By Cameron Lee
March 23, 2020
Patrick Douthit (aka 9th Wonder), the North Carolina native, producer, lecturer, record executive and Jamla Records founder has a lot of commas next to his name. In addition to his long list of impressive titles, he’s responsible for lifting the career of fellow North Carolinian and rapper Rapsody, who rose through the ranks at NC State as a member of Kooley High in the early 2000s.
The title that has been most relevant in these awkward times as we are all faced with the dilemma of social distancing and isolation practices during the Covid-19 crisis, is DJ. With the recent phenomenon of live-streaming concerts and dance parties, 9th Wonder has emerged as one of the go-to DJ’s in hip-hop, entertaining thousands of music fans across the country.
DJ D-nice, the legendary Boogie Down Productions member recently launched his Homeschool virtual dance parties amid the global pandemic and reached over 100,000 viewers in his Instagram Live over the weekend. On Sunday, Charlotte native Anthony Hamilton also reached over 70,000 viewers on his Together At Home series, which he plans to perform every week in partnership with WHO (World Health Organization) and Global Citizen.
9th Wonder launched his live-stream DJ sessions in a low-key manner last week playing everything from ’90s R&B featuring some of his favorite women in the genre to heavy doses of Queensbridge rappers, Mobb Deep. With less shout-outs and more vibes, 9th will be stepping back in the booth tonight for what he calls “backpack, deep, and conscious.” He explains in his Instagram post: “The moment in time a lot of us turned our back on the radio. The moment in time we all fled to a place where the sounds were fresh. Backpack, deep, conscious. You can call it what you want. In these times, call it a safe haven. Call it refreshing. Tonite, I play the best from the era that made me….The best of the underground. The best remixes.”
We can’t wait to hear what he cooks up.
Catch 9th Wonder’s DJ set live tonight at 9 p.m. on his Instagram Live.
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