Dating back to 1999, 9^th Wonder has lived off of chopped soul samples and drums to build a catalog of gems and successful full lengths. It’s led him to produce for a Grammy award winning album, become a key contributor to what was supposed to be the final Jay-Z album and have Beyonce geek out over the fact he used Fruity Loops to craft a Destiny’s Child single. Consistency is key when producers craft albums; and by coupling his latest album, The Wonder Years, with a damn good documentary, 9th has marketed everything around his persona, his style and how he takes complicated techniques and makes them rather simple.

9^th’s latest album, The Wonder Years, is what you would expect from a super producer with a Rolodex filled with talent – ripe with youthful embrace (Mac Miller, Rapsody) and positive stand-bys (Phonte, Median). Even though he may not be as great a rapper as he is a producer, he serviceably opens the album up in his 9^thmatic role on “Make It Big” on which fellow producer-rapper Khrysis backdoors him and completely drives the point home – that legacy is important.

What many will take away from The Wonder Years is that 9^th relies on a much different palate of production than his usual array of sample chop, boom bap drums & tight lyrics. Instead, The Wonder Years takes an R&B feel to it, plenty soulful thanks to cuts such as “Never Stop Loving You” with Terrace Martin, the oozing cool of “Peanut Butter & Jelly” with Marsha Ambrosius and the redub of Erykah Badu’s “20 Feet Tall”. There’s not too many moments of flat out rapping save for maybe the album highlight “Band Practice Pt. 2” where Median & Phonte take it back to The Listening for a little back & forth & “Enjoy” where three eras of West Coast hip-hop, G-funk from Warren G, it’s spaced out middle from Murs and Kendrick Lamar’s new age mix of both combine.

It’s a soft album with scattered hard moments, another compilation effort from 9^th that sticks out thanks to its production and memorable moments from Raekwon on “No Pretending” and Phonte’s second feature of the album on “One Night”. Although the meat of the album is fresh and distinctly made for the album, the inclusion of older cuts such as “Your Smile” from an earlier Hollyweerd project and the Mac Miller assisted “That’s Love” seem like worthy filler if there is such a thing.

In his own words, 9^th may feel that his legacy isn’t up to him but rather his legion of fans and the rap critics who place his albums in front of crosshairs and pick them apart. The Wonder Years reaffirms that in a land where super producers try to go so far outside the box they wind up being lost, 9^th keeps everything at home, refreshing and breezy.

FINAL SCORE: 7.5

Brando

EIC of Day & A Dream, Brando has written for such publications as DJ Booth, Refined Hype & the Houston Press. Wrestling enthusiast, sneaker addict, sports junkie and certified cake eater. Follow him on Twitter: @_brandoc

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