Matthew Sean Leon (born May 23, 1991) is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer from

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He founded the record label IXXI Initiative in 2012, which fostered the career of fellow Toronto native

Daniel Caesar Ashton Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two EPs, ''Praise Break'' (2014) and ''Pilgrim's Paradise'' (2015) ...

. Leon is perhaps best known for co-writing

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

's 2021 single ''

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

'', which peaked atop both the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and received four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominations. Leon has also co-written tracks on the albums ''

Jesus is King ''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on October 25, 2019. It follows a Christianity, Christian theme, in stark contrast from previous works by West, w ...

'' (2019), ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Maril ...

'' (2021), ''

Vultures 1 ''Vultures 1'' is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop supergroup , composed of the rapper Kanye West and the singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released independently by the former's YZY brand on February 9, 2024. Guest appearances inc ...

'' (2024) and ''

Donda 2 ''Donda 2'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It has also been described as a Demo (music), demo, having been released in an unfinished state with four songs on Kano Computing's Stem Player on February 23, 2022, with a ...

'' (2025) by American rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

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. Both projects featured production by Jordan Evans. Shortly after the release of ''Narcissus'', Leon began the year-long roll out of the compilation ''King Of The Wild Things''. In February 2017, Leon released his first studio album '' I Think You've Gone Mad (Or the Sins of the Father)''. On November 29, 2017, Leon released an audio-film titled " C.C.W.M.T.T". This was followed with ''Sean Leon (The Death Of)'' in 2018. In 2021, ''God's Algorithm'' 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. In 2023, he released the soundtrack album '' In Loving Memory'' prior to the film "''House of Leon''"'s release. Following his appearance on

'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 Insecure may refer to: * Lack of security, in an objective sense: ** Risk ** Data security ** Computer security * Food insecurity * Insecurity (emotion), lack of confidence or self esteem Media * ''Insecure'' (TV series), a television series on ...

''. Leon and Caesar's collaborations continued on Caesar's 2017 album ''

Freudian Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...

'' and the following release ''

Case Study 01 ''Case Study 01'' (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar, released on June 28, 2019, through Golden Child Recordings. It features guest appearances from Brandy, Pharrell Williams, John Ma ...

'' in 2019. Leon also has released several

WondaGurl Ebony Naomi Oshunrinde (born December 28, 1996), professionally known as WondaGurl, is a Canadian record producer, songwriter and record executive. Early life Ebony Naomi Oshunrinde was born on December 28, 1996 at the Scarborough Grace Hospital ...

-produced songs as well as working with fellow Toronto artists like

River Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

and

Jazz Cartier Jahmarie Wishart Adams (born March 19, 1993), known professionally as Jazz Cartier, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his mixtapes: ''Marauding in Paradise'' and ''Hotel Paranoia''. He has twice been a long list ...

. In 2019, Leon had a demo titled "The Glade" under his own artist project. While working on

's ''Case Study 01'' in Los Angeles, fellow collaborator

recommended sharing the demo with Ye at one of West's Sunday Service performances. This led to Leon writing parts of "

Selah (; ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, with the m ...

", "

Jesus Is Lord "Jesus is Lord" () is the shortest credal affirmation found in the New Testament, one of several slightly more elaborate variations. It serves as a statement of faith for the majority of Christians who regard Jesus as both truly man and God. I ...

", the chorus on "

Use This Gospel "Use This Gospel" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, ''Jesus Is King'' (2019). The song features guest appearances from Hip hop music, hip hop duo Clipse and jazz saxophonist Kenny G. It was produced by West, A ...

" and contributing to the track sequencing for West's 9th studio album ''

Jesus Is King ''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on October 25, 2019. It follows a Christianity, Christian theme, in stark contrast from previous works by West, w ...

''. "The Glade" became " Up from the Ashes" and was released on the deluxe edition release of West's album ''

'', garnering him a co-writing and production credit on the track. He also was credited on

's song "

". Leon has also been a guest writer for the TV series '' Utopia Falls''. He co-wrote the opening track "Stars" from the

¥$ ¥$ is an American hip-hop superduo composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign. With the two maintaining a strong relationship during 2023, West invited Ty Dolla Sign to record songs in Tokyo, Italy, and later Saudi Arabia. During t ...

(Ye and

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

) album ''

'', released on February 10, 2024. ''In Loving Memory'' was a longlisted nominee for the

2024 Polaris Music Prize The 2024 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 17, 2024 at Massey Hall. The longlist was announced on June 11, and the shortlist was released July 12. The award was won by Jeremy Dutcher for his album '' Motewo ...

."2024 Polaris Music Prize long list: the Beaches, Tobi, Elisapie, Beverly Glenn-Copeland and more"

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, June 11, 2024.

Discography

Studio albums * '' I Think You've Gone Mad (Or the Sins of the Father)'' (2017) * '' C.C.W.M.T.T.'' (2017) * ''Sean Leon (The Death Of)'' (2018) * '' In Loving Memory'' (2023) Compilation albums * ''King of the Wild Things'' (2014) Mixtapes * ''Ninelevenne, the Tragedy'' (2013) * ''Narcissus, The Drowning of Ego'' (2014) * ''God's Algorithm'' (2021) * ''HERD IMMUNITY'' (2022) Extended plays * ' (2023) * ''KING & SUFFERIN'' (2023) *

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Sean 1991 births Living people 21st-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian male rappers Canadian record producers Rappers from Toronto 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian rappers