Pitchfork

Recent Little Brother departee 9th Wonder, aka Patrick Douthit, has worked with Jay-Z, De La Soul, and Destiny's Child. But none of them compare to Christopher Martin. No, not the lead singer of Coldplay, and not DJ Premier.

Rather, "Play" of Kid 'n Play fame, aka the one without that hair.

This semester at North Carolina Central University, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Douthit and Martin are teaching a course titled "Hip Hop in Context" as part of the university's Hip Hop Initiative.

Here's the course description: "'Hip Hop in Context' examines the cultural phenomenon through its development, history, communication style, dance form, music, and artistic process. Throughout the course, students will explore the dynamics of race, gender, youth, and class. The course will employ various sources for analysis and information including: videos, commercials, movies, songs, and other multimedia sources."

The university also hopes to develop a guest lecture series featuring other big hip hop names. The other elements of the Hip Hop Initiative include the second annual Hip Hop Summit (which took place February 9 and 10), a student-run label called Eagle Records, and continuing education classes starting this fall.

When he's not holding office hours, the HHI's website says that 9th Wonder is working on a solo album titled Dream Merchant 2.0.