Patrick Denard Douthit, the Grammy-winning music producer known as 9th Wonder, graduated from North Carolina Central University Saturday morning at the school's 9 a.m. commencement ceremony in Durham.
"I walked on this campus 33 years ago," he said on NCCU's Instagram after crossing the stage. "I left here to pursue a dream, and I never closed this one."
He left NC Central and built one of the most decorated careers in hip-hop production. His first major breakthrough came at NCCU itself, where he met Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte. The three formed Little Brother, a rap group that ran until 2007. From there, 9th Wonder's production credits grew to include Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Destiny's Child.
In 2005, he won a GRAMMY for producing Mary J. Blige's "The Breakthrough," which took Best R&B Album. He earned two more GRAMMY nominations for his work with Kendrick Lamar on two albums.
Now he teaches at the school where it all started. His degree closes a loop that's been open for three decades.