"One evening I heard this kid playing a Chopinpiece he had taught himself," Clement Leslie says."He sort of heard his mother play it from time totime...and he taught himself to do it."

Ryan Leslie attributes this talent to hardwork.

"When you really find your passion, the best isdemanded of you because your heart is pushing youto do it," he says. "Being self-taught has forcedme to really be free in terms of my expression."

But Leslie says one of the biggest hurdles hehad to overcome in devoting himself to music wasnot his lack of formal training, but his father.

Leslie says his father was "disappointed" thatLeslie began to pursue music at Harvard, ratherthan a more traditional career.

Clement Leslie, himself a musician in his freetime, says that when his son told him he wanted tobe a musician, he did not support the decision.

"I basically said the boy's crazy. We neverencouraged it," he says. "To this day we stillhave our doubts about it."

Ryan Leslie says his father took away hiskeyboard when he was a first-year to force him tofocus on his studies on not his music, but Lesliejust took it in stride and kept up with his music.

"[It] forced me to do better on piano," hesays.

But Clement Leslie says that while he and hiswife still have reservations about the careertheir son has chosen, they understand his passion.

"Then again, you have to allow a person tofollow his dreams. And [Ryan] has spent countlesshours, countless hours, instead of studyinggovernment, doing music and making CDs," he says."Tell him you talked to his parents and they'reproud of him."

Ryan Leslie says that his Harvard education hascontributed a great deal to his music and made himwork harder.

"A community of people who are so bright andchallenging and inquisitive about life has made mefeel the same way and has been an inspiration forme in music," he says.

The Music Man

In addition to working on his own music, Lesliehas devoted a great deal of his time to producingthe music of other performers. He helps themcreate demo tapes, often will write songs for themand helps them land gigs and contracts.