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
Zodiac
Ryan Leslie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh, act grown or go home (ha ha ha).
R-les.
It's a quarter to two girl, tell me if you wanna leave here with me.
(tell me if you wanna leave with me).
I know what you wanna do girl, ain't no reason you should have me waiting.
(cause I'm thinking we should go right now).
I'll get you hot, that's fa sho, baby.
(Burning up. yeah, yeah. that's right).
And when your love comes down, it won't stop.
Not 'till I take you to the top.
(Baby, yeah yeah).
And so she asked me:
[Chorus]
What's your zodiac sign?
Are we compatible, baby?
If it matches with mine, we should think about dating (yeah).
What's your zodiac sign?
Are we compatible, baby?
If it matches with mine, we should think about dating
Shawty, take my number.
You should call me when you get lonely.
('Cause everybody gets lonely. you'll get lonely, oh).
And you'll never have to wonder, you'll be comin' every time you hold me.
(you'll be comin' like a train and it's not gon' slow down).
Give you all I got, all I know.
I'll get you hot, that's fa sho, baby.
(Curning up. yeah, yeah. that's right).
And when your love comes down, it won't stop.
Not 'till I take you to the top.
(Baby, yeah yeah).
And so I asked her:
[Chorus]
What's your sign?
Let me do the treatin', gone for the weekend, let's get a room.
I'm finna touch ya, show me how much ya, love the way I put it down when I come through.
Tell me how you like it, say it through your sidekick.
Sms, text me, blackberry bold.
See me in the video, heard me on the radio.
Know you wanna do me, it's that simple.
You can't stop this, infinite pockets.
You should take a picture and put it in a locket.
Hang it from a necklace, yeah I live reckless,
But I can give you everything on your checklist, just like Santa.
Hope you been a good girl.
If I had you, give you everything I could girl.
Yes, I would girl.
'Cause you demand that, now let's put this thing together like a hand clap.
[Chorus: x2]
Ryan Leslie's "Zodiac" is a catchy and seductive song that talks about the compatibility of the zodiac signs and how they could play a role in a potential romantic relationship. The song opens with Leslie indicating that he's getting things right this time and calls for the woman he's interested in to act grown or go home. He wants to know if she wants to leave with him by asking her zodiac sign and whether it's compatible with his so that they could think about dating.
As the song progresses, Leslie promises to give the woman all he's got and get her hot, burning up in his love, and taking her to the top. He asks for her phone number, promising that she won't have to wonder, and they can hang out when she's lonely. Leslie suggests that he'll treat her right if she joins him for the weekend and tells her to let him know how she likes it through her sidekick. The song ends with Leslie wanting to give the woman everything on her checklist, just like Santa, and demanding that they put things together like a hand clap.
In conclusion, "Zodiac" is a sensuous song that explores the topic of compatibility through the zodiac signs. Leslie's smooth voice and catchy beats leave the listener swaying to the rhythm of the song. The lyrics suggest that Leslie is ready for love and wants to take things slow to ensure compatibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, we gettin' it right this time.
We're going to do things correctly this time around.
Uh, act grown or go home (ha ha ha).
Behave maturely or leave because we're not messing around (laughs).
It's a quarter to two girl, tell me if you wanna leave here with me. (tell me if you wanna leave with me).
It's almost 2 a.m., do you want to go home with me? (Let me know if you do).
I know what you wanna do girl, ain't no reason you should have me waiting. (cause I'm thinking we should go right now).
I know what's on your mind, so there's no need to make me wait because I also want to do it now.
I'll give you all I got, all I know. I'll get you hot, that's fa sho, baby. (Burning up. yeah, yeah. that's right).
I'll give my best effort and make you feel desired because you deserve it. (I'm heating things up, yeah, that's correct).
And when your love comes down, it won't stop. Not 'till I take you to the top. (Baby, yeah yeah).
Once we start showing love to each other, we won't stop until we reach the height of our passion. (Baby, that's right).
What's your zodiac sign? Are we compatible, baby? If it matches with mine, we should think about dating (yeah).
What's your astrological sign? If it matches mine, we might consider becoming a couple. (Yeah).
Shawty, take my number. You should call me when you get lonely. ('Cause everybody gets lonely. you'll get lonely, oh).
Baby, take my phone number. Contact me whenever you feel lonely. (Because everyone experiences loneliness, including you).
And you'll never have to wonder, you'll be comin' every time you hold me. (you'll be comin' like a train and it's not gon' slow down).
You don't need to worry; you'll be satisfied every time we're intimate. (You'll experience intense pleasure like a speeding train).
Tell me how you like it, say it through your sidekick. Sms, text me, blackberry bold.
Tell me how you prefer it; communicate through your mobile phone or our device of choice.
See me in the video, heard me on the radio. Know you wanna do me, it's that simple.
Perhaps you've seen me on television or heard me on the radio. I'm certain you're attracted to me because it's that simple.
You can't stop this, infinite pockets. You should take a picture and put it in a locket. Hang it from a necklace, yeah I live reckless, But I can give you everything on your checklist, just like Santa. Hope you been a good girl. If I had you, give you everything I could girl. Yes, I would girl.
You can't prevent this from happening, I have endless resources. Take a photo, put it in a locket, and wear it around your neck since I'm living recklessly but can provide everything on your wish list, just like Santa Claus. Hopefully, you've been well-behaved. If we became an item, I'd provide everything I could, baby. I certainly would, baby.
'Cause you demand that, now let's put this thing together like a hand clap.
Because you're assertive like that, let's make this happen. Let's make this happen by clapping our hands together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind