Ryan Leslie

It's been quite some time since I last updated One Mere Thought, I guess life got in the way of my thoughts and ability to write them down...I have also been considering the content which I will post in the future. This remains a mystery, as my musical interests conflict with my thoughts focusing on marketing and social media.

Rather than rambling just now, I wanted to bring One Mere Thought back to life with an appreciation post. Following the release of a new visual yesterday, Ryan Leslie appears to be looking forward to the release of his third studio album, Les is More. The video takes viewers back to Ryan's early days, with a behind the scenes look at the creation of the future single, Beautiful Lie.

With a little tribute to Steve Jobs, Ryan Leslie explains the reasoning behind leaving his major record deal behind, instead approaching things with his own beliefs, cutting out the music label restrictions. Double E's and a Gullwing...I want to be in Paris when they shoot this.

Following tweets from Ryan, and his sideman Evan Rogers, it appears like we might be in for a number of treats from the NextSelection camp. Until then, take a look through his YouTube channel to watch him in action, while I've posted some of my personal favourites below, including his latest production work with Red Cafe and Rick Ross.

For more on Ryan Leslie, check out RyanLeslie.com, Ryan Leslie on Facebook, and @RyanLeslie on Twitter.

Kid Cudi x Surface to Air - Mr Rager

New York's recent Fashion Night Out saw the exclusive unveiling of Surface to Air's much hyped collaboration with rapper and actor Scott Mescudi aka KiD CuDi. Not contempt with releasing two men's and two women's leather jackets for the collaboration, Surface to Air teamed up with Jeremie Rozan to direct a mini-film for Cudi's 'Mr. Rager'. The dark video portrays the lyrics from the Emile and No I.D. produced track, while also heavily featuring the collaboration jacket throughout. 

Along with showcasing the Mr. Rager video, attendees to S2A's night were amongst the first to preview the brand's new retail space in New York. Based on Mercer Street, the store was designed by Frederico Masotto, and opened to the public the following day, September 9th. Stocking mens, womens, and kids collections, visitors will also be able to check out Scott's range, along with the video on a big screen in store. If you can't make it to the New York store, check out the video below, and for images from the store, and of the collaboration range, check out the Surface To Air blog.

Tokyo Rising featuring Pharrell Williams

Having been away from One Mere Thought for a while, I have struggled to find the time or the inspiration to share something new and ensure this blog remains relevant and interesting. While many of the past posts have covered music, many of which now are inactive due to copyright issues and such, I figured it was time to upload something else, particularly as I've not seen much inspiring or great music content over the past month.

I uncovered this latest update over on the Billionaire Boys Club blog, one of the daily blog sites I check for news and stories. It often has updates which interest me greatly and inspire me, like the latest documentary featuring none other than Pharrell Williams. The five part documentary, brought to life by Palladium Boots, features a number of creatives including Verbal, Yoon, Yuka Uchida, Kunichi Nomura, Akashi Oda, and Chim Pom. Each of those in the documentary shine some light on the recent devastation brought by the earthquakes and tsumani of 3-11. While the effects were devastating, the positivity throughout Japan is clear to see, as those within the documentary describe the strengths of the country and how they are moving onwards and upwards after the tragedy. Directed by Thalia Mavros, you can watch the five part documentary below.

Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne (Full Album Stream)

Watch The Throne, the highly anticipated collaborative album from Jay-Z and Kanye West was released exclusively to iTunes today, showcasing the talents of two of the greatest rappers in the game right now. The album features production from The Neptunes, RZA, No I.D., Swizz Beatz and more, along with guest features from Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Mr. Hudson. While the album may be available for download now, the physical CD is not available until August 12th, so if you are like me and have pre-ordered the album, you'll have to wait till Friday to hear it...unless...you check out the full stream of the album below (minus the bonus tracks). From a couple plays I'm really feeling Lift Off with Beyonce, as well as the Cassius sampled Why I Love You, although I was slightly surprised to only see the one Neptunes produced track.

Anyway, check out the full streaming below, thanks to Hypebeast for the player!

 

1. No Church In The Wild f. Frank Ocean (prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean & Ken Lewis)
2. Lift Off f. Beyoncé (prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker, Q-Tip & Don Jazzy; Additional Vocals by Seal, Mr Hudson, Don Jazzy, Bankulli & Ricardo Louis)
3. Ni**as In Paris (prod. Hit-Boy)
4. Otis f. Otis Redding (prod. Kanye West)
5. Gotta Have It (prod. The Neptunes)
6. New Day (prod. The RZA)
7. That’s My Bi**h (prod. Q-Tip & Kanye West)
8. Who Gon’ Stop Me (prod. Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph & Kanye West)
9. Murder To Excellence (prod. Swizz Beatz & Symbolyc One)
10. Welcome To The Jungle (prod. Swizz Beatz)
11. Made In America f. Frank Ocean (prod. Sham “Sak Pase” Joseph)
12. Why I Love You f. Mr Hudson (prod. Mike Dean & Kanye West)
13. Illest Motherf*cker Alive (prod. Southside & Kanye West) *
14. H*A*M (prod. Lex Luger & Kanye West) *
15. Primetime (prod. No I.D.) *
16. The Joy f. Curtis Mayfield (prod. Pete Rock & Kanye West) *
* – Bonus Tracks

Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch The Throne Documentary

While I've already stumbled across numerous blogs with inactive links and UMG have hadYouTube remove the documentary, there are a couple of video links with the documentary video for Jay-Z and Kanye West's joint project, Watch The Throne. Although this might only remain online for a few hours, hopefully some of you get the chance to watch it.

The documentary, rumoured to be included with the deluxe edition of the much anticipated Watch The Throne, takes viewers out to Australia to gain a little insight on the making of the album. While we don't get to see any real studio material, we get to hear a few clips of tracks, and the Beyonce featured track at the end of the ten minute documentary sounds incredible. While Jay brought Kanye in to music, acting as Ye's mentor, it is evident they are both amongst the best in music right now and their work is ethic is incredible, referencing Michael Jackson shows their passion and desire to be the best. 

"I want to know what they were saying when they made Thriller in the studio"

While Russell Crowe makes a cameo in the documentary, it's interesting to see Ryan Leslie appearing in the same scene. Also hearing Cassius' I Love You So, particularly the keyboard breakdown, makes me wonder if they have reworked that for the album, while it's already an incredible track, I'd be fascinated what they could do with the beat of such a crazy song.

Check out the documentary below while it is online, and check out the album stream in the post above this. You can pick the album up now on iTunes, and in physical form from the 12th August.