Born Patrick Douthit in Winston-Salem, N.C., 9th Wonder is a Grammy Award–winning producer, DJ, college lecturer, and social activist. He has produced songs for artists including Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Ludacris, Common, Drake, and David Banner. In spring 2010 9th Wonder taught a class at Duke University alongside Professor Mark Anthony Neal entitled Sampling Soul, as well as a hip-hop history course entitled A Retrospect: 1968 - 1997, at Barber Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina. He is also the NAACP's National Ambassador for Hip Hop Relations and Popular Culture.
Cover to Cover
For many people, record sleeves have the capacity to trigger memories and convey emotion in the most personal way, making them significant not only as tangible objects, but for some, as a first site of direct engagement with visual art. With this in mind, 10 artists - six individuals and two duos - were asked to create a conceptual artwork by selecting twenty LP records based on the album-cover visuals. In the "Cover to Cover" installation, eight crates containing the eight groups of albums create an interactive work of art that visitors can thumb through and play on nearby turntables. The artists were asked to deliver the records to the museum, making these not rare-album wish lists but works created by making selections from what was readily available. Thus, through their choices, each artist communicates a message or tells a visual story that speaks to the unique expressive impact of the 12-inch album cover.
Photo of 9th Wonder by Duke Photography
artist links:
The Art of Hip-Hop Sampling at Nasher Museum Panel Discussion on Sampling
Patrick Douthit aka Ninth Wonder,
Cover to Cover
"Soul of a BeatMaker," 2009
Patrick Douthit aka Ninth Wonder,
Cover to Cover
"Soul of a BeatMaker," 2009
Patrick Douthit aka Ninth Wonder,
Cover to Cover
"Soul of a BeatMaker," 2009
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