Saigo
Ryan Leslie´s last entry over at his popular video blog www.ns4life.com is dated at December 2nd 2007, a time when he seemed poised to take over the music industry. Over a year later, despite a few new videos on his youtube channel, Leslie has largely been M.I.A from the interwebs and the charts.
Prior to this year, the Harvard grad had enjoyed a few trips to the chart, most notably for his production credits on Cassie´s huge hit “Me and U” in 2006. However, Leslie´s presence had been mostly felt on the internet, with his youtube channel at one point getting more views than heavyweights like Paris Hilton, Lupe Fiasco, and even his mentor, Diddy.
To the dismay of many long time followers of his Vlog, this talented R&B guru hasnt received nearly the amount of shine he deserves. His mind-meltingly fresh and funky synth R&B style is the antithesis of the lifeless 808 crunk-inspired R&B that prevails today, and is surely a step in the right direction for R&B and Hip-Hop music. So what´s the hold up? what´s the deal with the lack of posts on his vlog? why does his homepage at ryanleslie.com stay stagnant, promoting a single that came out in early 2007?
Well, whatever the reason for his decreased internet presence, Ryan Leslie has been keeping busy. His myspace page says that he is currently on tour promoting his self titled album set to drop on February 10, 2009. One can only hope that Leslie has simply shifted his focus from internet stardom to chart domination, in which case, its only a matter of time before everyone knows his name.
Below is the last post from his ns4life.com blog, which details the creative process behind his 2007 single “Diamond girl.” I have also included two of my favorite tracks. The first, “Used to Be” featuring Fabolous, is a feel good, summery, driving-down-the-highway-with-the-top-down type song. The second, “Just Right” featuring Snoop Dogg exemplifies his song writing ability and his knack for weaving harmonies that feel “just right.”
About the Contributor
