Synergy

Synergy is an all-woman's produced and performed Hip-Hop album based out of Chicago. This is the first Hip-Hop album created entirely by women!

  "Billboard called music production “the ultimate boys club of the industry,” and it’s true. Since the introduction of the Grammy category for producer of the year, non-classical in 1975, only a handful of women — including Janet Jackson, Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, and Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin from Prince‘s band The Revolution — have been nominated. No woman has ever won it. Beyond shiny trophies, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift are the only two women to land on Billboard‘s year-end Top Producers chart in the last decade. Yes, you read that right. The disparity is just as evident when you look at Hip-Hop. Despite the presence of chart-topping women on the mic like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, the majority of the producers are men. In fact, most Hip-Hop fans probably can’t name enough woman Hip-Hop producers to count on one hand. 

Enter SYNERGY, a Chicago-based collaborative Hip-Hop album curated by Jovan Landry. The idea came to Landry, a filmmaker, photographer and emcee based in Chicago a few years back when she noticed the lack of opportunities for women to produce Hip-Hop music. The album will not only feature some of the hottest women emcees in Chicago, but every producer, engineer, videographer, photographer and graphic designer involved with the project is a woman." ~ Nadirah Simmons, The Gumbo

Synergy is the embodiment of Chicago Hip-Hop, women empowerment, collaboration and simply, women being able to do it all in a male dominated industry, where we’re not just the face of the product. When you listen to Synergy, the love and the space that the ladies hold for each other is quite prevalent. Synergy is defined as "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects " which exactly that this album stands for. In 2017, Jovan Landry received a grant from WeWork Creator Awards in the Incubate Category to make this project come to life and to reach its highest potential. The goal is for Synergy to not just reach our Chicago family, but everyone around the world to know that women in hip-hop can work together in many different forms.

The format of the album consist a total of 11 tracks: Nine up and coming Chicago rappers/emcees were divided in half to contribute to one of the 2 lead singles: "Synergy Cypher Pt. 1" and "Synergy Cypher Pt. 2". Following the singles, the artist are randomly paired with another based on an original instrumental they chose. As the artists worked with each together for the first time, writing and recording sessions were scheduled so they can meet and create their concept for their song. 5 songs resulted from these collaborations. The remaining 4 are interludes that consists of interviews with Chicago Hip-Hop "Veterans" who has been involved in Hip-Hop for over 20 years. These women are emcees, educators, event organizers and mentors. It is important to allow their voices to shine and to show them how much they are appreciated, as they’ve paved the way for the artists after them. 

Synergy is scheduled to released on March 15, 2019 on all digital streaming platforms.  If you’d love to follow the movement, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and sign up for the Synergy Email Newsletter.

View / Download Electronic Press Kit Here. 

ALBUM CREDITS:

  • Artists: Jovan Landry, Tee Spirit, Sauda Muse, Jade The Ivy Sunde, Glitter Moneyyy, Tweak'G, JuJu MinXXX
  • Producers: Jovan Landry, Schenay Mosley, K Flow, _Qisum.
  • Engineers/DJ: Jovan Landry, Viibez, Sireena Yancour
  • Album Art: Damaly Keo
  • Filmmakers: Briana Clearly, Sonia Jourdain, Kenyetta Johnson, Jovan Landry (+15 other women in fim.)

Interested in getting the Synergy album on Vinyl? Our crowdfunding campaign launches February 1, 2019 through March 18!

 

PHOTOS

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