Ryan Leslie Les Is More

• Ryan Leslie Les Is More
• Ryan Leslie Album
• Ryan Leslie Les Is More Zip

There’s something about Ryan Leslie; it’s the impeccable style and savoir-faire, the manner in which he walks the fine line between self-assuredness and vulnerability that makes the ladies swoon. The seemingly effortless mastery of the production process evidenced in his frequent YouTube videos – many of which have racked up well over a million views. The unparalleled way he retains a sense of accessibility to his fan base – going as far as showing up at a Twitter follower’s house in his Lamborghini, whisking them off to a recording session. And now with the release of his third solo album, the decidedly rap-influenced Les Is More, Ryan Leslie aims to up the ante by positioning himself as both an independent artist and a smooth rhyme sayer.

Ryan Leslie Les Is More

We recently chopped it up with R. Les about his departure from Universal Motown, the visual album concept of Les Is More, and the reason behind his rhymes.OKP: How is your new album Les Is More a departure from your debut and sophomore efforts?

RL: In my mind, it’s really not a departure at all. Both Transitions and my self-titled album were written from a place of honesty. They were both a reflection of the experiences I was having in life at the time. This album is absolutely no different. It’s always interesting to have to describe my art. It’s like when you make a meal and having someone ask, “What’s it going to taste like?” You can talk about the spices and the process of cooking it.

But at the end of the day, it’s really going to be about having someone taste it for themselves. If we were to talk about how my life experiences were different on this record and how they affected your lyrics, then I can actually speak to that. Because there’s actually something quantifiable, in that regard. But if you ask, “Why did you use more guitar” – that’s just how I felt. That’s what the expression called for. I’ve had an incredible collection of experiences that have inspired this album: touring overseas, falling in and out and in love, going through terrible breaks in relationships that I invested so much time and energy in. The more obvious difference with this album is that it’s a rap album.OKP: What were the initial responses from people when they heard you were switching lanes?RL: The response from lots of folks when I tell them that has been one of surprise, shock, disbelief, disdain (laughs).

People saying that I shouldn’t be going in this direction, being that I just came off a Grammy-nominated album. As artists, we should always be going in the direction of honesty. That’s how I feel and that’s where I have to go. There’s nowhere else for me to go. I would say that if you look at how much of the Billboard chart is set aside for our music, it’s all lumped in together. It’s a hip-hop/ R&B chart. So, I don’t know if it’s really a departure – other than I’m just rapping more.

Ryan Leslie Album

RL: Putting these videos together, I really wanted them to come from a place of reality – because I went independent. A lot of the video ideas that I have, some of which will be included on the next record that I’m planning to release in March of 2013, the budget for the creative was in the hundreds of thousands per video. For this record, because everything was really so personal and based on the life that I actually lead every single day, I just wanted to put out the footage that we were capturing as I was traveling around the world.

I directed and edited everything. In directing my real life, I had to remember to slow down a bit so that whoever was with me could capture those moments. Then we could put them into records. Each one of the videos is almost a literal interpretation of the lyrics. But that’s because the visuals are what actually inspired the lyrics. By the visuals, I mean what I was experiencing and taking in as I was writing those records. I was fortunate enough to have a very dedicated team of young people who had no problem capturing everything as it unfolded.

Ryan Leslie Les Is More Zip

I was then able to cut those moments into the music videos. On iTunes, there are seven music videos, the live performance videos and the studio sessions bundled with the album.OKP: In a decision that quite possibly shocked and perplexed many in the industry, you initiated a split with your record company Universal Motown after the release of your sophomore album. Being that the dream of many artists is to be a part of the major label system, what instigated your desire for a departure?RL: There are as many unique pathways as there are success stories in the world. Each pathway correlates with the respective success story. What success represents for me is the ability for me to create in an unrestricted manner. To be able to have an unfiltered dialogue with my audience. I just found that with regard to budgets, spending, and creative ideas I had while I was at Universal, the label had to be cognizant of commerce.

For me, the only thing that really matters is the artistic statement. So when I would sit down and talk to the executives about my video concepts – about traveling to different parts of the world and shooting videos with multi-layered plot lines – in many cases, it was met with an immediate veto. Mostly because of the costs associated traveling with a camera crew and mounting productions in various countries. They’d say, “Yo, Ryan man. Look at your sales.

Look at the number of units you’re moving. How do you expect us to justify that investment in your art? From an accounting standpoint, your art doesn’t merit that kind of investment because we’re not going to get a return.” I understood where they were coming from.

But for me, I would invest everything into my art. So I believe it was just a disconnect in terms of approach. A window of opportunity came when I was renegotiating for my final album release. They wanted to turn my deal into a 360 deal.