Review :

Producer 9th Wonder is preparing for the January 29 release of his new LP The Wonder Years on Asylum Records. A follow up to The Dream Merchant 2, which dropped in October, 9th’s new project is intended to connect with an audience he feels is being neglected by current trends in hip-hop. The Wonder Years will unite some of today’s top R&B artists with some of the best MC’s in the game in an effort to reach an older, more mature listener.

“You’re going to get some younger people who will enjoy this, but my main demographic is women who have careers, women who like to sit in the house and relax as they listen to it.

My album is not for the club. A lot of women my age don’t go out, because they don’t like the music being played. I want my album to be played in the beauty salon or a Coach bag store just as much as anywhere.”

9th describes the new album as an expansion of his sound with bigger sounding beats, and elements of classic R&B with a current twist.

The Wonder Years includes guest appearances from Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Little Brother, Erykah Badu and Teedra Moses. “With this album I’m not only defining myself, but I’m defining people in my age group. There’s no music that suits them wholeheartedly, you either have young for the young or old for the old. You still want to hear Hip-Hop, but you want Hip-Hop that’s your age.”

Track listing :