9th Wonder

In the tradition of producers DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Kanye West, 9th Wonder has built a bridge that spans the underground and commercial hip- hop world. With production credits that range from Jay-Z to Mary J. Blige to Destiny's Child to Murs, 9th Wonder has rocketed atop every artist's “must have" list.

Born in Winston Salem, North Carolina in 1975, 9th Wonder was drawn to music at an early age. As a youth, 9th Wonder spent his days playing one of several instruments he was proficient in for his school band, and then spent his afternoon's listening to Afrika Bambataa, Soul Sonic Force, Biz Markie and Slick Rick.

9th Wonder began producing in college at North Carolina Central University, where he would eventually meet his lifelong friends and collaborators that would go on to eventually form the 12-man collective The Justus League. While at school, 9th Wonder joined forces with two like-minded souls (Phonte & Big Pooh) and together they formed the group Little Brother. The group's debut album, The Listening, was released in 2003 to critical acclaim and was quickly revered for its mellow, soulful vibe and golden-era-influenced beats. 9th Wonder's production lead the charge with distinct drum kicks pacing larger-than-life melodic samples, which are often enhanced with sultry voice- overs.

Leading a new-millennium renaissance, Little Brother rapidly ascended to the top of the crowded underground scene, especially amongst jaded older fans who considered them the second coming of cherished groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Black Star. With so much buzz following the group and even more accumulated with their feverish touring schedule, Little Brother went from Independent to major-label ranks (Atlantic Records) for their heavily-anticipated sophomore release, The Minstrel Show, which was also released to mass critical praise in 2005. The Listening and The Minstrel Show are both finely crafted musical documents, composed by artists who want nothing more than to provide even just a glimpse of hip-hop purity within an ever-expanding maze of cultural deterioration.

In particular, 9th Wonder got a lot of attention from Indy and mainstream artists alike and became a focal point for the group; Jay-Z had him contribute a cut (The Threat) on The Black Album, and hooked him up with Destiny's Child for their single Girl and he collaborated with Mary J. Blige for her Grammy Award winning LP The Breakthrough in 2005. 9th has also produced entire albums for MURS (2004's Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition and 2006's Murray’s Revenge) and Black Moon front man Buckshot (they released Chemistry in 2005 and have already recorded the follow-up, The Formula, which will be released in 2007) and Jeanius with Jean Grae, which was leaked months before its intended release and wound up becoming an Internet cult- favorite (the pair do have plans on releasing another full-LP in the future). Further adding to his allure, 9th's unauthorized remix album of Nas' God's Son (appropriately re-titled God's Stepson) was a masterpiece in it of itself and sparked a remix craze that soon found countless producers following in his wake.

9th Wonder's sound is infused with soul loops and jazz sentiment. His background in classical music and music theory give his music a sonic breath and maturity that surpasses his years. Like the jazz greats Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, 9th "feels" his music, and because of that intimate connection, he creates a sound that transcends hip-hop, and becomes one with soul, jazz and R&B.

While Little Brother would eventually disband in the middle of 2007, 9th Wonder remains as busy and sought-after as ever. Working on two solo-LP's, Dream Merchant Vol. 2 will be released by Six Hole and Hall Of Justus Records on October 9th, 2007 and The Wonder Years which will be released by Asylum Records in 2008. Furthermore, 9th is currently teaching a "Hip-hop In Context" course at his alma-mater, North Carolina Central University with Chris Martin (of Kid N Play) and in addition to both of his forthcoming solo- LP’s, collaborative projects with Buckshot, MURS and Jean Grae and is also recording new material with Eyrkah Badu.