Supreme Royal Presents: Rapsody • 9th Wonder

Rapsody is the new force in hip hop, and she's blazing the trail for a new generation of emcees, showcasing effortless lyrical mastery in an age of celebrating the culture of a hip hop renaissance. "Hip hop in its essence is real; I'm still hearing every rhyme."

She is the protégé of Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder, the first lady of North Carolina super crew Kooley High, and one of the first artists signed to Jamla Records/It's A Wonderful World Music Group. As the brainchild of 9th Wonder's true school resurgence, Rapsody consistently sets the bar high for all emcees, male and female alike. Paying homage to her hip hop godmothers MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Lauryn Hill, this Snow Hill, North Carolina native represents much more than just the female side of hip hop culture; she is an emcee who represents hip hop culture beyond the lines of gender, proving that anything the boys can do, she can do, too, and better. Her virtuosity and dexterity behind the microphone highlight her presentation, and her humble demeanor attests to her constant pursuit of improvement with every beat and rhyme.

9th Wonder Originally making hip hop beats from his North Carolina Central University dorm room using FL Studio (formerly known as Fruityloops), 9th Wonder has since become one of the more acclaimed producers in the hip hop music industry. As an up-and-coming producer, he released a remix album of Nas’s 2002 album God’s Son entitled God’s Stepson. This album began what is now a regular trend of remixing whole albums.

9th Wonder has a smooth and soulful production style that relies on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield. He attributes the bass lines that he uses in production to DJ Premier, Pete Rock and J Dilla, while he claims to have learned "moans" from RZA. With the help of filmmaker Tee Smith and sound engineer Young Guru, 9th Wonder landed a coveted production credit on Jay Z’s then highly-anticipated The Black Album. The producer continued to produce for Little Brother and many other Hiphop artists/groups, including Jean Grae, Skyzoo, and Murs. 9th Wonder has also produced for more widely known artists such as Destiny’s Child, Mary J. Blige, De La Soul, Mos Def, Memphis Bleek, and Buckshot from Black Moon and more recently, artists such as The Game, Lloyd Banks, and Sean Price. Recently, 9th Wonder, along with Christopher "Play" Martin from the Hiphop group Kid-n-Play, were appointed Artist-In-Residence by the Chancellor of North Carolina Central University, and instruct a Hiphop history class in NCCU’s Music Department.http://www.fetemusic.com/event/rapsody-and-9th-wonder/