9th Wonder in conversation with Phil Bell aka DJ Sir-vere

APRA AMCOS are delighted to invite you to a special seminar with super producer / music professor and Tāmaki Makaurau SongHubs 2025 curator 9th Wonder - in conversation with our very own DJ Sir-Vere / Phil Bell ONZM.

They will be sharing career highlights, insights into their work process, and stories about their musical journey.

9th Wonder began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother, going on to work with Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Destiny’s Child, Mary J Blige, Jean Grae, Murs, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Big Boi, Ludacris, and Mac Miller - to name but a few.

"One of the top 25 rap producers of all time." - Billboard Magazine

9th Wonder has a Grammy for their contributions to Mary J Blige’s Breakthrough, and earned a Grammy nomination for sound engineering on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. 9th Wonder is also a member of the jazz/hip-hop group, Dinner Party, with Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and Robert Glasper.

Alongside his production work, 9th Wonder continues an impressive career in academia (North Carolina Central, Duke, Harvard) - teaching, and finding wider ways to uplift his community.

9th Wonder has served on the Executive Committee for Hip-Hop and Rap at the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; served on the Hip-Hop Council for the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts; been a Life Skills Mentor for Nike’s Grassroots Program mentoring future NBA stars; and designed a shoe for Nike named after this late brother, Charles Douthit.

In 2019, 9th was inducted in the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. 9th Wonder continues to produce, DJ, teach, inspire, and push the culture of hip-hop forward in the community, industry, and the world of academia.

Phil Bell ONZM (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) took up the name DJ Sir-Vere almost 30 years ago now - and while a household name, it's also become a somewhat reductive tag to the expanse of roles they've played (and continue to play) in the music communities of Aotearoa: hip hop master, promoter, broadcaster, programme director, editor - and currently (among many other roles) Kaihāpai Te Hua Waihanga – Music Consultant at Te Māngai Pāho.

We're thrilled to have Phil on board - and can honestly think of no one better - to helm a discussion with 9th Wonder during their time in Aotearoa.