Micro-Chopping 9th Wonder — An Exclusive 32-Track Playlist
As Kendrick Lamar’s “DUCKWORTH.” started trending on April 13th, 2017 — the day before the official release of his newest album Damn — producer 9th Wonder took to Twitter to share an interesting tidbit about the the song’s evolution. “The 3 beats for “DUCKWORTH.” that Dot (Kendrick) picked was previously picked by 3 other rappers, neither of them used it,” 9th said. “Dot made one jam outta them.”
Whoever those three unnamed rapers are must be curled up in the fetal position crying right now, as they seem to have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Although few can compete on Kendrick’s level, hearing “DUCKWORTH.” must be a harsh reminder that they were sitting on a potential classic or multiple classics.
Kendrick eviscerated all three of 9th’s beats in an epic display of storytelling as he explained the connection between TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith and his father Ducky. Apparently Tiffith, a one-time drug dealer/hustler in Watts, robbed the KFC that Ducky worked at many years ago and left him unharmed during the robbery. It’s a story that could’ve had a tragic ending, ask Kendrick speculates at the song’s conclusion,
“If Anthony killed Ducky
Top Dawg could be servin’ life
While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight.”
“DUCKWORTH.” might be some Kendrick fans’ first experience with 9th’s soulful production, but those familiar with his extensive discography know it spans an impressive 15 years — all the way back to Jay-Z’s The Black Album and his former group Little Brother’s The Listening in 2002.
From those initial successes 9th produced all ten songs for Murs’ 3:16: The 9th Edition, including another outstanding triple-beat soundscape titled “Walk Like A Man” (included in the playlist above). Just as Kendrick did on his newest album, Murs turned three very distinct 9th Wonder instrumentals into one emotionally charged tale. The song describes the murder of Murs’ close friend and the ensuing chance meeting with the killer. Every segment of the song is a pitch-perfect match for Murs’ lyrics as the emotions change from sadness and heartbreak to anger and vengeance. An unexpected twist ending makes it all the more powerful.
From there he produced three songs for Destiny’s Child’s 2004 Destiny Fulfilled album, won a Grammy for Erykah Badu’s “Honey” in 2008 with a five-year-old Fruity Loops beat from his stash, contributed a slew of songs for Big K.R.I.T.’s 2013 King Remembered In Time mixtape, and provided two standout tracks for Anderson .Paak’s critically acclaimed Malibu.
In addition to his remarkable career as a producer, 9th also founded Jamla records and strung together a impressive academic resume that includes past positions as an Artist-In-Residence at North Carolina Central University and a fellow for Harvard’s Hip Hop Archive. He is a current Artist of Residence at Duke and North Carolina.
With 15 years in the game under his belt, 9th is grateful for the people who are just discovering his work. Whether you first heard him on Kendrick’s new album or listened to him 15 years ago when he first came on the scene, he wants you to know that it’s all good either way. “Everybody’s discovery period is different,” he said on Twitter. “If more new fans are being made 10 years down the road…that means I can never go away.”
Connect with 9th Wonder on Facebook, Instagram, his website, or on Twitter @9thwonder.
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