by SCOTT C

I always have to smile when a group like Durham, North Carolina's Little Brother can make a name in the crazy world of hip hop today, simply by being themselves.

The trio of MCs Phonte and Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder arrived with their highly acclaimed debut The Listening in late 2002, heralding the return of conscious, funny and musically sound hip hop. The 28-year-old 9th Wonder, whose productions owe a lot to the sounds of Pete Rock and other early '90s hip hop fare, was able to take the very short time that he had been making tracks (only four years) and translate that into being one of the most sought-after producers in hip hop today.

After "God's Stepson," his remix of Nas's "God's Son," made its way to the ears of the people, every bedroom producer and established 24-track player was remixing whatever full-album a capellas they could get their hands on.

"When you remix somebody else's joint, it definitely feels like you're working with that person," 9th Wonder explains. "Everybody wants to know what you did to the tracks they already know, so people are listening." After all the hoopla that followed that genius move, not to mention the fact that many still feel to this day that the 9th Wonder version of the Nas LP is easily better than the original, his phone started to ring. In no time at all, he was chosen to contribute a track to Jay-Z's swan song The Black Album, where the track he produced, "Threat," now appears. Amidst countless projects, he's also recently produced an album for Definitive Jux signee Murs called Murs 3:16: The Ninth Edition, and worked with Kanye West, Consequence and Little Brother on a track called "I See."

Having mastered the art of high output, 9th Wonder continues to work the angles, with extra attention given to his extended crew the Justus League. "The Justus League is still doing their thing," he says, "and it's only a matter of time before somebody notices what's really going on."

With Kardinal Offishall, Cesar Comanche, Specifics, Masia One and more at Concordia University's outdoor Orientation party on Mackay at De Maisonneuve, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 5 p.m., free

>> Music Listings