North Carolina’s own 9th Wonder, born Patrick Denard Douthit, was born in 1975. The superproducer got his start using FL Studio to produce for Durham’s rap duo Little Brother. He worked with Destiny’s Child and Jay-Z around the same time. After parting ways with the group he produced for many of rap’s top stars including Drake, Erykah Badu, Mac Miller, Wale, and many more.
Known for chopping up soul samples, he got his start with a remix of the Nas album God’s Son called God’s Stepson. He has been in the conversation as one of the best soul-sample producers ever, an argument that will seemingly never end but should also never leave him out. In 2020 he joined the group Dinner Party consisting of musicians Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and Robert Glasper. His label is called Jamla and they’ve partnered with Roc Nation to form JamRoc. He’s also a professor and hip-hop historian.