When you think of North Carolina, most likely I-40 (Tobacco Road) should jump out at you. If this stretch of highway doesn’t strike you as being familiar, then the two powerhouse schools of Duke and UNC should. And that road separates them by no more than 25 miles. Every fan of college basketball knows the historical rivalry between the institutions, dating all the way back to Michael Jordan’s hey day at UNC. But one college that a lot of people seem to overlook is North Carolina Central University. If you’re wondering why this particular school should be significant, Phonte Coleman, Thomas Jones, and Patrick Douthit were all enrolled there.

Some may recognize this trio of individuals formerly known as the rap group Little Brother, with Patrick Douthit playing the part of well-known sound technician, 9th Wonder.

By now everyone should be up to speed on how he is no longer the resident beat man for his college chums/band mates Little Brother, but that hasn’t stopped him from keeping their sound genuine from time to time.

He still provided some assistance on their latest album, The Get Back, while he continues to work with heavyweights in the industry. It would probably be difficult to figure o ut what big wigs he’s worked with, because he’s not one to brag about his achievements in the field of production. But if you’re wondering, Jay-Z, Lloyd Banks, Destiny’s Child, and Mary J. Blige are some of the clients he’s provided satisfaction for.

When he’s not rubbing elbows with Grammy Award winning A-listers you can catch him working with MC’s such as the members of Brooklyn-based crew the Boot Camp Clik, everybody’s favorite L.A. underground lyricist, Murs, up and comer Skyzoo, and the often underrated Jean Grae.

The man who mastered the FL Studio Program (formerly known as Fruity Loops) has easily become one of the most respected producers in Hip-Hop with his soulful sounds, and soothing grooves. Earlier this year, he released his acclaimed album Dream Merchant Vol. 2 which had a supporting cast of MC’s such as Memphis Bleek, Saigon, Royce Da 5’9, and Mos Def.

Now as he shifts his focus on his newest project, The Wonder Years, that is set to drop at the beginning of 2008, he still manages to remain humble in a world where braggadocio attitudes are usually a recipe for disaster. Not bad for a guy that first started making beats in his college dorm room huh?

What is the whole idea behind The Wonder Years? Was there anything you set out to accomplish?

It’s basically for people my age, people who work. Its like an after work CD, a CD you throw on after work. Whether you’re driving, or whether you’re in the subway. You got music for the club scene or whatever, but this is the one that you put in and let it run. And ride all the way home to it; know what I’m saying.

I can dig that. So is that what you meant when you said this was a lifestyle album?

Yeah. When I mean lifestyle, that’s basically it. It’s for cats that work; and things like that. A lot of the subject matter has more of a different vibe to it. It’s not necessarily an underground sound or anything like that. It’s just Hip-Hop music grown up man.

That’s cool. So were you happy with the outcome of Dream Merchant Vol. 2?

Well sensibility means everything. The reason why some cats don’t sell is because sometimes cats don’t even know the album is out; know what I’m saying. And that may be because everyone relies on the radio and BET too much to know when something is out. Everybody hasn’t transmitted to the Internet yet. We think everybody has, but everybody hasn’t. And that goes for a lot of albums that you and I might think are great, but the rest of the world doesn’t even know they’re out. So it just didn’t have that level of promotion.

I still have people coming up to me like: “I didn’t know you did an album with Buckshot!” And that came out in 2005 [Laughing] know what I’m saying. So I can’t blame them, because it’s not put in places where people are looking I guess.

Is that frustrating in your mind? Knowing that people only turn to certain outlets to find out about new music?

That’s just a sign of the times right now; hopefully it will change. Hopefully we’ll get to a point where it will change. But right now it’s not the time, but when the time comes, we’ll be straight.

How’s the process like when you’re creating a project? Do you reach out to artists? Or do they reach out to you?

It’s a little bit of both. Sometimes cats reach out to me, and sometimes I reach out to them. I want to work with whomever I’m working with; I’m not good at ass kissing man. [Laughs] If you don’t want to work with me, then fine. This is rap, and it doesn’t take that much to get in the studio and do a 16-bar verse. It just doesn’t take that much. Just like for me, it doesn’t take that much to get in the studio and do beats. It’s all about wanting to do music, and if you don’t want to work with me, then that’s cool, it’s not a problem. I’m not about to chase you. [Laughs] Like: “Come on lets do a record, come on lets do a record!” Nah, that’s not it, you now what I’m saying. That’s just not how I am, and I’ve never been like that. I work with who wants to work with me, and vice versa, you know. 

True that. Speaking of working with artists, you’ve worked with a lot of talented artists that are under the radar. Is that something you do intentionally?

Nah, that’s just how it happens. I didn’t know Murs and I wasn’t familiar with his music like that, because I’m not the biggest Def Jux fan. I just heard the tone of his voice, and it went from there. Murs and Jean [Grae] is no different for me than Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige. There’s no difference, there’s just a sensibility and a non-sensibility, know what I saying. You can sit in a room, and argue that with somebody, but they’re not really going to understand the fact the why you work with this person over another person. Maybe that person just hasn’t been in your brain enough for you to like them. So it’s never about a skill level at all to me. 

So between the MC’s and soul singer you’ve worked with, is one easier than the other?

No not really. Singers are more leaning to try more things than rappers are, I will say that. Because they sing, so therefore they have more leniency to try and do covers of other people and things like that. And with rappers, you really have to stay in your lane, because if you don’t stay in your lane you may be considered as sounding like somebody else. A singer can do a tribute from the 50’s, but a rapper can’t do that because he would be seen as “biting”,  see what I’m saying. Everybody’s been jumping on Jay for singing his best friend’s lines throughout his career, but a singer can tribute Marvin [Gaye] if they want to, and nobody is going to jump on his back because of that. 
 
I never thought of that that way. Is there any reason why you’ve never tried more of a commercial sound?

I try not to get into that. I don’t get into “commercial” or “non-commercial.” Commerce is short for commercial. Commerce is the root word for commercial. And commerce means to sell. So if Murs sells 800,000 copies is he a commercial artist now? See what I’m saying. I remember there was a time in Hip-Hop when there wasn’t any “commercial” or “non-commercial”, everything was “rap” or everything was “R&B.” So the same way I saw Lisa Stansfield, is the same way I saw Milli Vanilli, and is the same way I saw Tribe Called Quest. I didn’t see a difference. And I’m trying not to do that now because you get trapped into thinking about working with a more commercial artist.

I’ve worked with five commercial artists so far. Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Lloyd Banks, Erykah Badu and Destiny’s Child, know what I’m saying. And Destiny’s Child is the top female selling group of all time. Then you got Mary J. Blige who’s winning Grammys like crazy. You already know who Jay-Z is, Erykah Badu is the queen of her world, and Lloyd Banks is part of G-Unit. So how much more commercial can I get? Unless I work with William Hung or somebody, you see what I’m saying. [Laughing] Or if I work with Wayne Newton; or somebody like that. [Laughs]

So I try not to get into that, because once somebody knows who you are, then they’re to be like: “Okay what are you?” Look at Common. He’s been getting all the praise he should’ve got for the past 16 years. So is he a “commercial rapper” now? See what I’m saying. [Laughs] Is he commercial? What is he now? Is he just more out there now? He’s in movies and he’s in commercials. He got a Navigator commercial. So what is he? He’s still Common to me! He’s just making money. So I don’t really get into that. I work with whoever wants to work with me, whether you’re known or unknown. If I feel like you’re dope, and you want to work with me, then that’s what I’m going to do. 

I liked how you put that. So how many hours a day would you say you’re in the studio?

Um. It depends. Sometimes I go in at 10 in the morning, and don’t leave until 1 in the morning. I have some days like that, but I don’t have everyday like that. Because I have more than one job, I’m a professor as well, so I don’t do that everyday.

I wasn’t born in the “music life” I wasn’t born in the “industry life.” Some kids were born it. Like: “My dad was in it, my dad was a CEO.” I wasn’t born like that. [Laughs] So I’m not about to do that all day long everyday, NEVER. I wasn’t born like that, I wasn’t raised like that, I didn’t spend my 20’s like that, and I’m not about to spend my 30’s like that either. So that’s how I am with that. I go and get done what I have to get done and that’s it.  

Speaking of creating. Do you like to be left alone, or have people around you?

I like to have the artist there with me; you know what I’m saying. So we can see what we can do with it. So if they don’t like it, we can find out what to do with it and go from there.

Whose work are you a big fan of right now?

Right now, Toomp. I like DJ Toomp a lot. I like Toomp a great deal. As a matter of fact I was talking about him yesterday with Young Guru of Roc-A-Fella. It’s just the usual suspects. I’ve always been a fan of Pharrell, and I like Danjahandz a lot too. I like a lot of producers, because they don’t do what I do. I like them to do them. And I’ve found out through the grapevine and what Toomp has said about me, and what other producers have said about me is that they like me to be me. If I listen to 9th I want 9th to do 9th, that’s why I listen to 9th. Right? “I don’t want 9th to do me, and I’m not going to do 9th.” Know what I’m saying?

I met Pharrell one time in Miami, and it was my first time ever meeting him. He didn’t know who I was, then I told him and he was like: “Man I love your stuff” “Like; I love it!” “I love your stuff!” And that meant a lot to me because I don’t have to appease anybody else, know what I’m saying. Especially a producer like Pharrell, he me loves me for me, and likewise. I wanna hear those electronic sounds, and him singing. I wanna hear that from Pharrell. I wanna hear him grow, because every producer has to grow, but I still want to hear him in that lane, know what I’m saying. That’s what I like.

I can dig that. Do you think the production world has become more competitive or less competitive?

With the influx of computer-based programmed beats, everybody can make beats now. Everybody can sit in their room, and construct what they would call a beat. Everybody is not producers though. Because there is a difference. A lot of the kids doing music now, do not have a rich history of music, period. And maybe because of how the TV is and how the radio is. They don’t have a rich history of what music is, unless their parents did an outstanding job. They really don’t know; they’re really just emulating what they see on TV. They really don’t understand the producers from the 70’s or 80’s. They don’t get the whole Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, or the whole Gamble and Huff, they don’t get all that stuff. They just know: “Okay I got me a beat, and I can throw some sounds on it and call it a beat.” That’s true you may have you a beat, but its much more than that.

We’re losing our standards. We’re just loosing our standards when it comes to new producers. There are a lot of producers that are doing it. And its not like it’s sampling versus keyboards, it’s not about that. But you can just feel it; the soul is gone. The soul is leaving, slowly but surely. There’s no soul in it almost, and it makes me kind of sad.      

So with that said, do you feel like this overload of producers is diluting the art form of producing?

Well I think so. This is the same conversation I had before. And what I talked about was all these people coming out, and it’s going to get to a point where they just weed out who’s really good, because everybody can’t sound the same. Just when you think that nobody is going to come out as a producer, here comes somebody called Black Milk, know what I’m saying. [Laughing] We’re just waiting for the next producer, and here comes Black Milk. Then we’re waiting for the next producer, and here comes Danjahandz, you see what I’m saying. Somehow they just peak out, and they’re like: “Okay, I’m here.”  And it’ll be one out of 50,000. That’s usually how it is, there’s only one Pete Rock and DJ Premier of the early 90’s, know what I’m saying. There were so many producers out, but there was only one Pete, and one Prem. Right?

There’s only one RZA, only one Diamond D, only one Warren G, only one Beatminerz, and only one [Dr.] Dre. Back then there was only like 11 producers, and everybody back in the day had a beat machine. The more producers that come out are just the more that’s going to stick out.

How do you feel about your career? Do you feel as if you reached pinnacle? Or do you still think you have a long ways to go?

I’m happy man. [Erykah] Badu was like this:  “The universe runs like this” “When it’s time for you to go, you’ll see a green light” “And when it’s time for you to stop, you’ll see a red light.” [Laughs] I’m happy with where I’m at. 5-6 years ago, I was sleeping on somebody’s couch, and sleeping on somebody’s floor. So I’m happy where I am. I worked on “quote-un-quote” Jay-Z’s last album, I was a part of one of Mary J. Blige’s biggest records to date, I worked on Destiny Child’s last record and my song was a single, and I worked on Erykah Badu’s comeback album after four years and I had the first single. I’m not complaining, I’m pretty happy. [Laughing] And I did all that by being me, and not anybody else.