There are only a few big studios left in New York. Sony and the Hit Factory closed a while ago, and Right Track on 38th just closed as well. Though I have my home studio, there’s a certain magic in knowing that there are other creative people in the same building in different rooms making records. “Precious” happened exactly that way. I ran into Jim Jones in the lobby of Chung King one night and minutes later he had ordered some keyboards and a guitar for me to the room in which he was working. We did this over two days. The second day, I came in fresh off the red carpet of a Valentino fashion week event. I believe one of the best aspects of music is its ability to bring people together. Shout out to Damon Dash and Jim Jones for valuing my creativity. You can get the single from iTunes now by clicking here.
When you make music, it’s rewarding when an artist is excited enough about what you’ve created that they want to make an investment in exposure. This includes spending on radio promotion and in the best case, a music video. I introduced my friend Armen to Dame and Jim and I believe he brought a great sensibility to this clip. We shot this as an outro to Jim’s current single “Blow The Bank”. His album drops Tuesday. Special thanks to my girl DW for coming through in the clutch even though her agency restricts her from appearing in music videos. Enjoy:
So much to write about this video. First, I had a concept that I shared with Shiv and the two of us fine tuned it into a treatment. I shopped it to some directors and when they told me how much they expected it to cost ($200K), I decided to direct it myself to give my staff an incredible learning experience. Two weeks into the planning and production process, I ran into Tyson Beckford at the G-star fashion show and invited him to direct the video with me. I could write a book about the production of this video – scripting, rehearsal, styling, filming, editing, sound design, color-correction… Instead, I’d like to focus on three themes:
1. You can do anything you decide to do as long as you have the resources and relationships to do it.
2. Don’t worry about your figure, outward appearance, or financial status with regards to your personal relationships. If someone loves you – they will love you as long as you are a good person on the inside. That goes for friends and lovers alike.
3. When you have something good, it’s inevitable that people will want what you have, and some will even try to (and succeed at) taking something you’ve worked hard to achieve. Your response? Achieve higher heights and greater success.
This is a big one for me. God bless and much love!
Last month I visited Shade 45 Radio and announced that I’d be “launching the most unprecedented on-line campaign anyone has ever seen in history”:
I’ve watched labels and artists take advantage of the blueprint that I laid out in 2005 on ns4life.com and I’m happy to see that some have enjoyed incredible success with that model. Somehow, no-one’s been able to do it like we do it at NextSelection…you know, daily video updates from the artist. I stress DAILY, VIDEO, and ARTIST. That’s why I’m back to do it the way it’s supposed to be done.
I’ve read all the comments around the blogosphere (good and critical) of my album cover (shot by my friend Armen Djerrahian) and I say – it’s about the MUSIC. I know what I like – and if you like music that makes you feel good, I’m sure you’ll get into my album and into this right here:
When you watch the video again, make sure you look for the following NextSelection friends and family (in order of appearance): Zina Star, Rich Dollaz, Joy Leslie, Steven Galgano, Evan Rogers, Steve Graham, Brandon Fletcher, Willie Caba, Mike Norris, the top of Ed Woods’ head, Shiv Pandya, Yamill Vallecillo, Fabrizio Brienza (blurry on the couch), Noémie Lenoir, Jose “Jaq” Quezada, Debbie Weinberg, & Daytona Jones.
…And on my album cover – shout out to Corey Shapiro for the vintage Ray-Ban frames, Lyndon Mackenzie @ Reiss for the v-neck, Roger Hinds (my tailor in Boston) for the jeans, Dean & Dan Caten (as well as Rigo Lora and Anna Voorhees) of DSquared2 for the chain. Frida Giannini from Gucci…though I’ve yet to meet you, I respect what you’re doing at Gucci so I’m rockin’ your belt.
Looking for more? New to the Ryan Leslie experience? Make sure to check out the About Me and About My Site sections. Want to stay in touch? Put your info in my BlackBerry. Want a “Diamond Girl” tee? Get one in my store. Stay tuned and God bless!
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