9th Wonder on Producing Jay-Z's "Threat"

Only the exceptional and privileged get a chance to collaborate with cultural icon Jay-Z, an amalgamation which often results to Grammy awards and hall-of-fame stature. The Black Album is one of such accolades, flaunting rugged New York boom-bap fluency with climatic radio-friendly attributes, producer 9th Wonder contributed his share of gifted beat crafting in “Threats.” Here, 9th Wonder sits down with Life + Times and dissects the making of the track, as he uncovers firsthand accounts of meeting HOV, crafting the R. Kelly sample chop in 25 minutes, and the unforeseen shout-out he received on the first of many collaborations between the two.