Syleena Johnson

Syleena Johnson (née Thompson; born September 2, 1976) is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known for her guest appearance on Kanye West's 2004 single "All Falls Down", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. She signed with Jive Records to release three albums: Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness (2001), Chapter 2: The Voice (2002), and Chapter 3: The Flesh (2005), each of which received critical acclaim and modest commercial reception. She returned to work with West for his tenth album, Donda (2021), where she performed on the spoken-word song "Donda Chant".

Johnson, born on September 2, 1976, is the daughter of R&B Hi Records singer Syl Johnson (1936–2022) and Brenda Thompson, who was the first black female police commissioner of Harvey, Illinois. Johnson has two older sisters, Syleecia and Sylette.

In 1998, Johnson released her demo, Love Hangover, and her debut studio album, Chapter 1: Love, Pain, and Forgiveness, in 2001. Her debut single, "I Am Your Woman", co-written by American former singer-songwriter R. Kelly, received airplay on adult contemporary and urban radios, resulting in a number 38 charting on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, number 4 charting on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart, and a number 43 charting on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Chapter 2: The Voice was voted No. 62 on a list of the best Soul Albums of the 2000s on Soultracks.com. Mojo, 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's single "All Falls Down", from his debut album, The College Dropout, after West was unable to use the original sample recorded by Lauryn Hill during her 2002 MTV unplugged performance. A year later, she guest appeared on Cuban Link's album Chain Reaction, on the track "Life Goes On".

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."

Chapter 4: Labor Pains was released on January 13, 2009.

In 2009, Johnson appeared on a single with KRS-One, Twista and Crucial Conflict 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."