9th Wonder Breaks Down His Beats For Kendrick Lamar’s “Duckworth.”

Don’t see this video? Click here . Three samples. Three genres. Three generations. Watch 9th Wonder take us on a sonic journey while breaking down the trio of beats he produced for one Kendrick Lamar classic: “Duckworth.” The Formula is a five-episode series on the art of sampling in which acclaimed hip-hop producers show us how they find inspiration in classics, hidden gems, found sounds and other raw musical materials to create new hits . For each video in the series, NPR Music has also asked a writer we love to focus on an element of the video we’ve made and spin it off in a new direction — to sample it. As part of this series, Marcus J. Moore, the author of the forthcoming book The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America , looks at Lamar’s relationship with contemporary and historical jazz musicians. That essay is here . You can find all the latest episodes and essays at npr.org/theformula . CREDITS Host: Rodney Carmichael; Producers: Nick Michael; CJ