The Hip-Hop Fellow

Film. Talk. Beats. Featuring Grammy Award-Winning Producer, DJ and Record Executive 9th Wonder

North Carolina native, 9th Wonder is the subject of the 2014 documentary The Hip-Hop Fellow, which will be screened as part of this three-part Heritage & History program. The film traces his 2012-15 tenure as a Fellow at Du Bois Institute at Harvard University where he taught and explored hip-hop's role in academia. Currently, 9th Wonder is a Lecturer in African American Studies at Duke University.

In 1998 along with Phonte and Big Pooh, 9th Wonder formed the critically acclaimed hip-hop trio Little Brother. His first major label placement as a producer was the song “Threat” on Jay-Z's Black Album, and since then he worked such artists as Erykah Badu, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.

Joining the program is Mark Anthony Neal, Duke University Professor of African & African American Studies and English, who co-teaches The History of Hip-Hop with 9th Wonder. Dr. Neal is the author of numerous books, including New Black Man, and is host of Left of Black, a video webcast produced with the John Hope Franklin Center.

PLEASE NOTE: This event takes place at The Underground at the AvidXchange Music Factory, 820 Hamilton Street,  Charlotte, NC 28206.

"Given the demographics of Charlotte and pockets of segregation and poverty at the heart of the recent protests, this discussion of The Hip-Hop Fellow provides a unique opportunity for community folks seeking solutions to consider the possibilities for social change via hip-hop arts. Reflecting on 9th Wonder's career is to bear witness to a young Black kid that grew up working class in North Carolina who finds himself as a fellow at Harvard University. It is crucial to understand that hip-hop allowed him and countless other Black youth to imagine a future for themselves.”

— Mark Anthony Neal, Ph.D.
Professor of African & African-American Studies at Duke University and co-presenter with 9th Wonder at the Gantt Center’s Heritage and History program, “The Hip-Hop Fellow: Film. Talk. Beats"

Event Schedule

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm – Film. Documentary film screening of The Hip-Hop Fellow + Talk. Discussion and Q&A with 9th Wonder and Mark Anthony Neal

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm – Beats. Gantt After Dark experience with music and mixing by DJ Chela

Presenting Sponsor

The Harvey B. Gantt Center is a proud partner with Duke Energy in presenting the new Heritage & History series. This program series features nationally noted artists and scholars who are preserving Black culture through an array of disciplines and media. In hosting each culture keeper, the Gantt Center invites public participation in special events and experiences that illuminate important stories and engage audiences.

Headquartered in Charlotte, Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.4 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Visit Duke Energy's website here.

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