The Wonder Year Trailer (2011)

Trailer for the documentary The Wonder Year.

The Wonder Year is a documentary directed by Kenneth Price, an MFA candidate at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It explores a year in the life of 9th Wonder, from his professional accomplishments as a producer working with luminaries like Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige, to his personal life as a native North Carolinian and his teaching at the Duke University. Filmed from December 2009 through January 2011, this documentary gives fans and hip-hop newcomers alike a window into 9th Wonder’s slice of hip-hop, featuring footage of him making music in the studio on his MPC-2500 sampler, showing us around familiar hangouts in Winston-Salem, rocking on tour, and collaborating with industry peers and colleagues.

Price’s eye is sharp when it comes to the smart arrangements and evocative shots portrayed in the film. More than that, though, is that The Wonder Year acts as a visual companion to hip-hop’s feverish output of mixtapes. Price’s documentary is, at its core, the story of 9th Wonder’s development and love of music.