Sean Leon

Matthew Sean Leon (born January 30, 1991) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is the founder of the IXXI Initiative, formed in 2012 in Toronto. The collective helped foster the career of Daniel Caesar in tandem with producers Jordan Evans & Matthew Burnett.[3][4][5]

Sean Leon
Leon in 2023
Leon in 2023
Background information
Birth nameMatthew Sean Leon
Also known asMaui Slim[1]
Born (1991-01-30) January 30, 1991
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresHip hop, punk rock[2]
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2013–present
LabelsIXXI Initiative
Websiteseanleon.co

Career

In July 2013, Leon released his debut mixtape Ninelevenne, the Tragedy followed by his second project Narcissus, the Drowning of Ego on January 22, 2014.[6][7][8] Both projects featured production by Jordan Evans.[9] Shortly after the release of Narcissus, Leon began the year-long roll out of the compilation King Of The Wild Things. followed with I Think You've Gone Mad (Or the Sins of the Father) in 2017. On November 29, 2017, Leon released an audio-film titled "C.C.W.M.T.T". 2018 had the release of the album Sean Leon (The Death Of)[10] and in 2021 God's Algorithm which had a non-traditional album release, with no streaming service involved, and only available for purchase on a beta landing page where users interacted through visuals, audio files, NFTs, and apparel.[11]

Following his appearance on Daniel Caesar's Pilgrim's Paradise EP, in April 2016, Leon released the self-produced "Matthew in the Middle" featuring Caesar with production from Jovi, Jordan Evans and Jack Rochon, it was featured on the soundtrack for HBO's Insecure. Leon & Caesar's collaborations continued on the GRAMMY-nominated album Freudian & the following release Case Study 01. Leon also has released several WondaGurl-produced songs as well as working with fellow Toronto artists like River Tiber and Jazz Cartier.[12][13]

In 2019, Leon had a demo titled "The Glade" under his own artist project. While working on Daniel Caesar's Case Study 01 in Los Angeles, fellow collaborator River Tiber recommended sharing the demo with Ye at one of West's Sunday Service performances. This led to Leon writing parts of "Selah", "Jesus Is Lord", the chorus on "Use This Gospel" and contributing to the track sequencing for West's 9th studio album Jesus Is King. The Glade became "Up from the Ashes" and was released on the deluxe edition release of West's album Donda, garnering him a co-writing and production credit on the track. He also was credited on Justin Bieber's song "Peaches". Leon has also been a guest writer for the TV series Utopia Falls.[11]

Discography

Albums and mixtapes

Features
  • Daniel Caesar's "Paradise" (2015)
  • Daniel Caesar's "Freudian" (2017)
  • Daniel Caesar's "Restore the Feeling" with Jacob Collier (2019)
  • Junia T's "Tommy's Intro" with River Tiber & "Know Better" with Miloh Smith & Julian Thomas (2020)
  • Ye's "Sci-Fi" from Donda 2

Songwriting
  • Daniel Caesar's "Entropy" and "Frontal Lobe Muzik" (2019) contains additional vocals by Sean Leon
  • Ye's "Selah", "Jesus Is Lord", and "Use This Gospel" (2019)
  • Ye's "Up From the Ashes" (2021)
  • Justin Bieber's "Peaches" (2021)

References
  1. "Sean Leon Is A Self-Professed 'Black Punk Rap Rock Motherfucker'". Vice. March 13, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  2. Brown, Breagh (April 1, 2014). "Watch Sean Leon Wild Out as a "Black Punk Motherfxcker"". Vice. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  3. "Sean Leon is the shapeshifting Toronto artist you need to watch".
  4. "Daniel Caesar's Reign of Freedom".
  5. "From sleeping in Trinity Bellwoods to the Grammys, the rise of R&B artist Daniel Caesar". December 15, 2017.
  6. Davies, Justin (February 6, 2014). "Check Out Sean Leon's Trippy New Mixtape "Narcissus, The Drowning of Ego"". Complex. New York: Complex Media.
  7. Paolini, Natasha (July 26, 2013). "Sean Leon – Ninelevenne, The Tragedy [Mixtape]". Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. "Sean Leon – Tania's Song (prod. Jordan Evans & J'vell Boyce)". 2dopeboyz.com. Illy. November 30, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  9. Khan, Haleema (January 26, 2014). "Toronto's Sean Leon Debuts "Narcissus, The Drowning of Ego"". The Source. The Source.
  10. Ceres, Celeste Daniella (September 14, 2018). "Sean Leon pensively reflects on successes, failures and vices on 'Sean Leon (The Death Of)'". Earmilk. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  11. Rouhani, Neena (May 27, 2021). "Shape-Shifting Rapper Sean Leon Talks Indie Success Beyond Play Counts: 'I'd Love to Take Those Numbers Away'". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  12. "Sean Leon Recruits Wondagurl and River Tiber for "This Ain't 2012" | NOISEY". NOISEY. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  13. "Sean Leon And Jazz Cartier Go Dumb On The WondaGurl-Produced 'Above The Rim'". Uproxx. February 15, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  • Media related to Sean Leon at Wikimedia Commons
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