ArtistInfo

Iggy Chop

Producer
A.k.a. Ryan Leyba

Ryan Leyba Profile: Iggy Chop is a hip hop producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Iggy has been digging for the rarest of loops, banging his MPC, and talking in third person since '97. Professional rap singers Iggy has worked with include Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), Cadalack Ron (RIP), Woozy Medwick, SP Noza, Don Chalant (Arch Druids/Brothaz Bent), Custom Made, Literates, The Crux, and Red Cloud to name a few. Iggy Chop (real name Ryan Leyba) was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1981, but quickly relocated to Reno, Nevada, where he spent most of his early life skateboarding in over-sized JNCO jeans, riding motocross, snowboarding, drinking Natural Ice, and smoking Marlboro Reds. Immediately after graduating High School in 1999, Leyba relocated to Temecula, California to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional Motocross racer. During this time (early 2000's), Freestyle Motocross (FMX) was a budding new movement that instantly distracted Leyba from his racing dreams. More comfortable in the air than on the ground, Leyba quickly became consumed by FMX and made the decision to abandon the race track for ramps. Leyba spent the next few years traveling the world, filming with and competing against the sport's best athletes including Mike Metzger, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, Carey Hart, Travis Pastrana, Brian Deegan, Robbie Maddison, and Nate Adams to name a few. Career highlights include competing in the 2001 ESPN Winter X Games, inventing tricks such as the "Kiss of Death" and "Tweak Air," and not dying during his time on the bike. Leyba retired in 2003 at the tender age of 22 to pursue other (safer) passions like music production, photography, journalism, and graphic design. Like most young adults, Leyba quickly realized that play time was over and that life is expensive. During his process of learning how to adult, music production took a back seat while he climbed his way up the corporate ladder at ESPN and Viacom. 10 years and 50 pounds later, Leyba realized that his generation was sold a lie -- the societal status quo of going to college, landing a secure job with benefits and going into debt while doing so is a sham that had turned him into zombified, self-medicated drone. In an effort to break free of this programming, Leyba looked inward to rediscover Iggy Chop and recover his lost creativity. Stay tuned ...

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