9th Wonder
A soul-sample purist who built a label, taught at Duke and Harvard, and produced for Jay-Z along the way.
| Based | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Producer tag | None |
| Known for | Little Brother, Jay-Z, Rapsody, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige |
Little Brother
Patrick Douthit formed Little Brother in North Carolina with Phonte and Big Pooh, and the group's 2003 album The Listening became a touchstone for listeners who felt rap had drifted from soul-sample production.
Producing for Jay-Z
"Threat" on The Black Album in 2003 put him in front of a mass audience overnight. He has since worked with Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Murs and Kendrick Lamar.
What his production sounds like
Chopped soul, warm and unhurried, with the sample left recognisable rather than fragmented. It descends directly from Pete Rock and J Dilla, and he has never seriously departed from it in twenty years.
Jamla Records and the Soul Council
His label signed Rapsody and built the Soul Council, a production collective working in the same tradition. Rapsody's Grammy-nominated Laila's Wisdom is the clearest demonstration of what the operation can do. Her profile is here.
Teaching
He has taught at Duke University, held a fellowship at Harvard's Hiphop Archive, and lectured at North Carolina Central. Few working producers have built a parallel academic career, and his has been substantive rather than honorary.
The Listening
Little Brother's 2003 debut arrived at a point when soul-sample production had been pushed aside commercially, and it found an audience that felt underserved. The group's later difficulties with their label are a standard story of the period.
The Jay-Z placement
Getting a beat on The Black Album as a largely unknown North Carolina producer changed his position overnight, and he has been candid about how much of what followed traces to that one placement.
The Soul Council
Khrysis, Nottz, Eric G and others work under the Jamla banner in the same tradition, which turned an individual style into a functioning production house with a recognisable output.
Archival work
His academic work has focused on preserving hip-hop's history — sample sources, production lineage, the material culture of the records. He has treated the genre as something requiring documentation rather than only celebration.
Rapsody
Signing and developing her, across Laila's Wisdom, Eve and Please Don't Cry, is the clearest argument for what the whole operation is for: an artist making deliberately unfashionable records with institutional support behind her.
Frequently asked
Where is 9th Wonder from?
North Carolina.
What is 9th Wonder's producer tag?
9th Wonder does not use a vocal producer tag.
Who has 9th Wonder produced for?
Little Brother, Jay-Z, Rapsody, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige.