Built On ‘The Breaks’: The Sounds And Samples Of 9th Wonder

'Patrick Douthit has been making music as hip-hop producer 9th Wonder for nearly two decades. In the early 2000s Douthit gained recognition for his work with the North Carolina hip-hop group Little Brother. He went on to produce music for Jay Z’s 2003 release The Black Album,  Destiny’s Child’s 2004 album Destiny Fulfilled, and he won a Grammy Award for his work on Mary J. Blige’s 2005 album The Breakthrough. Douthit grew up in Winston-Salem and remembers hearing his first hip-hop song in 1982 with Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock.” Douthit soaked up the sounds of hip-hop and grew in his own musical skills, playing  the clarinet in the school band during middle and high school. Today Douthit consistently collaborates with top names in the industry. Earlier this year, he produced for rapper Kendrick Lamar’s highly-anticipated album DAMN. Douthit is also the founder of the independent record label Jamla Records, an artist-in-residence at North Carolina Central University and an adjunct professor at Duke University in Durham. ' -- WUNC -- The State of Things