Synergy by Jovan Landry, Glitter Moneyyy, Sauda Muse, Jade The Ivy, Sundé, Tee Spirit, Tweak'G, JuJu MinXXX

"The record not only hits hard, it grooves on every level. From the rapid-fire flows to the killer beats, to the affirming interludes proclaiming female involvement in hip hop from the very beginning, the entire album works with masterful intent." - Chicago Crowd Surfer, Issue #52

synergy | ˈsinərjē | (also synergism | -ˌjizəm | ) noun: 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.

Synergy is the first all-woman produced, performed, and engineered Hip-Hop album created by Jovan Landry. The development of the album began in 2016 when Jovan Landry had a conversation former emcee TeQuila "Unmuvabo" Shabazz. Shabazz generally said: "I want to see a female rap album." The rest was history. Landry gathered some of her favorite women emcees from Chicago and sought after grants. In 2017, she discovered the WeWork Creator Awards application with a short deadline through a Black Women's Entrepreneur group on GroupMe, and immediately she applied. In May 2017, Jovan was awarded the Incubate grant from WeWork Creator Awards in Detroit. Synergy was no longer than an idea, and it was time to follow through. WeWork Creator Awards was a tremendous support to this project to cover production and marketing costs and compensate all of the artists that contributed to the album.

Why Chicago? Why only women? Chicago gave birth to many great Hip-Hop acts: Common, Da Brat, Twista, Kanye West, Shawnna, Chance The Rapper, and more. Chicago has adopted its own Hollywood, home to many TV shows and films. Like its landscape and the people in it, Chicago has versatility, flavor, energy, and, most of all, a vibrant music scene. Working face to face with the talent that's already present in Chicago. Within the last five years, women have been taking over in the creative industry all around the world. In Hip-Hop's time of existence, we have never seen a project from top to bottom crafted entirely by women & femme identified artists before Synergy. This what makes Synergy the stand out from any other woman Hip-Hop project ever created.

Through two years of hard work, commitment, dedication, constant communication, embracing the experience and creative freedom of each artist, and accountability: The album was completed and released on March 15, 2019, during Women's History Month. The format of the album consists of 11 original tracks: The emcees (Jovan Landry, Sundé, Tweak'G, Tee Spirit, Jade The Ivy, Sauda Muse, JuJu MinXXX and Glitter Moneyyy), were divided in half to contribute to one of the two lead singles: "Synergy Cypher Pt. 1" and "Synergy Cypher Pt. 2". Following the singles, the two artists paired together based on the instrumental they chose (Production by Jovan Landry, _Qisum, K Flow, and Schenay). As the artists worked with each other for the first time, writing and recording sessions scheduled to create their concept for their song. Five songs resulted from these collaborations. The remaining four tracks are interludes of interviews Jovan Landry conducted with Hip-Hop artists, educators, organizers, mentors, and curators involved in the Chicago Hip-Hop scene for decades: TeQuila "Unmuvabo" Shabazz, Lady Flipside, Lady Gemstar, Jaquanda Villegas, Jacinda Bullie, Tasleem Jamila, Ang13, Anyi Ahlation, and Amina Ayo. Their responses to women in hip-hop gave narration and a story to the album that was insightful, informative, and retrospective. Their voices were a way to include and connect all of the generations of women in hip-hop. The album was recorded and engineered by Landry and Viibez from LSD Studios, Chicago.

Since its release, Synergy featured the Chicago Tribune, Windy City Live, Vocalo Radio, and NPR; nominated for three awards at LA Music Video Awards and screened both music videos at Women of The Now Anniversary Screening; performed at Columbia College Chicago, Wicker Park Fest and The Fly Honey Show. Before its release, hosted a music video premiere screening & discussion at Experimental Station, spoke about Synergy at WeWork Creator Awards in Berlin, and at the Women in Hip-Hop Conference at St. Louis University. In July 2019, Jovan Landry donated two physical CD copies to the archives at Universal Hip-Hop Museum. In August 2019, The Synergy Collective hosted its first free Hip-Hop workshop series for young women and girls at Experimental Station. They produced, wrote, and engineered their song, and presented what they learned in a live performance and screen their music video.

"Synergy,” is the result of the cumulative effort of a myriad of female creators, from graphic designers to producers to audio engineers. A love letter to female creatives and acknowledging of the unique obstacles women in hip-hop face, the project is a moving testament to female solidarity, and ultimately shows the industry how it’s done." - Erin "Rin" Davis, VOX ATL

The "One-Third Emcee" is known for her articulate lyrics, energetic stage presence, and beats, with an androgynous-athletic swagger. In a decade, Landry has self-released five projects, taught workshops, and performed throughout the USA and internationally. Jovan is the recipient of the WeWork Creator Award; a grant used to produce the first all-women produced & performed hip hop album Synergy.

jovan-landry.com
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