Kaze & 9th Wonder
Kaze & 9th Wonder
Genres: Hip-Hop, rap, North Carolina, underground hip-hop, underground rap
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About Kaze & 9th Wonder
Kaze: Kevin “Kaze” Thomas is a versatile artist-producer who captures the spirit of groundbreakers like Run-DMC, Snoop Dog, and Wu-Tang Clan to promote an on-going, innovative hip-hop culture. Hailing from northern Virginia and eastern North Carolina, Kaze grew up in the 80’s memorizing his big sister’s mix tapes of hip-hop legends to lift himself out of an oppressive country lifestyle. As a student in communications at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Kaze helped to create Hip-Hop Nation, an on-campus organization fostering the growth of local emcees, poets, DJs, dancers, and graffiti artists. His mission gained national attention in 2001 when Kaze was tapped to co-create, produce, and host the nationally syndicated television program titled Hip-Hop Nation: Notes from the Underground. The show captured the immensity of the culture’s influence with viewers in over a hundred markets and linked Kaze’s name with a movement of international interest. Kaze’s production experiences led to the establishment of his own record label, Soul Dojo, Inc. The initial offering under that label is his Spirit of ’94, a tribute to the legends of hip-hop featuring 15 tracks he both wrote and produced. Ingenuity and originality characterize his rhymes, while his words promote political consciousness, address personal trials, and celebrate the passion of hip-hop. The March 2003 release of Spirit of ‘94 set the standard for the label, claiming much critical acclaim and winning fans across the state. 9th Wonder: Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975), better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record executive, and DJ from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who is also teaching faculty at North Carolina Central University and Duke University, where he collaborates with Professor Mark Anthony Neal. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother in Durham, North Carolina, and has also worked with Jay-Z, Destiny's Child, Jean Grae, Wale, Murs, Buckshot, Erykah Badu, David Banner, Rapsody, and Talib Kweli. As of 2010, 9th Wonder raps under the name of 9thmatic. 9th Wonder's production often builds on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield. 9th Wonder's first significant career breakthrough came in 2003 when, as an up-and-coming producer, he released an unofficial remix album of Nas' 2002 album God's Son entitled God's Stepson. Released through internet outlets, the album garnered significant attention and acclaim. The producer has said that he was not thinking in terms of using it to generate a buzz or promote his skills at that point: "I never thought any of this of me as a producer was going to happen." The album has since been credited as starting the now regular trend for unofficial 'home-made' remixes of whole albums. 9th Wonder began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother. As part of Little Brother he gained recognition and critical acclaim for his production on their debut 2003 release, The Listening. Jay-Z's studio engineer Young Guru was impressed with his work, and contacted 9th Wonder, which led to 9th Wonder producing "Threat" for Jay-Z's 2003 The Black Album. The cut proved to be a mainstream breakthrough for 9th Wonder, most immediately in the major production role he secured on Destiny's Child's 2004 Destiny Fulfilled album that Jay-Z was instrumental in helping bring about. On the album, 9th Wonder produced the tracks "Girl" and "Is She the Reason", plus the bonus track "Game Over". 9th Wonder left Little Brother in 2007. As a hip hop duo: Kaze & 9th Wonder are a North Carolina-based hip-hop duo consisting of rapper Kaze and Grammy-winning producer/DJ 9th Wonder. They are best known for their 2005 collaboration album Spirit of '94: Version 9.0, which showcased a soulful, nostalgic sound, blending Kaze's lyricism with 9th Wonder's characteristic sampled production. Kaze and 9th Wonder came together through the North Carolina hip-hop scene, anchored by their shared connection to the Justus League crew and the local music community in the early 2000s.
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