Posts tagged 9th wonder

I am now an official backer of “The Harvard Fellow” documentary. Visit this site to learn about filmmaker Kenneth Price following Grammy award-winning producer 9th Wonder to Harvard University where 9th will be teaching and doing a research project on hip-hop. (Yes, HARVARD UNIVERSITY!) You can help fund this project with as little as $1. Won’t you please help?

Watch the trailer, too!

When I saw that Murs and 9th Wonder had a track on their “Fornever” album entitled, “I Used to Love H.E.R. (Again),” I think I was stunned.

As I said before, Common’s song is my #2 hip-hop song of all time. It’s a classic. Some classics should never even attempt to be remade. However, I was not horrified at the thought of this particular remake because of whose hands it was in. I’m a big Murs fan. He’s my best friend according to my t-shirt :-) 9th Wonder is a legendary producer. (I’m pretty sure he’s in my top 5. I’ve only created a top 3 list of all time. If we’re talking about living producers only, he’s definitely in my top 4 then.) Let me get back on track…

I remember playing it for the first time and not knowing how I felt. I didn’t know what to say. Of course, I had to play it again, and I had to hold my head. Not that I had a doubt, but they did this song justice. I love how Murs kept the original lyrics and updated a few lines.

I’ve been trying to learn Murs’ version, but Comm’s version has been ingrained in me for so long that I can’t help but spit his lyrics while Murs is saying something else.

Yep, I still love H.E.R.

That’s exactly what it felt like on Wednesday, July 13 when 9th Wonder went on Ustream and began telling HIStory. I remember seeing a few tweets telling folks to come join us, but I was too consumed by everything 9th was saying.

I really thought he was gonna let us in on another beatmaking session. I thought we’d get to holler at GQ who had just made it back to NC. Never in a million years did I think 9th would open up and just talk to us about his path to success.

On a normal Ustream, the chat log is just flowing out of control with people commenting on the beats or just having side conversations with those who are logged in. This time, the chat was halted. A few people snuck in comments when 9th stopped talking to us to address whoever was in Bright Lady with him or when he had to check his phone. Other than that, I had never “heard” such a quiet chat room. I know I was just captivated by it all.

When 9th started telling his story, I picked up a pencil, grabbed an envelope out of the trash and started taking notes. I don’t know why I did that. I could hardly see because the lights were off in the room, but there I was just jotting away. When I ran out of space, I grabbed another envelope and another. Maybe one day, I’ll sit down and piece together my notes—create a timeline of events for all of the wonder years of 9th’s career. I don’t know. Who knows if I can even read what I wrote. All I know is, his story was intriguing, inspiring, and so real. I guess I knew I had to capture it somehow, some way.

Before we knew it, 1.5 hours had passed. When 9th was done, I was totally speechless. I remember looking around wondering if I really experienced what I thought I had just experienced! Several people started tweeting about the story, and I responded to CSmitten with, “I don’t even know what to say about what we witnessed. Once in a lifetime type of feeling.” So many of us walked away feeling so motivated. That was the best #WonderfulWorldWednesday, and it was definitely one of the greatest stories ever told.

Shout out to 9th for sharing that with his supporters!!