When I linked up with Kenneth Price earlier this year for the Behind The Video Series, he made mention of “The Wonder Year” soon to hopefully see the light of day, and below is the trailer for Ken Price’s year chronicling the great Grammy Award Winning Super Producer 9th Wonder.

After checking out the video read Part 1, our interview with Kenneth Price and check out Part 2, Kenneth & 9th discuss Actual Proof‘s video for “Genius”.

We released part one of our series this morning and now Social8gency is happy to present Part 2 of our Behind the Video Series with Kenneth Price. On this portion Kenneth enlists a special guest 9th Wonder to take us through the video for Its A Wonderful World Music Group artist Actual Proof and their video “Genius”. Part 1.

A few months ago I was linked up with Kenneth Price via email.  This was particularly the genesis for the upcoming MV Director Series here at Social8gency.  I’d seen that there were a number of videos being produced for 9th Wonder’s IWWMG and it came to me to contact the guys behind the camera.

We decided on a format of interview then a breakdown of a selection of 3 – 4 videos by the directors.  These are the guys saddled with bringing the musical vision or the theme of a track to life.  The first edition of the Social8gency Presents: Behind The Video; we highlight director Kenneth Price.

Was directing always where you felt you wanted to be?

Not necessarily, I can’t point to a particular point growing up where I knew it was what I was going to do my life but I ended up going to film school after nearly failing out of business school and something clicked. I enjoyed everything about the filmmaking process and was instantly fascinated with how everything came together. I’ve been pursuing it constantly for the past ten years or so.

Where are you originally from?

Raleigh, NC

Has your hometown/how you grew up affected your outlook on filmmaking at all?

Raleigh isn’t much of a filmmaking town. However, Wilmington, NC where I got my undergraduate degree is referred to as Hollywood East. Hundreds of films and television shows have been filmed there. So while I was in school I was able to work on indy films as well as big budget projects like Outkast’s Idlewild and Dawson’s Creek.

Who inspired you to get into the field?

Really just people around me who were making films. Hollywood filmmaking always seemed so unattainable it was more friends of mine and people like David Gordon Green who inspired me.

What has been the greatest tragedy and triumph in the business thus far?

That’s really hard to say, it’s always a series of peaks and valleys so I know if something incredible happens something tragic is on its way and vice versa. The greatest triumph is just being able to watch things from years ago and remember the times that went into creating the film.

How’d you link up with 9th Wonder the IWWMG movement?

About 2 years ago a mutual friend of 9th and I got me in touch with him so I could pitch the idea for “The Wonder Year” documentary. Ever since then I’ve kinda become part of that world, it just so happened it somewhat coincided with the creation of IWWMG so I started doing a lot of music video work.

Top 5 movies?

In no particular order… Rushmore, 8 ½, Bottle Rocket, Do the Right Thing, Lost in Translation.

Top 5 albums/songs?

In no particular order… The Beach Boys – “Pet Sounds”, Little Brother “ The Listening” ,  D’Angelo “Voodoo” A Tribe Called Quest – “Midnight Marauders” Steely Dan “Citizen Steely Dan” Boxset…yeah I’m cheating.

Where do you believe your strengths are in this game?

I’m kind of a one-man band, 95% of the time I’m doing everything from treatment to editing. I think its rare in any creative endeavor to have the ability to see something through from beginning to end.

To up and coming directors what advice can you give them about focus, how to get into the industry, etc?

I don’t know anything about how to “get on” or “break into the industry” or any of that, I just wanted to make a film about an artist I was a fan of and everything else kinda fell into place. As dumbed down as it sounds I guess my advice based on the past 2 years is just to never settle for something you don’t love doing. I could have made a whole lot more money working as a bank teller or an insurance salesmen or something over the past few years but you only live once so you might as well do what you love and have faith you’ll have enough money at the end of the month to get by on.

What’s the craziest moments you’ve had on set?

Nothing really crazy, we tend to keep a pretty closed set when we shoot. For pure spectacle, nothing beats the Big Remo “Go Ladies” shoot at Howard Homecoming.

Your style is seemingly rather documentary style, with your camera primarily just capturing the world around you, is that your preferred style or more a matter of what is currently being asked of you?

That’s 100% indicative of my background. I started doing music videos because of wanting to do a documentary and because of the cameras most of us are using these days its easier to capture reality because most people think you are just taking still photographs. No one has ever specifically requested the whole “just shoot this raw, documentary style” I’ve just always felt the most natural doing that. I’ve done some club videos and stuff but it always felt a little more outside of my comfort zone.

Where do you see your future leading you?  What is the endgame for Kenneth Price?

I don’t know, two years ago I never really thought about doing music videos. I’d be surprised if two years from now I’d still be actively doing as many music videos as a I am currently but it’s been a lot of fun. I get my master’s in a month, chances are I’ll end up a film professor in the future.

Over beers and burgers, one of my dudes asked me, since I am I guess in the industry, to put him on some new hip hop for him to check out.  He’s aware of the J. Coles of the world but looking for something else.  So this is what I came up with on the fly for shit I’ve been bumping for the past 2 months.

So I bring you Woofer Syrup; not everything on here will be by new artists, but I promise that I think at least most of it will be dope, and that if you have a problem with that kiss my ass and shoot me suggestions.

Each month a new 10, and not strictly hip hop. These are scoured from across the landscape of freely released music, but if artist A, B, and/or C have a problem with their track being posted here, get at me: Brock@social8gency.com.

share and share alike. Take it a la carte below OR right-click & save this.

Mickey Factz – “Amnesia RMX”

OverDoz – “Before We Go On”

The Cool Kids – “Bundle Up”

Childish Gambino – “Freaks ‘N Geeks”

Eminem – “Syllables” ft. Dr. Dre, Jay Z, 50Cent, Cashis, & Stat Quo

Curren$y – “Frost”

Stalley – “Hercules”

HomeBaseNYC Presents – “In” ft. Blu, Freddie Gibbs, & Homeboy Sandman

The Glitch Mob – “Seven Nation Army RMX”

Actual Proof – “Super Genius” ft. Cutlass Reid, Skewby, Naledge, Kendrick Lamar, Add2theMC, Brittany Street, The Kid Daytona, & Laws

2010 was solid across the board in what it offered hip hop fans. There was the emergence of future stars and pure talents in J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and Curren$y amongst others; as well as the old heads claiming true to their spot and releasing top quality work. I was enthralled by what came through this year.

This post was gonna start as a retrospective but fuck that everyone is doing that, I could talk at length about GOOD Fridays and how its made an indelible mark on hip hop merging old and new traditions, My Dark Twisted Fantasy, 50 Cent’s menacing of Twitter and the internet at large, Cudi loosing his shit again on stage (but still releasing an outstanding album), Eminem’s phoenix like return, or 9th Wonder’s chokehold on underground hip hop, but instead, here are videos to a few of my favorite songs by a small piece of the young hip hop artists that are breaking on the scene.

Curren$y

Stalley

Wiz

B.O.B

Donnis

Skyzoo

J Cole

Yelawolf & CyHi Da Prynce

Theophilus London

Tiron

Great footage shot by my man Chachi @At The Mercy of Artists, during the 2010 A3C (All 3 Coasts) Hip Hop Festival in Atlanta, Ga.  We were able to grab great access during the festival and can check out some of my interviews for LP33.tv, def check them out.

Another great discussion.  This is one in a series of 9th Wonder and Mark Anthony Neal’s “Sampling Soul.”  They bring in Harry Weinger, Vice President of A&R for Universal Music Enterprises for this discussion on sampling and the Motown catalog.

I’d love to give exerpts, but again that wouldn’t do this justice. Enjoy.

This is a great discussion.  This is one in a series of 9th Wonder and Mark Anthony Neal’s “Sampling Soul.”  They bring in Bucknell English Professor James Braxton Peterson for this discussion of Nas’ seminal 1994 album, Illmatic.

I’d love to give exerpts, but that wouldn’t do this justice. Enjoy.

Thanks to Duke University for a forward thinking class, and Nodfactor for the link.