Ryan Leslie Responds to $1MM Verdict at LIU Homecoming Concert
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Transcript:
"As you may or may not know - in 2010, somebody stole all my music from me out the back of a black Mercedes-Benz when I was in Cologne, Germany. Initially I put a reward of $20,000 if they'd just give my backpack back - and when it never returned, I upped the reward to $1MM because that music was absolutely everything to me, it was everything, it was my life, it was everything, I upped it to $1MM.
Eventually, somebody did actually return my backpack to me - and when I plugged in that hard drive to access everything that I had lost, the music just wasn't there. The hard drive wouldn't mount. I couldn't access anything - and a year later, that same gentleman (I don't know if it's because he misunderstood what the million dollars was for) ... he filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in New York City, demanding that I pay $1MM for music that I never got back.
And yesterday (and the reason why I'm on the front page of the news today) everyone thought I was just a cheapskate or something like that - a jury of my peers, 8 people, they looked me in my face and told me I had to pay this man $1MM for music I never got back.
And so I woke up today to get me some orange juice, man, and the lady who works at the deli was like 'aw man - you're the guy on the front page of the paper today!' and I looked at the headline. It said 'Rap Weasel...'
Yo - hahahaa, that's like my twin brother - somebody said 'Swizzy!'
So listen, man - music always comes from a place of inspiration and I gotta tell ya'll - never have I been more inspired than when I lost everything then to try to make the most incredible album I could possibly make and for the last two years I invested every single penny, every dollar I had, to make the most incredible artistic offering I possibly could and on October 22nd it came out. It's my album. It's called 'Les Is More.'
And despite what the jury said, that million dollar reward is still out there for anybody who can return all my compositions to me. That's why I never took the video off of RUclips. I never got anything back, but luckily God blessed me with talent and I could make some of the music over again, you know what I'm saying?
So I appreciate each and everyone of y'all for your support tonight and for the future 'cause we gonna keep making this music and we gonna try to work something out with my man over in Germany - maybe he misunderstood - but this is a record off that album."
LYRICS
She want that 5 minute freshen up
You tried to holla, homie, but you wasn't fresh enough
That's how I know I'm a professional
BRIDGE
I'm livin' good - but don't get it confused
As a titan, I had to get used to bein' sued
Don't believe everything you read in the f*ckin' news
'Cause these haters'll really prefer to see you lose
Don't believe everything you read in the f*ckin' news
'Cause these haters'll really prefer to see you lose
These haters'll really prefer to see you lose
Break it down
Don't believe everything you read in the f*ckin' news
'Cause these haters'll really prefer to see you lose
They cheerin' but really prefer to see you boo'd
That's why I don't give no comment in these interviews
I'm good - I just handle my business
Credit score is amazin', homie, God as my witness
Yeah - thou shall not test
You a make-believe monster, homie, you Loch Ness
And you missed the damn train, man, you got left
You ain't even in the game screamin' you got next
Please - you got lawyers, homie? I got lawyers too
I might let my lawyers lose a f*ckin case or two
And on top of my lawyers, I got a loyal crew
Who roll with hammers and cameras that be recordin' you!
Ladies and gentlemen, my lawyer, Mr. David Destefano.
- -
Guitar: Gabe Lambirth
Drums: Keith McCray
Bass: John Young
Camera Operator: Omeez Jones
Backline Tech: Eric Parker
Admin: Isaias Fret & Conrad Robinson
I love this guy man. God didnt allow anything to be taken from you that He could bless with you in ever GREATER capacity. Keep creating Les. Keep blessing the world with your amazing talent. Im sorry you lost your treasure... but im happy and grateful that you have the ability to create even more greatness. God Bless.
I don't comment under videos much. But had to today. I understand this. So much respect to you. Getting to a point where you lose your life's work and come back from that rather than giving up. Utter respect. I will be buying your music, always did. Always will. Love n light.
Money can be stolen but TALENT can not!!
-Ryan Leslie Still Be Killin Em !!-
So True! Thank You For Your Shine On His Work!.. Maybe People Will Understand
It's a huge honor & pleasure to be this man's fans.
@RLES4LIFE
Extremely surprised to this day that he didn't back up his files. I respect the way he addressed this issue, onwards and upwards. All the best R Les.
No one can ever take away what God blessed you with and that's the talent that no one can compare to. Thank you for always being so honest. Believe that everything happens for a reason. What you have to go through makes you the person you are RIGHT NOW and I know you wouldn't want to be anyone else. The outcome does make me upset but I know this just lit a fire underneath you.
Inspiration, legend, motivation ! ! Respect to you LES! No one compares to you ! Unique&original!
this is the reason why i started to listen to your music
One of my favorite hands down. Your fan's will be loyal no matter what cuz you breathe raw talent man
True talent never dies, that's what R Les got
Sorry to hear about this man...Really UNFAIR!! No matter what keep moving forward bro..
I cant imagine loosing my laptop with all the hard work that i put into my music.. i feel u bro. and i hope you appeal the verdict.
i have the alot of respect for you. bought the album more then once just out of support. never can have to much of a great thing, especially when it comes from a place of hard work and dedication.
Never make a promise you can´t keep...c´est la vie...and I know,Mr. Leslie learned a new lesson on his journey of music...
You are a living legend and don't forget it no matter what. There will always be haters out there but they cant take away what God has given you.You are the best artists of this generation but get very little credit for it...So if you read this BE BLESSED and keep your head UP.
Beautiful. Don't stop, Ryan!
just like u said God gave you the talent to create the music again and you did and the album was straight fire ! Genius as usual, keep ya head up and keep creating GREAT MUSIC, R LES all day
Was music the gone or did the hard drive not mount up?
Im sorry Ryan. I truly understand what it feels like to lose everything that you've worked hard for. II do hope that the Lord blesses you with reuniting with your music man.
You have really worked hard through all your life. I respect everything you do and hope karma gets the person who is trying to sue you. Keep inspiring millions.
Creativity doesn't have a price, I understand what you mean man. Keep wowing us with your music, keep your head up.
After hearing his side of the situation I can see where he coming from now wow just wow!
That's horrible that somebody stole the music and then 'returned' it. Glad to see that this inspired you to make new music :)
Ryan, you need to sue the NY Post for "Defamation of Character." Tell your lawyer to stay in NY for a couple more weeks, cause this is about to get even bigger.
Good Point. Sux, imagine having your work, hours and hours upon work in a laptop. How would you feel? Consumed with feelings of loss and frustration. I think a million was just a way of him extending his feelings to the world.
Thats the problem when people makes big promises! Its Paytime now, 1 Million hurts a lot to an Artist like Rles, but thats Karma when people became arrogant an thinking the are bigger than the really are. Thats the circle of Life ;)
If you've ever had your lap top stolen you understand how heartbreaking it can. pictures, music, memories.......gone forever.....I feel this guys pain
How could you not have that backed up man!
Situations like this just make you stronger Leslie! Keep it pushing, Dreams money CAN`T buy. It`s all about potential. -SOLO DREAM
i dont understand why R Les is not higher in the game because he is truly talented
Love. Did you eventually get the music back?
Ryan Leslie is the best artist out there, screw that Thief. R-Les will always prosper.
just keep making that amazing music you were making back in 07
Goosebumps
Excellent Scholar, Artist and Producer...
people dont realize, success for musicians comes when they can release their music on their own terms, ryan composes, produces, and performs everything, so only one person keeps his music him, not some dj who leaks it, not some random studio junkie looking for a fresh release, Do Your Thing............LES IS MORE
I agree Ryan.. I've loved your music ever since diamond girl and every time I listen to your music I get even more inspired to make my own music too.. You're an incredible man.. Don't let nobody tell you different.. I'm sorry.. What happened to you was Fucked up.. But where you're standing now is amazing.. You sacrificed a lot.. I'm proud to a fan of yours
It isn't bogus. I'm in my 2nd year of law school. This is basic contract law. When Ryan Leslie posted "for the retrieving of the invaluable property contained on his laptop & hard drive, Leslie increased the reward offer to $1,000,000. This is an offer. The german guy returned the laptop that he was referring to. German guy accepted when he returned the laptop to Leslie. This is called a unilateral contract. Look it up. By not paying, Ryan Leslie breached his contract.
Ryan I hope your music is returned. That sucks that they voted against you your fans still support you 100%. Les is More!
Yes he should've specified what he wanted returned to him, that's why the court ruled in the favor of the man who found it. Details are important. If he would've said "I want the laptop with the hard drive, I will not reward if the hard drive isn't there" then I would be more inclined to sympathize, but I do not.
much respect to ryan leslie
If his music on that laptop was so important to him, he should've had EVERYTHING backed up on file. The missing hard drive is not the finders responsibility.
This video was too dope... Woke me the hell up at the end
What? No backup!
Hard lesson to learn, R. Leslie you'll make it back 10 fold brother.
got the most respect for this dude!!!
this is absolutely outrageous... god bless you Ryan you will prevail over all of this bullshit because you have faith and determination.
I agree with you 100% I just became a fan of his. Don't know how I messed out on his music.
When you lose something something so valuable to you like music that comes from deep within it does something to yu...!! R Less your a very talented dude someone i look up to as a producer and yu just continue to make music that's great..!
THIS REALLY SUCKS AND THOSE PEOPLE WILL BE PUNISHED. ITS CRAZY HOW THE PEOPLE WITH RAW TALENT DON'T GET RECOGNIZED UNLESS THEY HAVE A GIMMICK OR AGREE TO SIGN THEIR SOUL AWAY. SMH I LOVE RYAN
just catching up with this stories background.
If the hard drive was not overwritten or continued to be used. You may be able to recover files. I am sure this is a little late but if you still have the hd and did not touch it. I am sure you mailed it out to a HD company to see if there is any reminisce of data. I could recover all recordings and project files from my computer, if I formatted the drive and installed new osx. not if I continued using it afterwards.
My respect for you has grown bro that's real, talent can't be bought
Even the files of a hard-drive which was years in water can be retrieved...
When he issued the reward he didn't mention nothing about the music on the laptop's hard drive. He only said "reward of 1mil$ for backpack with laptop in it" which he got back.. that's the reason why he has to pay.
I don't blame him for not wanting to pay, I wouldn't want to either that's crazy
I always believe in you and count on you to inspire me.
much respect
The question asked, should have been.... how did the gentleman come into possession of the backpack and laptop since it was declared STOLEN!
Rocking the OATW cap! Extra Dope
A$AP Rocky and Ryan Leslie. Sick. Keep your head up man, keep making that music.
You the man Leslie, Your the man! - Logikbomb (DC Producer)
additional applause is laid over the original audio of the video in stereo, but the rest of the audio is in mono... was that necessary?
Even in defeat Ryan Leslie manages to inspire.
in a moral sense. he should say thank you. coz he the guy was honest enough to bring it back even if he claim now to get the money.
Man there's Asap Rocky in the end!!
I got fucking goosebumps when he burnt the newspaper!!
We believe in you Ryan!!
Damn, to be honest I hope the man that stole his music pays the ultimate price. It's crazy how the news called Ryan Leslie as a "Rap Weasel"... The FUCK is that shit? That offended me the most. They would never slander a country artist like that man. Only Rap/R&B artist take the unforgiving heat of the media.
"Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel." (Homer J. Simpson)
which brand is this jacket??? need help pls!
maybe it was a sign about the music he was about to put out.I love his first two cds!
I've been busy with finals to respond until now but..if what you are saying is true, Ryan Leslie has the right to argue this in court..if the bag was returned to the police PRIOR to the reward being raised, then the man who returned the bag should only be given the reward listed at the time he turned the bag in. In Ryan's defense, the ONLY reason the reward was increased is simply because he was not informed that the bag had in fact been returned.
You need to stop with the drake thing. He's the most multi talented artist ever to breathe on earth. Produce, play every instrument,sing,rap,record and edit videos, etc. And on top of that he's a good role model. Never get's into any trouble. And always stays humble. He's a real guy that makes real music.
The dude has been out way before alot of artists today. He's been out since the bad boys II movie dropped in 03.Keep giving your love to me by:Beyonce.And he produced Down for me on loons album
now thats what the fuck you call a performance. Holy shit that was amazing. And his album is a 10/10 easy. Keep the good work up R Les !!
Lessons to be learned here.
1. Backup your hard drives.
2. Do NOT leave your laptop or anything of great value in your car.
3. Do NOT offer to pay money you can't afford to pay.
4. Specify what you want when offering a reward.
He doesn't owe that guy anything. What he was asking for was not returned to him. He put out a reward for the music and he didn't get that.
Do what you does R., no one comes close. True fans know you better.
Somehow I missed this video! RyanLeslieTV Ryan Leslie RyanLeslieMusic You??!?! A Rap Weasel... NEVER!!!!!! Keep showing this world, that you are the modern day #BlackMozart ~April aka "Cricket"
He Guys, you are so right. Don't give the money to the honest German who found and returned the Laptop to the police. Never, ever try to do something that is ethically and morally correct, the internet community will sure hunt you down for that...
Actually, it was the other way round. He first returned it to the police, then he looked up on the internet who Ryan Leslie was (the bag with the laptop also contained Mr Leslie's passport) and then he claimed the reward, which Ryan Leslie had increased in the meantime.
"Leslie testified Tuesday that his offer was contingent upon his ability to retrieve several unreleased multitrack songs stored on the hard drive, which he said couldn’t be accessed after he got it back.
But Judge Harold Baer Jr. yesterday told jurors that because Leslie disposed of the hard drive by returning it to the manufacturer after Augstein claimed the reward, they could assume that the data was there when Augstein handed it over."
ryan i feel so sorry for u :(
you shoudn't pay this man cause you didn't get you Musik back!!! It's was your music that you wanted .... love u man
He just wanted his Notebook back. Courts decission.
I came because of Chris Smoove but after watching the video it's really fucked up what happened to him. I hope the guy who sued really was misunderstanding the situation and decides to have a change of heart. Nothing but respect for you Les.
SMOOVE BROUGHT ME HERE
Exactly! great producer
im sure if that was stated clearly the first time he probably wouldnt have got the laptop back or maybe he would we will never know...as a writer he knows how powerful words are
I think it does apply here, because you would think with his Ivy League education he would back up his files, and not leave expensive and valuable property in a car in a public place where it is bound to be broken into and property gets stolen. Common Sense aint so Common.
I agree with some of the comments. He is inspirational having gone to Harvard and being independent but then his last album he raps 99% of the time about how much money he has. He needs to realise that his listeners arent as rich as him and we cant relate to that. If he carries on down this route he will become no different that the likes of Cashmoney artists.
Sick record! Keep it up Ryan we all got your back
What don't you understand? R Les promised a reward. The German man delivered and the reward wasn't paid. OK so R Les claims that he specifically said he wanted the content on Hard Drives. The problem is that just because he couldn't figure out how to get those files from his broken drive (which is possible) doesn't mean that the files are not on the drive. Not the German guys problem. It would have been if R Les would have kept the Drive for evidence but didn't. He sent it to the manufacture
Wait till STAR & BUCWILD go in on this vid on Monday!
for a lot less than a million dollars he can return the harddrive to a data restoration specialist and probably get all the data back.....
Well I don't know the full story but from what I take from it is,Ryan Leslie only offered the money if the laptop contained his music,which it didn't so he doesn't have to pay.
That is obviously not how that law sees it, people need to SPECIFY what they want when looking for something lost. That's where he looses. He asked for the laptop back, got it back, now he has to pay up.
they try to put ya in a box... you said it, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!
Obviously he must have tried everything... Maybe that person had cleaned out the hard drive to clean out the information that could implicate them in any way.
Ryan Leslie had a bag with a laptop and jewelry stolen. The laptop has all his music on it. He puts out a 1 million dollar reward. Some guy "finds" the laptop and takes him to court and the judge says Leslie has to pay the guy the money. However, the music isn't on the laptop when it's returned to him so Leslie doesn't feel he should pay. So the local news paper called him a weasel.
If there was an implied contract, then yeah, he has to pay up
Keep giving us that dope music!