Ryan Leslie began making music as a teenager, scored a perfect 1600 on his SATs before he was old enough to drive, and graduated from Harvard at the age of 19. He got a foothold in the music industry within four years of graduation; by the end of 2005, he had written and/or produced tracks for 702, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Carl Thomas, and New Edition, and an album of his own was completed but shelved. He was the architect behind Cassie's "Me&U," a number one R&B single. Leslie then recorded another solo album, which was scheduled for a mid-2008 release date. "Diamond Girl" debuted on the charts earlier in the year. ~ Andy Kellman