2007, Leslie enlisted the help of trainer Oscar Smith to flesh out a workout plan for him. Since then, he has been working out regularly every morning and has also changed his sleeping habits to incorporate fitness into his busy schedule.
Ryan Leslie Favorite Things
- Countries To Travel To – France, England
Source –
Ryan Leslie Facts
- As a child, Ryan played cornet (an instrument similar to the trumpet) in the Salvation Army band but due to his overbite, it became difficult to get proper embouchure on the brass instrument. As a result of it, he switched to piano.
- Before starting his career in the music industry, he did a production internship with Grammy-nominated producer Younglord in the summer of 2003. Ryan has credited his time there as the reason behind jump-starting his musical career.
- During his first week as an intern, he produced the song “Keep Giving Your Love To Me” which was performed by for the Bad Boys II soundtrack.
- In October 2010, Leslie’s laptop, which contained intellectual property, was stolen from his Mercedes-Benz while he was on tour in Cologne, Germany. He eventually issued a reward of $1 million for its return.
- Armin Augstein, a garage owner in Pulheim near Cologne returned the laptop. However, Leslie refused to reward him as the sensitive information was missing from the laptop. The court ordered the reward of $1 million to be paid to Augstein after a lawsuit in 2012. Additionally, he was asked to pay an interest of $180,000 for refusing to pay for two years.
- In September 2013, Ryan’s 2010 Cadillac Escalade was seized by the New York City marshals and was auctioned 2 days later for not paying the amount as ordered for the laptop. Apparently, he only paid $5,000 for the laptop.
- He was included in the list of New York’s 50 Hottest Bachelor’s in 2009 at the 26th spot which was curated by PageSix magazine.
- In 2011, his then-girlfriend called the cops after Ryan was allegedly harassing her by calling her and knocking on her door repeatedly. Detective Luis Mortimer followed up on the complaint and left a voicemail on Leslie’s number asking him or his attorney to return the call. Leslie, instead, included the voicemail in his song “Joan of Arc” while dissing his ex-girlfriend. As this kind of exposure had tarnished Mortimer’s credibility as a detective and caused him embarrassment, he sued Leslie over violation of his civil rights.
- He is multi-linguistic and is fluent in English, French, Dutch, and Japanese.
- He considers as having the biggest musical influence on him. Apart from him, his other musical heroes include , , , James Brown, VBak, The Beatles, , Tom Waits, D’Angelo, and Sconch & McGubbs.
- Visit his official website @ ryanleslie.com.
- Follow him on , , , , and .
Featured Image by Ryan Leslie / / CC BY-SA 3.0
Facts of Anthony Ryan Leslie
- Gender Male
- full nameAnthony Ryan Leslie
- middle nameRyan
- nicknamesRyan Leslie
- birthplaceWashington D.C., United States
- Date of Birth September 25, 1978
- Age 46 years 2 months
- Horoscope Libra
- Lucky Number 5
- Lucky Stone Peridot
- Lucky Color Blue
- Best Match for Marriage Gemini
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundBlack
- nationalityAmerican
- net worth$9 Million
- professionComposer, musical arranger, record producer, rapper, record executive, singer, songwriter, visual artist
- weight66 kg or 145.5 lbs
- height5 ft 11 in or 180.5 cm
- hair colorBlack
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildSlim
- high schoolBear Creek High School
- collegeHarvard University
- motherMooi Leslie
- fatherClement Leslie