Like most aspiring producer/songwriter/singers, Ryan Leslie started out making his own records as a teen because he couldn't afford to pay for studio time or producers when he wanted to record his demo. Counting self-contained producer/artists like Stevie Wonder and Prince as his heroes, it's been a long ride from being a 19-year-old senior in college who had no music contacts - to overseeing studio sessions with the likes of Diddy, Usher, Britney Spears, and many other of today's top stars.
The road was not easy, as anyone who has tried to make it in music would understand. When he graduated from Harvard in 1998, Ryan started out selling beats for $200 to anyone who would buy - a questionable career move for an ivy-league graduate. He stayed in the Boston area for a while, taking on a community service job to make ends meet, and spending his nights in the recording studio. Eventually, in the summer of 2000, he linked with a young artist named Corey "Latif" Williams, and he produced a song that won a contest sponsored by Teen People magazine, earning them a performance at the famed Apollo theatre in Harlem.
A few months later, in 2001, the two had generated enough buzz as a producer/artist duo to score Latif a record deal with Motown. Though initial excitement in the project was strong, the album they made together in thirty days took two years to get released. In the meantime, Ryan returned to a suburb of Boston and began to experiment with making his own records again.
Times were tough, the advance money from his work on Latif's album ran out, and in late 2002, after nearly a year grinding with little to no money coming in, Ryan was forced to move back in with his parents, who were living in Phoenix. Though he was devastated, he remained determined, and after a long talk, his father gave Ryan a glimmer of hope, offering to max out the family's credit cards to buy the keyboards and recording software needed to create a modest project studio. Moved by this vote of confidence in his potential, Ryan vowed that he would do whatever it took to repay the nearly $15,000 worth of equipment - even if it meant going to law school and getting a job more suited to his academic pedigree.
For the next five months, Ryan locked himself in a room, eating infrequently and sleeping even less, spending countless hours formulating a distinct sound that would prove useful when in the spring of 2003, his music career took an unexpected turn. Encouraged by his long-time music lawyer and advisor, Ed Woods, Ryan got on a plane to New York to take a 30-day contract as a music production intern for former Bad Boy Hitman Younglord. One week into his internship, a record they created together became "Keep Giving Your Love To Me", a song performed by Beyoncé for the Bad Boys II movie soundtrack. That record led to a meeting with Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was supervising the project.
Honored by the opportunity, Ryan played a few of the instrumentals he had created while in Phoenix for Diddy, and there was one in particular that caught the Bad Boy Records CEO's attention. Though it was a simple track, consisting mostly of a conga loop and a guitar riff, the magic in the music emerged when Ryan played a song he had written and recorded to the track, called "Hot 2 Nite". Thoroughly impressed, Diddy offered Ryan a producer management contract on the spot, and the song became the first single for New Edition's Bad Boy album.
Diddy immediately put Ryan on every project that came across his blackberry, and Ryan produced a string of records, including Loon's 2003 summer hit "Down For Me". He shared his unique talent with everyone from Britney Spears, B5, Cheri Dennis, Danity Kane, and many other Diddy-helmed projects. In six months, he had collected enough money from advances to be able to repay his father, and after sending a check home, he requested that his equipment be shipped to New York, where he set up a project studio in a one-bedroom apartment in Harlem.
Simultaneously during that time, Ryan inked a publishing deal with Tommy Mottola's Aspen Songs, cementing his relationship with two of the most legendary and notorious executives in the music industry. Under the mentorship of Diddy and Mottola, Ryan began to absorb the mannerisms of a savvy entrepreneurial music executive.
Soon the word began to spread of his unorthodox approach to record-making (eschewing programming and beat machines for real-time playing of instruments and on-the-fly song writing), and people began reaching out to Ryan for his "NextSelection" sound. He produced singles for Donell Jones ("Better Start Talking"), Cheri Dennis ("I Love U"), and dancehall legends Tanto Metro & Devonte ("News For You"). He also signed a recording contract as an artist with Universal through Mottola's imprint. Though he recorded an album for Universal in 2004 between projects for other artists, his production schedule kept him from paying any real attention to promoting a single.
It was when Usher called on him to produce some records for his new label, US Records, that Ryan, being the same age as Usher, became inspired to champion his NextSelection brand by developing an artist of his own. After writing and producing the title track "Private" for Usher's act One Chance's debut album, Ryan returned to New York and met a strikingly beautiful young artist named Cassie with a distinct vocal texture and a unique point of view. With the help of some coaxing by her mother, he convinced Cassie to record a song with him. Encouraged again by his attorney, Ed Woods, he played the record for Mottola, who immediately signed Ryan's young protégé to a management contract, urging the two to continue the recording process.
The next record he wrote and produced for her, a song called "Me & U", would prove to be a defining work in Ryan's career - earning him his first number one hit, and the opportunity to work as an executive producer alongside Diddy, who outbid 2 other labels to partner with him on Cassie's project. "Me & U" went on to be the biggest record at radio in the history of Atlantic Records (Bad Boy's distributor), and Ryan's dream to introduce the world to the NextSelection brand was achieved.
The success of Cassie's project also proved to be definitive in a different way for Ryan, who had partnered with a young on-line media entrepreneur named Rasheed Richmond to wage a ground-breaking internet marketing campaign using non-traditional media to raise awareness about Cassie, NextSelection, and the infectious song he had written for her. Thanks to their joint efforts, she became the first major new artist to break from social networking phenomenon MySpace.com, prompting so many internet searches that Yahoo crowned her the first "Internet diva".
Fueled by this momentum, Ryan's next moves will be made with laser focus on brand development and will be watched intently by an evolving music industry. He is building a management company, led by Sean Collins, a long-time friend and early supporter who invested in him during the early stages of his career, to develop and nurture budding production talent. He is expanding his on-line media properties with Rasheed Richmond to create a network of sites dedicated to entertainment content developed by NextSelection. He is assembling a roster of acts that will embody the characteristics of his signature 4 D's - drive, desire, discipline and dedication.
Most importantly, amongst all of his endeavors, he's campaigning as Ryan Leslie - the artist. With a goal to fill arenas around the world where he has already been performing for small crowds of die-hard NextSelection fans, he is pursuing the dream that started his foray into music in the first place: being an entertainer. His live show is explosive, channeling of the energy of a young James Brown mixed with the swagger of a modern day Marvin Gaye. The soundtrack to the Ryan Leslie experience is just as engaging. Fusing thick analogue synths, heavy drums and lush vocal harmonies, his double album, consisting of his best unreleased gems like "The Way That U Move", "Just Right" and "Used 2 Be", plus an entirely fresh crop of newly-inspired recordings, will be a collection of all the songs he wouldn't sell to anyone else, songs that he really loves, stories told in a way only he can tell them.
A look at Ryan's daily schedule, which usually starts on-line at 5am and continues (with meetings, calls, rehearsals and studio sessions) into the wee hours of the following morning, suggests that he may have too much on his plate to lead the life of an ordinary twenty-something year old. Thankfully, his approach to life is, arguably, extraordinary.
© 2006 NextSelection Lifestyle Group
Glory
Ryan Leslie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm Mr. Festivals, Coachella, Bonaru
They never really understood what I was trying to do,
And had me feeling Miles Davis kinda blue
I flipped the switch and put the rock star in my show,
Went overseas and had 'em cop cars whipping slow
They're looking funny I was bad with a black band
Eating everybody in the game, Pacman
I've got these kids looking at me, saying "What a shame!
He's so underrated, he should have sold more
Should've had a number one record with his own tour.
Look at his live show, look how we touch dem keys,
Look how dem girls scream when he fall to his knees!
Look how he pour his heart out when he tell a story.
I guess I had to spill my guts so I could get my glory!
Listen,
Have you ever even seen such determination?
Despite it all, I'm still a theme for the adulation.
Everything I ever wrote I did it form the heart
Never had a top ten but you still respect my art.
I'm in the club and they still send me free bottles,
Still push that G-55 with a super model.
It's my reality, this ain't no show, brother
Go check my girl on the February Vogue cover
And catch me whipping through the city in that silver Jeep
Kids screaming "Oh, that's Ryan Leslie", yeah, they know it's me
I'm not ashamed at all, in fact I love my story,
No matter what it takes oh, Ima keep my glory!
Shit!
The glory, give it to me!
oh, oh, oh! Yeah
I get it
The glory, give it to me!
oh, oh, oh!
Yeah
You asked me why I'm rapping,
Well I give you the reason,
The same reason you're hating when you should be believing
It's in your heart to hate, it's in my heart to win,
So yeah, I'm rapping now, let the hating begin!
I write my own records, write my own checks,
Wondering which hotel which city I'm calling home next!
One thing I know for sure, one thing that's mandatory,
I owe it all to God, I give him all the glory!
Shit!
The glory, give it to me!
oh, oh, oh! shit, get it, the glory, give it to me
oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah
Ima get my glory,give it to me! oh, oh oh, yeah
Ima get my glory,
Give it to me!
Oh, oh oh, yeah
The glory, yeah give it to me
oh, oh oh
The glory yeah give it to me
oh, oh oh
In "Glory," Ryan Leslie speaks about being underestimated and typecasted as an "urban dude," but he defies those expectations by making a name for himself in the festival circuit, specifically Coachella and Bonnaroo. He asserts that people never really understood the direction he was going in, which left him feeling "Miles Davis kinda blue." However, he persevered and made a name for himself by putting on a rockstar performance and catering to his audience. Despite this, he admits that he's still underrated as he hasn't achieved a number one record or gone on his own tour. He recognizes his strengths as a musician and performer, pouring his heart out when telling a story and playing the keys, which he says has made an impact on his fans. He concludes the song by shouting that he'll "keep his glory" and continue to give his all, even if it means rapping, a decision that many may criticize.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, they tried to put me in a box, the urban dude.
People have tried to limit me and put me into a certain category because of where I come from.
I'm Mr. Festivals, Coachella, Bonaru
I have become known for performing at big music events like Coachella and Bonnaroo.
They never really understood what I was trying to do,
Some people have not been able to grasp the vision behind my music and work.
And had me feeling Miles Davis kinda blue
This made me feel like the legendary musician Miles Davis, who also faced limitations and challenges during his career.
I flipped the switch and put the rock star in my show,
I changed my approach and incorporated a rock star element into my performances.
Went overseas and had 'em cop cars whipping slow
When I performed internationally, the locals reacted with excitement and even the police cars went slower to watch the show.
They're looking funny I was bad with a black band
People were surprised to see me playing with a black band, but we were so good that they were blown away.
Eating everybody in the game, Pacman
I was dominating and surpassing my competition like the classic video game character Pac-Man.
The only issue is, it's not a game,
Although I made it look easy, this is not just a game to me.
I've got these kids looking at me, saying "What a shame!
Despite my talent, some people were not recognizing my worth and potential.
He's so underrated, he should have sold more
People believe that I deserve more success and recognition than what I have achieved.
Should've had a number one record with his own tour.
They think I should have had a hit record and my own headlining tour by now based on my talent and hard work.
Look at his live show, look how we touch dem keys,
My live performance is something special and unforgettable, particularly because of how I play the keys and connect with the audience.
Look how dem girls scream when he fall to his knees!
My performance is so passionate that the female fans scream when I get down on my knees and pour my heart out.
Look how he pour his heart out when he tell a story.
When I sing, I am putting my emotions and experiences into the lyrics, which makes my music so powerful.
I guess I had to spill my guts so I could get my glory!
I had to share my deepest thoughts and feelings in my music, so that I could achieve success and recognition (glory).
Have you ever even seen such determination?
My drive and focus is unmatched and evident in everything I do.
Despite it all, I'm still a theme for the adulation.
Despite the setbacks and obstacles, people still love and admire me for my music and artistry.
Everything I ever wrote I did it form the heart
All of my music and writing comes from a place of personal truth and emotion.
Never had a top ten but you still respect my art.
I may not have had hit singles, but people still appreciate and value the quality and authenticity of my work.
I'm in the club and they still send me free bottles,
Even though I am not a mainstream artist, I am still celebrated and given special treatment by some people in the music industry.
Still push that G-55 with a super model.
I still live a luxurious lifestyle and date beautiful women.
It's my reality, this ain't no show, brother
My success and lifestyle is not just for show, it is my real life and what I have worked hard to achieve.
Go check my girl on the February Vogue cover
My girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend as the song was released in 2009) is so amazing that she was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine.
And catch me whipping through the city in that silver Jeep
Catch me driving my shiny silver Jeep around the city - this is just another perk of my life and success.
Kids screaming "Oh, that's Ryan Leslie", yeah, they know it's me
Even the kids know me and recognize my name and face because of my influence in the music industry.
You asked me why I'm rapping,
The reason why I even started rapping is because someone asked me about it.
Well I give you the reason,
I'm about to tell you the reason why I decided to pursue rapping.
The same reason you're hating when you should be believing
I'm rapping because I believe in myself and my talent, so you should believe in me too instead of hating on me.
It's in your heart to hate, it's in my heart to win,
Some people are just naturally negative and hate on others, but I am naturally driven to succeed.
So yeah, I'm rapping now, let the hating begin!
I am embracing the challenge and negativity head on, because I believe in my ability to succeed and rise above it.
I write my own records, write my own checks,
I am not just a rapper, but also a producer and songwriter, and I am in full control of my own career and finances.
Wondering which hotel which city I'm calling home next!
My success has allowed me to travel and perform in many different parts of the world, which is both exciting and uncertain.
One thing I know for sure, one thing that's mandatory,
But through it all, I know that one thing is absolutely necessary for my success.
I owe it all to God, I give him all the glory!
I recognize that all of my talent and success is due to a higher force (God), and I humbly give Him praise and thanks for everything.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RYAN LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walking-MY-Path
This song has been composed so well that every time I hear it, it gives me an eargasm. The drums, the electric guitar, the lyrics and of course the choir harmonizing in the chorus. R-Les is the best no doubt!!!
Rizzle Riz
The most talented modern-day music yet. R Les.
Walking-MY-Path
@Rizzle Riz Amen.
Tsvetan Sirakov
Just by the sound U can tell he is no ordinary one-day-hit maker, and when the lyrics hit U, then U come to realise he has the intelligence to become a music legend, even though he is so underrated.... Simply genius..... One day my kids will listen to him and Lupe, like I am listening to Pac now....
Mai Mohamed - هالو امريكا
That combination of rock and rap is so cool 😎✨
Carlos Martinez
This guy never disappoints. I hope all of you buy his album when it releases.
doobyboy78
The beat is so...... no word can describe how good it is the lyrics are good.
MBO TAS Official
I'm from Cameroon in Africa. How can I be loving such a dope track more than Americans??? This song deserves a lot more views. Its got a lot of maturity!!!!!!!!!!!
Louis York
I am from Liberia, West Africa. I remember back in 2009, when first listened to Ryan's "How It Was Supposed To Be", I knew right away I had found the recording artist who knew how to make music that would resonate with me. Since then, I've been captivated by his work, and what's been so unique about him is his transition from RnB to Hip Hop to Tech, and me still following through on his transitions without my love for his work debasing.
Ryan is a one of a kind recording artist. He's so underrated, but that's how the world undervalues talents at times. Thank you Ryan!
Eric Ricky
"Never had a top ten but you still respect my art" 2020 and i still respect this art.....edit. hahaha, its 2021 now