Syleena Johnson ( Thompson; September 2, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Personal life

Johnson is the daughter of 1960s R&B Hi Records singer Syl Johnson and Brenda Thompson, who was the first black female police commissioner of Harvey, Illinois. Syleena has two older sisters; Syleecia and Sylette. In August 2000, Johnson married former Illinois State University college

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player Marcus Betts. Betts graduated in December 2000 and became her manager for her first two albums. On July 1, 2007, she married

Kiwane Garris Kiwane Lemorris Garris (born September 24, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. He was listed as a 6'2" (1.88 m), 183 lb (83 kg) point guard. Garris played college basketball at the University of Illinois, where h ...

. Garris, a fellow Chicagoan, is a worldwide journeyman basketball player, having played for various NBA and EuroLeague teams. On August 1, 2007, after forty-eight hours of labor, their son Kiwane Garris Jr. was born. On February 6, 2011, she gave birth to their second son Kingston. Johnson is a member of

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achie ...

sorority.

Music career

''Chapter 2: The Voice'' was voted No. 62 in a list of the best Soul Albums of the 2000s on Soultracks.com. ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'', in its February 2003 issue, gave "Chapter 2: The Voice" a glowing review – "...A coherent and engaging R&B album that explores love's vicissitudes with a confessional candour...Classy..." In 2004, Johnson was featured as a vocalist on

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's single " All Falls Down", from his debut album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received pra ...

''.

2005–2008: ''Chapter 3: The Flesh''

In 2005, Johnson released '' Chapter 3: The Flesh''. Contact Music gave the album a 5/5 review, stating: "Third album for Jive from probably the most under-rated artist in the world is just what you expect from an artist of this quality... Quite simply for sheer quality this is one of the albums of the year."

2008–2009: ''I Am Your Woman: The Best of Syleena Johnson'' and ''Chapter 4: Labor Pains''

'' Chapter 4: Labor Pains'' was released on January 13, 2009. In 2009, Johnson appeared on a single with

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

, Twista and

Crucial Conflict Crucial Conflict is an American hip hop group from Chicago, composed of Wondosas "Kilo" Martin, Ralph "Wildstyle" Leverston, Corey "Coldhard" Johnson and Marrico "Never" King, best known for their marijuana-themed 1996 hit single " Hay". The gr ...

titled "Self Destruction". According to Grant Parks and Coalmine Music, artists lent their lyrics for a cause they believe in with the statement "The time is now as we approach the holidays and a new year; it will give us all something to think about and reflect on loved ones that lost their life to senseless violent acts." Steve Jones of ''USA Today'' gave ''Chapter 4: Labor Pains'' 3.5/4 stating "Despite critical acclaim for her ongoing personal chronicles that began with 2001's ''Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness'', the soulful Chicago native never found a mainstream niche. Unfairly, she's best known for Kanye West's ''All Falls Down''. Here, with her gorgeous voice and evocative storytelling, she continues to offer some of the decade's most stirring R&B."

2012–2014: ''R&B Divas: Atlanta'', ''9ine'' and ''Chapter 6: Couples Therapy''

Johnson starred in TV One reality series '' R&B Divas: Atlanta'' from 2012 to 2014; lasting three seasons. She is currently managed by DYG Management. On September 23, 2013, Johnson and Musiq Soulchild released a duet album titled ''9ine''.

2015–present: Graduation, ''Rebirth of Soul'' and ''Woman''

In June 2015, Johnson graduated from Drake University, where she received her bachelor's degree in nutrition science, ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'', 21 years after she enrolled. She was also inducted into the

Alpha Beta Kappa Alpha Beta Kappa () is the only honor society recognizing excellence in the arts, the sciences, the trades, business, and both technical and general studies. It is also the only honor society in America that represents degree-granting institutio ...

honors society for her academic achievements. Johnson was featured on " Donda Chant", the opening track to Kanye West's tenth album '' Donda'', released in August 2021.

Discography

*''Love Hangover'' (1998) *'' Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness'' (2001) *'' Chapter 2: The Voice'' (2002) *'' Chapter 3: The Flesh'' (2005) *'' Chapter 4: Labor Pains'' (2009) *'' Chapter 5: Underrated'' (2011) *'' Chapter 6: Couples Therapy'' (2014) *'' Rebirth of Soul'' (2017) * ''Woman'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Syleena Johnson official websiteDYG Management official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Syleena African-American actresses African-American women singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American film actresses American female hip hop singers Drake University alumni Illinois State University alumni Living people American neo soul singers People from Harvey, Illinois Singers from Chicago American contemporary R&B singers Ballad musicians African-American television talk show hosts American television talk show hosts 1976 births 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from Illinois 21st-century American women singers