"Me & U", Cassie's first single, was written and produced by Ryan Leslie in 2005. The song became a club hit in Germany, where Cassie later traveled on a promotional tour.  During this time, Sean "Diddy" Combs heard "Me & U" in a club, and Leslie convinced him to partner his Bad Boy Records with Leslie's NextSelection imprint for the release of Cassie's debut album.  The album, Cassie, was released on August 8, 2006 and sold 321,000 copies in the US. Lead single "Me & U" peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling more than 1 million digital downloads.