I came across this interview with 9th Wonder. I pulled out a few good quotes, but you can check out the full interview here:

By Fawn Renee

AllHipHop.com: The South has really risen since you first stepped on the scene with God’s Stepson. Are you proud of the recognition that the South has been getting lately?

9th Wonder: I’m happy that Black people are making money, legally. I’m happy for that. Any Black man getting money, and as crooked as this industry is, and they ain’t out hurting nobody, I’m all for that; but the quality and the sound of it, I ain’t with none of that. I mean, I’m from the South, but I don’t get into that whole territory thing. I like good music, no matter where it comes from. I will champion good music before I champion a region any day.

And I try to look at it like this music isn’t made for me and my generation, it’s for these high school kids. But then I get concerned when 35 year-olds listen to the same stuff. And I’m analytical, so I start to look at that man’s life. My dad didn’t come sit down and listen to N.W.A. with me. He made me sit down and listen to his music, which helped my music and enriched my soul.

That’s what’s missing today.Now everything has slowed down, drastically, and everything is two and three syllables. [Lil' Boosie's] “Wipe Me Down,” [Hurricane Chris'] “Aye Baby,” [MIMS'] “This Is Why I’m Hot”... everything is just so simple. I ain’t got no problem with it, it just ain’t me. And I’ve come to realize, as I grow older, that there’s more followers than leaders in this world. And I also feel like…you know how you feel like you’re alone? You’re in a party and all your peers are going crazy, and you’re standing around like “I don’t get it.” And you know they don’t really deep down like it, but that they just want to jump on the bandwagon? I want to be one of those people that stands up and says, “I don’t like it.” I also don’t think it’s carrying the tradition of Black music and teaching the kids. And not everyone is meant to teach, but just don’t ask me to play it in a party. I just can’t do it.

AllHipHop.com: I feel like that’s a big issue right now-people trying to do what they think is hot. Like have you heard R. Kelly’s album?

9th Wonder: I think the R. Kelly album is an abomination of Black people. The zoo song- if that’s not the most ridiculous s**t. It really hurts me that Black people are going around playing that mess. Like one, you know the n***a is going around peeing on little girls, and past that, he is talking about monkeys and trees. If you support that you don’t even deserve to be Black no more. He wants to jump on records with all these young cats, damn T-Pain. He is supposed to lead not follow, and I think that only happens with Black music. That doesn’t happen with White music. Bon Jovi and U2 are going to play their jams that everybody knows, and everyone is going to go home and be happy.

AllHipHop.com: I wanted to talk to you about your new teaching career. What have the students been teaching you?

9th Wonder: What I’ve learned from students is that they don’t view Hip-Hop the way we used to. [KRS-One's] “Black Cop” was a party song with a message. [Public Enemy's] “911 is A Joke” was a party song with a message. [Boogie Down Productions'] “Jimmy” was a party song but also taught you about safe sex. But now, if it’s a message, I got to be still and burn incense to listen to it. They think they can’t party to Common. They figure, “I need something I can party to, so I’m going to listen to something ignorant.”

And I also learned that its mainstream effects are different. I had to wait a week for Yo! MTV Raps to come on. Like, we starved for it. But now, Hip-Hop is everywhere, on the McDonald’s commercials, on the cell phones, everywhere.