113 Producer’s Edge Magazine Fall Winter 08

9th Wonder

What should your diehard fans

expect out of the Dream Merchants

album.

9th Wonder:

The 9th wonder…classic

9th wonder. I make a style of music

that’s not really for the mainstream

marketplace like that.

What about on a lyrical front.

What’s going on there.

The lyrical front is just raps, man. Just

straight metaphors and similes. It’s

rap that’s not in the mainstream place

either. So I guess that’s the lyrical

front.

I know you said that you’re going to

basically ignore any sort of criticism

or pressure from your fans. But you

know in particular, and I will say,

you in particular, your sound- every

bit of audio quality, the high hat,

the snare, the kick, anywhere you

chop your loop- is being dissected

by the diehard core producer fans.

The guys on the come up are really

listening to every single thing you

do and using it as a model for them-

in their sound and their aspirations.

Is there anyway you can ignore that

while you’re making your tracks and

really tune that out.

I do it all the time. I ignore it all

the time. I mean I’m 32 years old

man and I’m not easily in. uenced. I

mean as far as what I want to do in my

everyday life. I got other beats ,that’s

made with different hats, snares, and

kicks. But if I want to make beats with

the same snares and kicks; people say

that I use… you know what. I’m going

to do it . . . that producer or dissector

or whatever can keep downloading my

beats. It’s up to them to keep doing

it. ‘cuz that’s what they do. It’s like

they say

ah, you sound the same. I’m

getting tired of them a

nd they download

everything I do.

You are the legendary producer still

using Fruity Loops when so many

other people are building these

multi-million dollar studios and

not getting as far as you are in the

game. There’s got to be some envy

and jealousy. But, is there pressure

for you to switch up your workfl ow.

Are you still being hit.

It’s easy. It’s like Basketball man.

Either you can play or you can’t. I

mean if you could dunk, you could

dunk with Jordan’s on. You could dunk

with Chuck Taylors [on]. It’s the same

thing with music. If you can make

music, you can make music on Fruity

Loops, Cubase, a Triton, the Starship

Enterprise, whatever. It doesn’t matter.

So I’m going to still continue to do what

I do. There’s jealousy and envy and you

know what jealousy and envy does. It

gets you nowhere.

What about also the statement that

people want to see you back with

Little Brother again. What are you

going to do to pacify those fans that

want that combination.

I mean we’ve got the deal that’s going

on right now. Hopefully, we’ll get back

together. But one thing is certain. I’m

going to continue to put out good music.

And Phonte, Big Pooh are going to

continue to put out good music.

Even in that sense you’ve worked

with a lot of big name groups, I mean

a lot of really hugely established

artists. But yet you still fi nd time

to break those artists around that

middle level of our consciousness.

Why are you still reaching back to

artists that are on the cusp of being

known.

Because

I

was an artist on the cusp

of being known. One thing I learned

from Jay-Z is

I’ll put you on so you

can put your boys on

. That’s a pay it

forward type of situation. That’s my

thing. It’s like he put me on to millions

of people. The best thing that I can

do is put somebody else on to millions

of people…whether they feel like they

need my help or not. There’s something

“

...if I want to make beats with the same

snares and kicks; people say that I use… you

know what. I’m going to do it . . . that producer

or dissector or whatever can keep downloading

my beats. It’s up to them to keep doing it. ‘cuz

that’s what they do. It’s like they say

ah, you

sound the same. I’m getting tired of them

and

they download everything I do.

”

114 Producer’s Edge Magazine Fall Winter 08

about being on that middle cusp area

that’s more honest. I don’t ever want to

lose that. I never want to be considered

unreachable by anybody.

A lot of other name producers

including Just Blaze have really

been dropping your name in their

interviews saying who’s worth

listening to. How do you think that

came about. Or what music do

you think they’re listening to that’s

saying 9th Wonder is the next guy

to pay attention to.

I guess for Just Blaze to be a fan of

my music means

a lot to me ‘coz

I’m a fan of his.

And that just goes

to show you we

can all coexist as

far as different

p r o d u c e r s .

There’s not

enough love being

shown between

artists. And that’s

one thing rappers

don’t really do.

Producers do that.

We always show

[love]. It’s like a

brotherhood man.

We band together,

stick together to the hinge. I don’t

know exactly what Just Blaze said . . .

I know he called me and told me about

the “Let it Go” [Little Brother ft. Mos

Def] joint that I’m in. And he said

that’s

crazy man, that’s crazy

. And for him

to say that is equitable of what he puts

out there. For him to say that about me

means a lot. So we do got to love each

other like that.

Let’s go a little bit over your

workflow when you begin to actually

start producing a joint. I’d have

to assume it’s going to be sample

first.

Yeah, sample first.

When you’re laying out the drums,

are you still into the tapping it in or

can you actually visually see the

sequence in your head before you

start laying out the drums.

Well, it’s kind of it’s like you listen to it

and you know kind of what drums go

where and whatever. You can see it

on the screen as far as Fruity Loops

is concerned. But I see drums in my

head and then do what I do after that.

And then what are you using for

all the swing settings. You’re

doing that by ear. You’re doing it

by numerical value saying I know a

round here gets me where I want to

go.

By ear.

As far as processing goes, how

much happens between what

actually leaves your door and gets

finally sent out for mastering. Are

you a big plug-in user. Are you

more native. Do you do a lot of

tweaking. Do you leave that to the

mix board.

I leave that to the mix people. I leave

all that tweaking and stuff to the mix

people.

What’s the reaction in your

own neighborhood about your

production. Like are you able to

go outside and be unknown or is

it a lot of dudes hitting you up with

propositions and ideas.

No. I mean I’m a family man.

So you’ll still accept a beat CD. You

still accept a guy coming in with just

him rhyming on the mix tape saying

I want to work with you someday.

No, I’m not . . . see the thing about me

is I’m a family man. I’m married with

babies. So where I live, I’m around

soccer moms all day who don’t listen to

9th wonder. So I’m with soccer moms

who shop at Wal-Mart. There’s just

this whole other family man in me.

Where do you draw that line between

respect for the MC and appreciating

the money and commercial success

that comes from working with the

Rapper.

It’s not about that you’re a Rapper

or MC. It’s accessibility and non-

accessibility. That’s the two things.

Either we can

find you or we

can’t. There’s

a guy in San

Francisco by

the name of

Jay-T that did

this. He’s a

R a p p e r / M C /

w h a t e v e r .

And he just

sold…this guy

is a millionaire.

Nobody has

ever heard of

him.

What about

that distinc-

tion between producer and beat

maker then…do you see a line

there.

That’s a big difference. The producer

sees the song, whether he gets the

idea for the song or he sees the total

duration for the song, whether he’s in

the studio or not. A beatmaker does

his beat and he can do whatever. No

concept. No nothing. And when he

gets the song back, he doesn’t know

about where to drop [elements] or

anything like that or effects or anything

like that. That’s the beat maker.

How do you deal with the producer

block. You’re sitting in the studio

and spend a couple of hours and

you just haven’t been able to put

something together that you’re

feeling for that day. How do you get

past that.

Go get something to eat and come

“The producer sees the song, whether he gets the

idea for the song or he sees the total duration for the

song, whether he’s in the studio or not. A beatmaker

does his beat and he can do whatever. No concept.

No nothing. And when he gets the song back, he

doesn’t know about where to drop [elements] or

anything like that or effects or anything like that.

That’s the beat maker.”

115 Producer’s Edge Magazine Fall Winter 08

back. I don’t do too much on that man.

Go somewhere. Walk away from it and

come back.

Do you listen to other people’s

music for inspiration at all. Do you

ever listen to someone else’s old

stuff, modern stuff and say oh this

is another way I could take it.

Yeah sometimes. I listen to a lot

of early ‘80s R&B. The SOS band,

midnight songs stuff like that. I found

that by kind of doing it, taking it that

particular direction inspires me.

Where are you going for your crate

digging. Do you still enjoy crate

digging.

Yeah, I still enjoy the crate digging

man. I go to A One records in New

York right now, their sound library…it’s

down in Manhattan. I go there a lot.

I go to a guy by the name of Gene

Brown that sells me a lot of records.

He travels the countryside collecting

records. And he sells it…and I go to

Q Records in Philly. I go there. I go

to Earwax in Atlanta…some different

places I defi nitely frequent.

Are you actually listening to the

newer crop of beat makers coming

up. Are you listening to unsigned

music stuff- maybe from MySpace,

dudes making the beats on

YouTube.

Yeah man. I listen to those beats man.

There’s a lot of good beat makers

out there man just doing their thing,

making names for themselves, ones

after me. Like I’m a big fan of Black

Milk [myspace.com/blackmk]. He’s

doing his thing. I defi nitely like a lot of

the beatmakers.

Have you ever thought about getting

an apprentice. Or maybe do you

have one, someone that you bring

up along underneath you.

I have a kid that I in. uence, not

necessarily an apprentice. I just have

kids around that like to learn.

Well in that regard, how do you feel

about ghost production. Would

you ever let someone else push a

track forward under your name to

get them in the door.

It depends. I wouldn’t do that. Doesn’t

make me feel good. Some people

coming onto me and be like

ooh, you

did that beat.

I’m like

I didn’t do it

though

. I can’t. I couldn’t live with that.

I really want to be known doing my

beat. Now I would give proxy if I knew

somebody that found the sample. But

as far as me doing the beat, I want that

person to get his . . . now, it maybe a

situation where some people do ghost

production. And that’s what they do.

And that’s their way of doing it. There’s

nothing wrong with that. I just can’t do

that man.

There’s been a lot of talk on what

tools producers are willing to cosign

and stamp on and which ones they

won’t. So I’m going to ask you what

are your feelings on the loop libraries

or the sample packs, commercially

available sample libraries, loops,

drum kits, all of that. Are those

tools considered taboo. Or is that

ok to be part of your arsenal.

I mean I don’t use them. But if you

got to use them . . . I mean you got to

think man. What if I live in Montana or

Pocatello, Idaho or some far off place in

America who don’t have record stores.

But I want to make beats…and I can

get these sound libraries off the net

man. I mean you can’t deny the kid

who got the hunger to do something.

He ain’t just sitting out there. He wants

to do something man. So I don’t use

them. But those things are creative .

. . I don’t get into that man.

I don’t get

into all of that what you use, what you

don’t. I like to pump it in my car and

listen to it. If I like it, I like it

.

How do you feel then about

virtual instruments. There’s a

great debate going between the

studio being all virtual or should

it still be based on old hardware.

I know you’ve embraced the soft

sequencer. What about the sounds

themselves if you’re going to add

some instrumentation.

Same thing. For me, I got bit man.

I’ve been a fan of Hip Hop man. Before

9th wonder came along, I was a fan of

hip hop for 16 years man. 16 years I

knew nothing about that stuff. I didn’t

grow up in a studio. I wasn’t around a

studio. None of that. All I wanted to

do was put my CD in and play it. If it

bangs, it bangs. So all that extra what

you got in your studio, I don’t care. I

really don’t care. If I found it out later, I

found out later.

‘coz there was a lot of people that got

these big studios. They paid $200,000

to buy all this stuff. And then when

you hit play, it’s hot garbage. Why did

you buy all this stuff for. What are

you doing this for. You know what

I’m saying. I really don’t care daddy-

o. I want to hear the fi nal results, the

end result. Does it sound good. Can

I play it in my car. Can I play it at my

cookout. Can I ride home at 4 in the

morning and listen to it. Can I do that.

If I can’t do that, all of what you got in

your studio means nothing to me.

Nice. Well what do you want to say

for the supporters, those that are

sitting there, hanging on, waiting to

see you go to that next, next, super

level, and crack that tier where we

have a summer where every song is

a 9th song on the radio.

Man, just hold tight. Hopefully that

day is coming. But if it don’t come,

it just don’t come. And I don’t make

music for that. I make music to make

people feel good. And my goal is not

to be the ruler of the radio. My goal is

to make music that people can enjoy

and play for their kids and play it for

their friends. That’s my goal. And if

I happen to still make some money,

if I’m making money because of that,

then fi ne. If I don’t, then I don’t. And

just keep listening ‘coz there’s defi nitely

more to come.

What projects are next throughout

the rest of the year and early next

year. What else are you trying to

get into.

9th wonder:

Buckshot’s

Killer Formula

.

Sweet Lord

by Murs,

Jeanius

by Jean

Grae, T

he Wonder Years

. And that’s it

for right now man.

We thank 9th Wonder for sitting

down with us.