Not So New Black Kid On The Block: Ryan Leslie
Posted by Bossip Staff
Diddy’s ivy league protege’, Ryan Leslie, has journeyed from Harvard to artistry almost seamlessly:
Bossip: So, tell me how you went from Harvard to the music industry.
Ryan Leslie: My parents are immigrants from the Caribbean Islands. My mother whom is Dutch, Chinese and African descent would meet my father who was born in Barbados and raised in Trinidad, and connect based on their love for music. Music is something that comes from my parents, but also from my parents comes a strong sense of education. Being, immigrants, they wanted to make sure that my sister and I had a fair shot at achieving the American dream, which would be to live our passions. They knew that education was an essential building block in the foundation of that pursuit. I was a precocious youngster, and was getting into a lot of trouble in school. Finally one of my teachers suggested that I go for testing. I tested into the talented, gifted program. Initially I wanted to be a doctor because I wanted my parents to be proud of me. As a kid (15) I tested out of high school. I applied to Harvard, Stanford and Yale. With great pride and honor my parents shipped me off as a teenager to Harvard.Bossip: You were a pre-med major? When did you decide to do music?
Ryan Leslie: During that time I was introduced to the music of Stevie Wonder and was resolved to chase the contribution and the legacy. I called my father and said that I’ve found my calling in life and I’m switching majors, I’m no longer pre-med. I’m going to go to a humanities major which would allow me more time to focus on music. There was a studio in the basement of my dorm, and I taught myself to produce records. Four years later with three academic probation slaps on the wrist, I did graduate on time.Bossip: When did you hook up with Diddy?
Ryan Leslie: Fast forward to 2003, after many thwarted attempts, and producing for independent acts, I started interning for a producer who introduced my music to Diddy. Diddy signed me on the spot after a chance meeting and hearing a record I produced for New Edition called “Hot Tonight”. All at once in 2003, my life changed. I was looking at six figure checks and was able to repay my father who invested some credit in my career. From 2003 to 2005, I was under the mentorship of Diddy. After a very fruitful relationship two year management with him, I signed my first artist to the Next Selection Imprint. Her name is Cassie. I wrote and produced our very first single, Me and You went on to write and produce her entire first album.Bossip: Tell us about your album, Ryan Leslie.
Ryan Leslie: My cd is about six years in the making. After many delays, we’ve been able to come to an agreement. This album is a snapshot of my life. It’s self titled for the simple fact that if you know the name of album, you know the name of the singer, producer and background singer. When I would read the credits in the albums of people like Prince, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, I would see that it was written, arranged and produced by the artist. I wanted to make that type of contribution.Bossip: What’s your genre?
Ryan Leslie: I find it challenging to categorize myself because I just do the music that I love, the music that inspires me. I wouldn’t personally categorize my music in any specific genre.
Click here to see a few African Americans highlights at Harvard today.
Check out Ryan’s latest video How It Was Supposed To Be.
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Guess he’ll get 15 mins
1st biyatches
oh well 2nd…LMAO
e was said to be found at a millionaire & celebrity dating club ____MillionaireLoving. C O M____ not long before, and he was hot there.Quite a few girls and ladies winked to him.
Good for you. I like Diamond Girl. I haven’t heard anything else I like yet, though.
album is hot. especially Gibberish…even though I dont know what the hell he is saying…
hey kathy whats the t girl…. you diddy sleepin with this dude right .. it all makes sense now
I fully support Ryan Leslie, his Album is dope, I hope its not slept on…its better than Jamie Foxx and thas for sure…
Oh I HATE SANDRAROSE…SHE HATES HER OWN PEOPLE
Addiction is hot – so is How it’s Supposed to be – haven’t listen to the whole album yet..
What?? You all better get on this CD…the whole CD is hot…R Les is a true artist…support good albums!
damn bossip you are so fake, all that talk about his chick c*****ie and how she f*ck for tracks and not one question about the relationship?! you fail
album is hot. especially Gibberish…even though I dont know what the hell he is saying…
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that’s the point it’s nothing but gibberish, thats one of my favorites too I love quicksand the most
Buy his Cd it’s soooo good
Anyone into hip hop that doesn’t know who Ryan Leslie is by now, has been in a cave for these past few years.
bossip, it’s about time you decided to highlight such a phenomenal and refreshing talent like Ryan Leslie. watching what this man can do production wise is not only entertaining but inspiring as well.
the album is probably the BEST in my collection right now. “quicksand”, “I-R-I-N-A” and “out of the blue” are the strongest tracks–although all of them are very good.
i’d love to see more of him.
Rihanna is sooooo much prettier than that chick C*****ie!!
Is cd is actually the biz…I love it, but a lot of the teeny-boppers probably won’t relate. It’s for a mature audience…
sorry…I meant “his” cd
What does Rihanna have to do with any of this?
I like his musik but all this women crooning is gettin played out.
Rihanna is sooo f’ing hot. Ye will not let me…nevermind. Him and Ye should have went to the same school.
SOOOOO in LOVE w/this guy.
Ambition, intellect…and TALENT!!! Yum
ryanleslie.com check out his work, his works, etc. He is the future of Hip-hop/R&B….his beats are catchy and accessible and his remixes are en fuego!!!!
Its funny to see how people who just can’t say their black. When you ask them about their race (or not in his case cause *****ody asked him that)it turns out sounding like a recipe…
Im 20% this and 30% that…LMAO!!!
Feb 26, 2009 – 11:45 am mechepeach
Its funny to see how people who just can’t say their black. When you ask them about their race (or not in his case cause *****ody asked him that)it turns out sounding like a recipe…
Im 20% this and 30% that…LMAO!!!
Aw, my mom calls me a lazy black American. Because I was born here and she was born in Africa. I am American to her, not African. Sad lol
I just hate it when *****s be be from DC and dont rep they city..
I heart R-LES!
WHAT in the HELL was that point in Ryan’s BLACK ***** stating all that ***** about his mother’s descent?! RYAN you’re BLACK anyway you slice. I seriously HATE how Blacks always try to water down their Blackness with other *****. You don’t hear White people saying that *****….do you know how many Whites in this country have AFRICAN ancestry…TONS! But they don’t go outta their way to say that *****….
Black people PLEASE DO BETTER!
I know someone from Trinidad living in New York. I will adore him forever in my mind.
This album is D-O-P-E. It’s argueably the best album I’ve heard in a long while ( I was seriously disappointed in Jaime Foxx’s project). It’s one of those cl*****ics you can bump anywhere- your car, working out, at the club, cleaning your house, etc.
If you have not already done so, do yourself a favor and get it.
This *****ing cd is amzing ryan leslie will def emerge from this work of art he has created if u got on youtube u can watch him create all these beats from scratch its so amazing i got a hold of the cd a week b4 its release and took my I AM.. cd out which has been in heavy rotation 4 13 weeks RLES is hot bossip good look
NYC
WHAT in the HELL was that point in Ryan’s BLACK ***** stating all that ***** about his mother’s descent?! RYAN you’re BLACK anyway you slice. I seriously HATE how Blacks always try to water down their Blackness with other *****. You don’t hear White people saying that *****….do you know how many Whites in this country have AFRICAN ancestry…TONS! But they don’t go outta their way to say that *****….
Black people PLEASE DO BETTER!
_____________________________________________________
Why can’t he embrace his roots? What’s so wrong with that??? So many people are of mixed race– they need to get rid of this color system bull*****— Only one quota should apply– Human race!
NYC
WHAT in the HELL was that point in Ryan’s BLACK ***** stating all that ***** about his mother’s descent?! RYAN you’re BLACK anyway you slice. I seriously HATE how Blacks always try to water down their Blackness with other *****. You don’t hear White people saying that *****….do you know how many Whites in this country have AFRICAN ancestry…TONS! But they don’t go outta their way to say that *****….
Black people PLEASE DO BETTER!
i kno plenty of whites that say im irish german and french or whatever ,,,his parents were not born in America.. i could see if his mom was born in phgilly and his dad born in california they both were not citizens i def know wat ur saying but u cant blast ryan leslie his parents are legal IMMIGRANTS which means they went through a process to get citizenship in AMERica
How are yall gonna give the guy a hard time about his race? He is whatever the ***** he considers himself to be. It’s not anyone else’s issue to take offense at. As far as the break down, he’s just being honest. Most people don’t even know THAT much about their ancestry, so kudos to him.
Black people stop being so damn sensitive as long as u embrace ur blackness u fine … ***** I, chinese and black yes i do tell people … excuse me im not black my mom is chinese so am i wrong for that… cus im sure my traditions r very different then some african americans and by the way.. by looking at my skin color u can def tell im black
A fellow Caribbean bro. He’s talented. P.S. For the people complaining about mentioning ALL his ethnic make-up, well, people from the Caribbean aren’t OBSESSED with race like black Americans, so for them, stating what they’re mixed with–even if it’s OTHER than African, is a source of pride, not embar*****ment. They’re more likely to embrace ALL their heritage.
@ all of yall with a prob with my comment, KICK rocks. Did you guys even READ the question that was asked?! If not here it is:
So, tell me how you went from Harvard to the music industry.
Him, stating his mother’s racial background HAS NOTHING to do with the question! He didn’t RELATE his mother’s background to ANYTHING!!! I could understand if he said…seeing as though my mother is mixed…we listened to all different types of music…Chinese, African, etc. NOTHING like that was mentioned.
Like I said Black people, especially in the industry, LOVE to water down their Black…they think it makes them more “exotic” and more “marketable”…it’s SAD.
NYC Gal
Rihanna is sooooo much prettier than that chick C*****ie!!
u r crazy i luv riri and beyonce c*****ie shuts those *****es down she is timeless beauty mixed with so many nationalities its just unfair, from her eyes to skin down to her hair, she has style that even riri cant come for so just stop it c*****ie may not can sing but to come for her looks your gonna have to come harder like foreal
A fellow Caribbean bro. He’s talented. P.S. For the people complaining about mentioning ALL his ethnic make-up, well, people from the Caribbean aren’t OBSESSED with race like black Americans, so for them, stating what they’re mixed with–even if it’s OTHER than African, is a source of pride, not embar*****ment. They’re more likely to embrace ALL their heritage.
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YES you guys ARE obssessed with RACE and SKIN COLOR. I work around a ton of people from the carribean and they love talking about the pretty “clear” and “red” girls. I mean for pete’s sake a dark-skinned Rasta was crowned a beauty queen in Jamaica just a couple of years ago…all the other have been light, bright and damn near white…
Miss me with that “it’s an American thing” bull.
its fine to state your ethnicity/ties if it is RELEVANT! Ryan’s ancestral lineage was not relevant to the question, yet he thought he should “show off” and go on about his “exotic” lineage. So many black/ethnic people do this, I’ve met a girl who looked 2000% black but the first thing she said to me was she was part Irish, (not half, like 1/8th). Why would you introduce yourself by your ethnicity first before mentioning your own damn name.
This is typical of black people, some love to go on about how “mixed” they are because it makes them seem less black because they are trully ashamed of being black. Another example: I have another friend who has 2 black parents but she tells people she’s mixed race- WTF her parents are black!!! Can’t people be black and proud?
@ BRIT….THANK YOU!!!! We are here ><.
agreeing with Brit and NYC… i was wondering where he was going with the whole ethnicity thing and it ended up having nothing to do with the question…
what i’ve heard from him so far is hot… i’m just waiting for the day i get to bed my boo to Heavenly… i can think back bitterly on my ex with How It Was Supposed to Be (the remix of course) and diamond girl and addicted weren’t bad… i feel like the cd should have been out. i hate when artists release mad singles before the album release and by the time u get the cd you already played out half the songs…
THOSE 3 SINGLES ARE NOT THE STROINGEST THE CD IS FIRE REGARDLESS
People really have to dig before i let them know i’m 1/4 german jew…like they might ask me if i’m peurto rican or how did i get my exotic tone. Is he really relying on Diddy to promote him…if he’s that good he needs to run like hell.
MOMZ,DUTCH,CHINESE,AND AFRICAN …..GOES TO SHOW WE BAJAN MEN ***** ANY THAT MOVES!!!!
ANYTHING!WEED LO!
Some of you people are screwed up in the head. Why do you care that he mentions the various nationalities that influenced him and his family. WHY DO YOU CARE?
It happens all the time on site. Someone like Tiger Woods mentions they are mixed race and some of you go into conniptions.
You know why. It’s because you are projecting YOUR black insecurities on someone else. You are the ones who view your blackness as a negative.
Quit being so judgmental and get some therapy already.
WRONG! @ Chaka. The entire point is him mentioning his background had NOTHING to do with the question at hand! If it were relevant then it’s NO biggie, but it wasn’t.
I LOVE being Black and wouldn’t want it any other way. Have a BLESSED day!
Its funny to see how people who just can’t say their black. When you ask them about their race (or not in his case cause *****ody asked him that)it turns out sounding like a recipe…
Well if you were conceived my more than one race you should speak on it.
by*
this shyt is way too long im not even attempting…but ryan leslie be rockin…i loved addiction even more when i seen him making it on youtube. the bomb
Ryan Leslie is kind of cute…
LawdhavMercythis*****is real
NYC Gal
Rihanna is sooooo much prettier than that chick C*****ie!!
u r crazy i luv riri and beyonce c*****ie shuts those *****es down she is timeless beauty mixed with so many nationalities its just unfair, from her eyes to skin down to her hair, she has style that even riri cant come for so just stop it c*****ie may not can sing but to come for her looks your gonna have to come harder like foreal
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You better STFU!!! C*****ie is only attractive not pretty. She looks like a regular girl! I don’t give two f**ks what C*****ie is mixed with! She still ain’t pretty!!
Rihanna is pretty and gorgeous! C*****ie ain’t got shyt on Ri Ri!! Ri Ri cuts her hair and she’s even more beautiful but if C*****ie cuts her hair what will she be? Nothing!!!
He is a truly talented artist, he also seems quite intelligent which is such a sexy quality!
i understand both sides of the race issue w/his statement.. but i think he was just trying to give some context/background of his parents being immigrants which apparently played a large role in his music ANDeducational pursuits..and to give that context he laid out their specific cultural identities. perhps he could’ve better explained why or how that related to his switch music, but i can see where he was goin w/it as far as context to his response..
in any case, he seems talented so hope his music career finally gets the recognition he seeks.
regardless of what anyone says.. I love my brother and I’m proud of him. Yes, I’m biased bc he’s family, but his album is HOTT!!! Don’t believe me? Check for yourself.. that’s all he wants too, believe me! xoxo
SMH @ him talking about his mother being dutch, chinese and black. He just wanted to add that ***** in there.
My family is from Trinidad and Grenada and I could say that ***** but when people see me im a *****.
His mother probably dont even know who the ***** her father is. He was probably some chinee man who gave her mother grocries for sex. ***** please.
Yeah, white people do mention their ethnicity when it’s mixed Europeans (Irish, German, Russian, etc. Ever, hardly do they include african, when it’s included in their bloodline.
1st off that his to be the BEST pic I’ve ever since of Ryan Leslie…anywhoo I like his music and his album is good too.
I listen to it on the daily…his production/beats are simple but really hot.
is ryan leslie still hurt about diddy taking c*****ie?? if a woman can be taken from you……lol. just get over it, she wasnt meant 4 you. now diddy is stomping her out so…fair exchange no robbery
*************WAIT A MINUTE*************
This guy has a degree in music from Harvard…and he signed C*****ie??
Oh, the irony!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now imo, this is a sexy man right here, he’s brilliant, educated, and paid. He may not be incredibly handsome and for someone who signed C*****ie, who even though she seems like a nice girl and she’s pretty, an error of judgment on his end, lol, I really dig this dude. I wish him much success and this was a great interview.
@NYC – people like you are really negative, always nit-picking people to find reasons of insecurity. With that question, i can see how his background can relate. With me I am black and jewish and i will always say black and jewish because i am proud of my background and the things I learned about my family. Which if that question was asked towards me, yes my background has a lot to do with where i am now and what i choose to follow.
Anyways yea Ryan Leslie is a very talented musician and I hope MTV and BET show actual musicians instead of spoonfeeding us ignorance
@NYC – people like you are really negative, always nit-picking people to find reasons of insecurity. With that question, i can see how his background can relate. With me I am black and jewish and i will always say black and jewish because i am proud of my background and the things I learned about my family. Which if that question was asked towards me, yes my background has a lot to do with where i am now and what i choose to follow.
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Oh please, his mama being of alleged Chinese descent has NOTHING to do with why his ***** went into the music industry. In fact, I just read the question again…and her being this this and that…STILL has nothing to do with anything.
@ NYC: Your comments reek of insecurity. Relax.
Sugar, give me a break. Why do I need to relax, when I’m cool as a cu*****ber? I’m just stating MY opinion, a view that’s shared by others…you can check for their comments. I’m still trying to figure out how you get that I’m insecure…I KNOW what I am, and PROUD of it. Have a BLESSED evening!
Its Obvious that is Black, There is no problem sharing his parents ethnicities. Black people come in all mixes. Thats one of the beauties.People need to get off that criticism and focus on his music
holy i never check this bossib ***** out but my lady sent me this because she does and she knows i am a fan of mr. leslie. but i can’t believe i actually got caught up in reading this nonsense argument you people were going on about. wow. but here i go getting suckered…..
mr les sharing his background of where he’s from i felt was relevant simply because as a musician he feels that p*****ion stem from his parents since in the article he said music is how his parents met. i feel him on that as that too is how my parents met. pops was a regular at a record store my moms use to be a teller at. if you have west indian parents which i do but am not even gonna go there for fear of ya’ll going on about “blackness or non blackness” i felt the relvance of him saying that is my parent have always said to my brothers, sister and i that education is the key in this country hence mr les going to harvard. they didn’t care if it put us into debt they pushed us into pursuing an education because thats what they came to north america for – a better life for them and their kids.
bulsh*it poli-tricks aside though its about the mans music, and i believe regardless he wouldn’t be an item on this site of ya’lls unless it was warranted. i dig him for his talent not for what he said didn’t say or might say!
now knowing ya’ll who have time! (haters-u know who u are) you’ll respond and respond…. so i’ll end this with i’ll agree to disagree with you. we all have opinions which is why the world goes round and round!
love all regardless of colour because love & diseases don’t have a colour!
yeah, just like som dumb ***** Philly DJ who spread the rumor he wrote Diamond Girl circa 1980’s opposed to his rendition… whatev
Many already said it, he is watering down his African ancestry. Frankly, I don’t see how its relevant. He wasn’t asked about his mother’s ancestry. I find that very trifling in this day and age. 58% of the descendants of African American slaves have at least 12.5% European ancestry and 18% have at least 25%. I can you what my percentages, too, if you ask me. Otherwise, feel free *****ume. I ain’t ashamed.
Plus I can’t look at him without thinking about Mr. Humpty Hump from Digital Underground. Y’all youngun know about that?
As an African immigrant and someone who also attended one of the best (Stanford University GRADUATE), I was so excited to find this out about Ryan Leslie. Love it! Love it! Talented enough to pursue a career in music and smart enough to get into Harvard. Loves it! I wish there were a lot more out there like you R Les!
Its sad, all that education and the brother produced a mediocre song with the same tired images. Why is it I could figure out what the next lyric of his song before he sang it? Because the song is simple and relies on cliches. He’s no wordsmith,”I wish I could turn back the hands of time.”–boring. And the half-naked chick on the ground, typical P.Diddy imagery. I’ll p*****. He just another brother watering down our music, going all pop. And if he is so proud of his mixed race, caribbean background, at least he could’ve fused some of that music into his tired as *****. Hell, Rhianna let us know she was from the islands with her first single.
Harvard? “My mother whom is. . .” Guess they didn’t emphasize grammar.
Oh he is the one who signed C*****ie. Why did he sign that no talent? Because she is pretty, and thats it. He knew before we did that c*****ie can’t sing or move. Which tells me he isn’t serious about music. He’s all about music being a perfect little package that makes money. He’s just like Puffy, fake and commercial. And I predict he’ll be completely gone in like 2 years. When Kanye started his record label he signed real talent, John Legend and Estelle. And all this corny ***** brought us was C*****ie. –He sounds like a nerd, which I’m not mad at, who worked hard in his dorm’s basement to achieve a goal. He sounds like a nerd who knows how to work long and hard at something until he gets better. He’s no musical prodigy, not at all. Music isn’t in his blood, he’s just a focused brother. And because he *****ed up black music and put another nail in Puffy’s coffin by shoving C*****ie’s ***** on us, I won’t buy his *****. Don’t get me wrong, if opportunity arises, I will burn his *****, but I’ll never buy it.–
Ladies all like to join _____Millionaire Romances com_____. I really do not know why? Just cuz many wealthy men and celebrities there? or the men there are all handsome?
I absolutely love R Les. He is a real artist in every sense of the word. He writes his own songs, compose his own tracks and plays all the instruments on every song and is on his label. Which means he gets all the residuals. Damn, this man is a genius. I was first in line to get the CD. My favorite track is every track on the CD. I can’t choose. However Out of the Blue is on heavy rotation cause that’s my situation or rather my ex’s situation right now. Too bad for him. Lol!
HA! LOL at this put-on mongrel affecting some kind of internationalism in his bloodline!
Good luck, kid. Don’t trip on the furniture and don’t play Atlantic City.
It has nothing to do with embracing your roots. I’ll tell you why.. My mother has Chinese, East Indian, Arawak, Scottish and African in her lineage. She was born in Trinidad. Did I have contact with those chinese people or the Scotts? No.. I have a connection with the Arawak because of the area I lived and the culture is enmeshed with more East Indian, African and Carib/Arawak cultures.
You can be a fruit Salad, but only the dominant fruit will survive. I am willing to bet his mother’s Dutch ancestry came from Slavery days when his great or great great Grandma couldn’t fight off the slave owner or the European men that used to go to the Caribbean to exploit the women..
You never hear people that “live white or Asian” talk about their black ancestry without even being asked. The fact is that we all have a mixture, but black people act like if they don’t let us know how much white they have in them, their careers would be over.
Ask Mr. Leslie how much of the Dutch man’s land his got?
The human race utopia will not work because with acculturation, one culture will dominate.
Ryan you look Black and fall with the rainbow stop with the insignifcant indioscriascies of race genetics and labeling. I see all that education at Harvard did not teach you how others will view you in this world, did they? We are all diverse, but we know where we fit in best. Paaalease!!!! no one asked you for a description.
This ***** is funnier than anything Ive read today!
BEST BLOGGING COMMMENTS ARE IN AND THE WINNERS ARE:
Mechepeach – Got it Right !!! This cats comments about mommy got nothing to do his with music as far as the interview is referenced.
Sccoby Dubious – your ***** got me canning myself…. I cant stop laughing
Richard – keep hope alive !
NYC – keep doin whatcha doin playa – you got it right!
And this ***** from Solliquy is SOLID! Ask Mr.
Leslie how much of the Dutch man’s land he’s got?
This is cl*****ic stuff !!!
F*uk Harvard, fools still come out stupid and mixed up
Solid People !
- Morehouse & Columbia & Univ of Cape Town Phd
Motherfu%kers
Oh by the way, we ALL know the flippin Caribbean heritage is mixed, like the US and most places along the way – no need for this bonehead to state that ***** cause ultimately the US spreads it influence far and wide and BLACK PEOPLE have influenced it ALL-THE-LONG !!!
that m.f. look like he’s mixed with stank breath and horse. all that mixing and not one good damn gene. Ryan needs to get those teeth straight, literally.
@ kevan – u rite, i stop goin to sandrarose site because i dont like the comments she post–so i left her site alone—its wack anyway, she has the same crap up as everyone else but she say some dumb*****
Exactly, what was the point of Ryan stating the ethnic make-up of his mother? How is that directly related to the question of “How did you go from Harvard to music”? I guess that was supposed to explain his connection to C*****ie? I don’t know, just using a similar strategy of Mr. Leslie’s to rationalize his winded answer: pulling ***** out my *****! Don’t you just L-O-V-E Black people who MUST make mention that they are everything other than “just Black” like it’s a crime to be “just Black”. Whatever! Whether or not he makes his music for the m*****es (people of Dutch, Chinese, & African descent), his music is exclusively marketed, promoted, and enjoyed by those of exclusively African descent. I thought Ryan was a smarter guy, Harvard degree and all. But I guess Harvard degree does not a genius make. People when are you gonna learn to: STOP BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU! There was a point before this interview where I was fascinated by him. Thanks Mr. Leslie for helping to come to my turning point! Boo!
SELF-HATING ***** NEGRO!!!! Yeah, I said it!
Everyone fall back. His ethnicity didnt have to be mentioned but he did ok! And just because he mentioned it why do you have to AUTOMATICALLY believe he is not accepting his “blackness”?? That is so ignorant. No he didnt have to mention it in regards to the question about music I agree, but the issue with these replies is that people feel that since he did he doesnt want to embrace being just black and thats false. Give credit to the man for knowing his pedigree. Like Kat Williams said, “I know Im a ***** I traced my roots, they end up in Alabama somewhere! lol” I know over 75% of those on this site havent traced their roots and if they did you would know there’s a strong possibility you aren’t just BLACK or etc. You just have a preferance to catorgorize youself by one race and thats cool. I just think Ryan chose to catorgorize himself outside the box. Some do that, and some dont.
….Fyi Im black and if I am mixed way on down the line thats cool too but I CHOOSE to catorgorize myself as black lol.
Uhh Ryan no need to break down your DNA, you are Black, just like you look. Got to respect your smarts though…Harvard, Pre-Med………WoW!!
This is nice for 15 mins of fame. But the reality is we don’t have enough black doctors. Do you know how hard it is to get into Harvard pre-med? Go back to school and become an inspiration.