My City:A Better Fort

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MEDIA CONTACTS
Jamal Robinson | jamal@abetterfort.org | 260 804 1798
Kelly Lynch | kelly@lynchpincreative.co | 260 466 2766
ONLINE PRESS KIT
hiphop4thecity.com/presskit
lynchpincreative.co/hiphop4thecity
FORT WAYNE, IND. - An upstart hip-hop movement has brought out civic pride through a top-voted
song and often viewed video, but whereas HipHop4theCity started with the intent to unite local artists
in a song about their hometown, its beginnings are found in A Better Fort Charitable Organization.
Lead by a group of twenty-somethings who had returned to their home after college college and
started their own businesses, the founders noticed a disconnect between others in their age group and
their hometown.
In 2010, the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community Report found that though Fort Wayne was a
welcoming city with strong social offerings and physical beauty, the 18-35 age range was the least
attached to the city. Alex Smith, 25, co-founder of A Better Fort, decided there had to be a way to
better facilitate that attachment. Founded the same year, A Better Fort’s goal was to champion young
adults to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually through philanthropic and volunteer activities
in the community.
Smith explains, “We want people to get involved and take pride in their community and A Better Fort
was founded to create opportunities so our friends can invest in their city. Without that connection,
they start their lives elsewhere.”
Board member Jamal Robinson, 24, agrees, “We’re making it known that young people are
passionately working together. A Better Fort has created an environment and experiences that you
don’t see every day in Fort Wayne, and it’s one that everyone values.”
Within the year, A Better Fort began co-sponsoring local charity events, providing administration and
volunteers for soup kitchens, the League for the Blind and Disabled, Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner,
Riverfest, and sponsored families for Christmas in 2010 and 2011.
But how did hip-hop factor in? Smith explains, “We wanted to highlight our culture and the talent of
young adults. Hip-hop has traditionally brought people together regardless of their background and I
felt like a song that united artists on a track talking about their city was a good way to start. Each
board member brings a project to the table and we vote on it and that’s really how it began.”
Already a hip hop fan, Smith reached out to CertiFLYYed, which had been featured on BET’s 106 &
Park, represented by Sony BMG Entertainment and produced by Jazzy Pha. Immediately, the project
began to grow. CertiFLYYED, comprised of a number of artists, is blend of hip-hop, club/pop and
street, headlined by rappers Nyzzy Nyce, B.King and Kae-P.
Nyce, 23, explains, “In this city, it’s rare that artists are cohesive with one another. Everyone wants to
be the best. I was hesitant at first. But once we started to reach out to other artists and saw how
excited they were about the idea, it really showed us it was possible.”
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The project would have never made it past the initial stage were it not for Digitracks Recording Studio,
which donated its facilities and the services of producer Chad Deutsch. Deutsch, 26, a classically
trained musician and audio engineer, was just about to enter production the forthcoming album of
rapper Mike Jones.
“Without Dan Middleton [owner of Digitracks] and Chad, the project would not have moved forward.
They really championed the entire effort.”
The hook came easily to Nyce, “It was heartfelt. I have “260” [the area code] tattooed on my abs. I’m
not afraid to rep where I’m from.”
Deutsch and Nyce collaborated on the beat, laying out the template for “My City.” Artists were selected
based on the verses they submitted, relating their perspective on their life and career as an artist in
Fort Wayne. In order of appearance, they are:
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Nyzzy Nyce and Drew Shade
Kae-P
Moe Cheez
Fuchyy (SB Click)
Troy Amos
2RQ
Dinero MoneyBagz
Jamez
Chrome Cats
Voices of Unity Choir
“The chemistry went well and everything came out perfectly,” says Nyce. “God don’t make no
mistakes.”
As the song entered production in the summer and fall of 2011, Smith started to contemplate what it
would take to create a music video to “take the project to the next level” and approached film and
media firm Lynchpin Creative.
“Lynchpin’s work looks like nothing else from the area, but we also knew that [director] Kelly Lynch
was invested in the city in the same way we wanted others to be.”
Described by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne as a “creative entrepreneur” for his work creating a
popular redevelopment concept near downtown, Lynch, 26, was expanding his film company to
include consulting businesses and communities on how to become relevant in the 21st Century.
“We are fighting the same fight,” says Lynch of A Better Fort’s mission, “We want to turn people’s
perceptions of their hometown upside down. Our city deserves to be elevated and have its story
compellingly told.”
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Smith and Lynch, spent November in pre-production with the first weekend in December scheduled for
shooting. A Better Fort promoted the need for extras and helped secure locations. Lynch explains, “It’s
not easy to have 4-5 company moves in a day, but we usually operate with a small, but skilled crew. I
told Alex that as long as they provided food, we’d provide the pictures.”
With its background in cinematic film production, Lynchpin applied the same standards to “My City,”
despite there being little to no budget. Lynch elaborates, “A project like this could run you north of ten
thousand dollars a day. We wanted to keep it organic and raw, like the cameras just appeared in the
middle of this movement that A Better Fort created.”
“Everyone was hyped about this project and showed their best,” Nyce said of the filming. “Lynchpin’s
team was ready to go.”
Lynch immediately selected a number of landmark Fort Wayne locations, “though not all of them may
be immediately obvious to even people who live here, which was sort of the point. This is a song that
doesn’t care about record labels or neighborhoods. Our first location with Pryce Underwood was this
magnificent mural on the side of a book store on Wells Street, north of downtown. Even though Pryce
talks about the South Side, the mural is named “Fort Wayne’s Story” and it was important to show that
early on.”
Other locations included the Wells Street Bridge, Calhoun Street, Soups and Salads (a bar and event
venue on the south side), Conspiracy Clothing, the Rialto Theater, the Columbia Street Landing, and
Coney Island Hot Dogs, the latter of which featured artist Moe Cheez.
“When they first told me I was gonna be at Coney Island, I thought it may be kind of corny with my last
name being Cheez and there being hot dogs. But I started researching Coney Island and learned how
it’s such a historic part of Fort Wayne. When I saw how many people were there to support us, it was
the highlight of my career.”
The video culminates with the Voices of Unity choir joining the artists at Fort Wayne’s new downtown
baseball stadium Parkview Field, home of The Tincaps, who are referenced in Kae-P’s verse early in
the song.
“Being there and having all the kids singing lyrics that I wrote was definitely amazing,” said Nyce.
Immediately after production was completed, A Better Fort joined forces with Oasis Radio Group to get
the song play on local radio stations. By January, the song had topped the charts of user-voted
playlists on ClickHop 106.3 whose DJ Ice, a Detroit native, had high praise for the project: “It gives
these artists a chance to shine and do what they love. People call in every day asking about the track.”
With a premiere set for February and the song on constant rotation on local radio, A Better Fort was
ready to release “My City” onto its namesake town. Hosted by Columbia Street West, a packed house
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enjoyed the midnight showing, immediately followed by a live performance from the artists. Nyce
reflects, “With all the artists on stage at the same time, it was like the city was in an uproar.”
“From the song to the video, it’s going to be monumental for Fort Wayne.” Nyce’s words proved to be
prophetic, with the video released the following Saturday night, getting 40,000 views by February 28th,
only three days later. The song was released on iTunes and Reverb Nation on February 29th.
As if the song’s popularity had been any indication, the release of the video and track to the public
opened up a torrent of admiration.
“I couldn’t have predicted it would effect anyone’s lives, but the comments and emails we’ve been
receiving really mean a great deal to us,” explains Smith. “To see it evolve has really shown me that if
you get the right people together who care, you can make something happen, and that’s what A Better
Fort is about.”
“If the song is a love letter to the city, hopefully our video is the envelope,” said Lynch
Brother, sister duo Chrome Cats, recent transplants from California who contributed the last verses and
the harmony respectively, were refreshed by the collaboration, “It’s given us a very visible platform to
show so many of the gifted artists and positively promote Fort Wayne.”
Cheez furthers that sentiment: “It’s really making a change. I feel blessed. The culture is rising.”
“If you’re not involved, there’s no way for you to know what our city is capable of,” articulates board
member Christine Fisher, “When I came back to Fort Wayne after school I felt like I was alone, I wasn’t
really sure what the scene was like for people my age. The projects that A Better Fort take on attract
people like me, and give us a chance to wake up the community.”
Fort Wayne, a rustbelt city seeking to retain talent and revitalize its core, has been given a new polish
by the HipHop4theCity movement. A Better Fort has been contacted to help facilitate performances of
the song at area venues and the artists are receiving renewed exposure as area residents experience a
new outlet for city pride. Could other cities follow suit?
“It’s possible that this effort could spread to other cities, but what makes these projects so incredible
is that they represent something authentic and organic from each place, it’s entirely their own,” said
Lynch. “If HipHop4theCity doesn’t go any further, I hope that sentiment behind it empowers others to
do something similar.”
“It’s in the hands of the artists,” states Smith. “It’s entirely possible a new collaboration could come
out of it. We are considering a lot of possibilities for HipHop4theCity. For now, we’re happy for it to
point back home.”
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Selected lyrics from “MY CITY”
“Just a group of kids trying to get it on,
but we’re gonna be the ones to put the city on” - Nyzzy Nyce
“I could be anywhere, but I’m right here. I’m livin’ life right now.” - Drew Shade
“Got the keys to her, had to get our diddy on.
Forever catch us with our Tincaps fitted on” - Kae-P
“Here we go again, guess it’s time to grind hard,
and make the city shine bright like the night stars.” - Moe Cheez
“Made and raised in the “26” to be exact,
so I feel it’s only right that I put my city on the map ” - Troy Amos
“From the two-six, where the best be. Who put the city on? Tell ‘em SB.” - SB Click
“Different walks of life, together going strong.
Once we take it there, then ya’ll be coming along.” - Chrome Cats