DX: How did they approach you to do this?
9th Wonder: I was approached by a guy called Kawachi Clemons. He is working on his PhD right now, using Hip Hop as a discourse, how they use it to teach the next generation of children. He approached me about being an artist and representing the university. He reached out to Play of Kid N’ Play, and we teach the course together. Play is like a legendary story-teller. The class is an hour and fifteen minutes long, I had 160 students last semester, but I have no idea how many I am going to have this time.

DX: Going into the second year, will you keep doing this?
9th Wonder: I can see my career going two ways. Scoring movies or I want to be 100% full time college professor of Hip Hop music. If I can reside that way, I really would.

DX: Is this your way of paying it forward?
9th Wonder: Yeah, this is my way. Jay-Z taught me one thing. If he didn’t teach me anything else, he taught me, “9th, I will put you on if you put your people on.” That is the thing. If I can do that for the rest of my days I will. I don’t think my personality is built for this game called the industry.

DX: Why not?
9th Wonder: In this industry you have to wear a mask that is really not you. People do that, nobody likes their feelings hurt and I noticed too that a lot of these cats when they get into the game, they get in very young. I got into the game when I was 28.

DX: You came in at 28, crazy when you see what you have done.
9th Wonder: Here is a situation where when I got into the game I fell on my face a number of times. But I was able to learn as a man as I knew who I was before I got into this game. Now that can be a gift or a curse, but I knew what I was going to put up with and what I was not going to put up with. I know who my friends are; you know a lot of people collect a lot of friends when they get into the industry. I have a wonderful supporting cast that if the music industry decides not to like me anymore, my friends aren’t leaving me. The things you have to do to stay alive in this game, the people whose butts you have to kiss and the people whose music you have to cosign when you know their music sucks, I just can’t do it. I know that it is going to come a point in this game where there will be a serious decision that I have to make; either you go this way or that way. You may call me proud, you may call me stubborn but my attitude is just not a fit for this game.

DX: Do you think that when it comes to that time to make that decision, will you make it easily?
9th Wonder: I am not going to lose myself. If the decision requires me losing myself, then I am not going to do it. I feel that what I have built, so much is going against the grain already. Not against the grain to be different, the music I make is just so anti-mainstream America right now. I don’t set out trying to step on anyone’s toes; I just have a wonderful time doing me. I am not going to make a decision where I will lose myself.