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Not many people hold the title of producer, professor, MC, and sneakerhead. Not many people are 9th Wonder. With a hit resume as eclectic as Erykah Badu, as pop as Destiny?s Child, as recognizable as Jay-Z, and as recent as Wale, the NC beatsmith has parlayed his passion for hip-hop into cross-genre success and a teaching job at Duke University. As of late, he?s picked up the mic on his new album and jumped in front of the camera for a documentary. We caught up with 9th to discuss his thoughts on retros, working with Lil B, and what it?s like to be followed around by a camera. See what he had to say.
What shoe started it all for you?
It was the Air Jordan 1. When the first Jordan released I was 10 years old. Before that sneakers didn?t matter to me because there wasn?t a big emphasis on sneakers. The sneaker culture hadn?t taken off because there wasn?t one athlete pushing a shoe. You had Dr. J pushing Chucks, but that was it. The Air Jordan was the first ?OK, we?re gonna name a sneaker after some one.?
Besides it being a signature, what made it important?
Him as a player and the way it was marketed. The first pair was $65 and it just looked different from any shoes. Black/Red-White or the Black/Red, nobody else was doing colorways at the time. They really tried to sell you that a human could fly and that?s what really got kids into it.
How has the sneaker culture evolved in your lifetime?
In the 80s and early 90s it was about the Gucci sneakers and the Ballys. Now it?s becoming something totally different. You?re always looking at people?s feet. I made a comment on Twitter that this may be the first generation where a 30-year-old?s sneaker game may be better than a 19-year-old?s. And it?s not because of money, it?s because we actually grew up and saw all the ?retros? now. We remember those times.
Being around from the start, do you trip over re-retros or quality of materials?
No! I know cats that get into the OGs, but for me, looking at a pair of retro Jordans is exactly the way I felt when they decided to make a movie for Transformers. It?s like, “OK, it?s not the first Hasbro cartoon version,” but it?s giving us a way to relive our childhood. If I can get the kicks I had when I was 11, 12, 18 years old, that brings back memories for us. That?s what it?s all about for me. When Nike/Jordan Brand decided to do re-releases they understood how powerful of a brand it was and how it changed the face of sneaker culture. For us 30-year-olds that?s what it?s all about.
Among your music peers, whose sneaker collection stands out?
When you?re traveling all the time you constantly see friends in the game and look at what?s on their feet. Other than DJ Khaled–he has a ton of sneakers–it?s my man Greg Street. The rest of us DJs, producers, and rappers get in where we fit in, but we don?t have the time to ?collect-collect?. I probably got like 200 pairs of sneakers, but I highly collect Jordans and Nikes- I don?t care about anything else.
Are there any Jordans you?re still searching for?
The 11s. The ?Concords? and the ?Breds?. I missed the Defining Moments Pack with the Black/Gold 6s. Those are the ones that I?d want to come back out. Those are my favorite. (Then) the Black 3s and Black 4s.
