9 Pistolas

Personnel: Legz Diamond (vocals, guitar); Cold 187um, "Sweet" Sugar Slam, Jumpsteady, Damone Booth, Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, Bushwick Bill (vocals); Joey V (guitar).
Audio Mixers: Joe Strange; Brian Kuma; Legz Diamond.
Recording information: The Haunted Cabin; The Lotus Pod.
Having worked with the Insane Clown Posse and their in-house producer, Mike E. Clark, since the time the evil clowns opened the Riddle Box (1995), Legz Diamond is Psychopathic Records' great jack of all trades, willing to lend his voice, spoken word, or guitar to any juggalo-aimed release that needs it. Practically no one was asking for a Legz solo album, so this debut effort may seem like ICP giving their weed carrier or duffle-bag boy a gift, but the humble, humorous, and hatchet-minded 9 Pistolas is a quirky blast, like a nerdy journey through Wonka land with ICP's very own Mayer Hawthorne. The title track shuffles with some 1940s-style gangster cool, "Mary Jane" gives bud smokers an infectious singalong with strain names ("Cat Piss, White Window, Al-Caeda, and Pineapple"), while "Not in Real Life" is a Romeo and Juliet-sized breakup number with a shaky-voiced Legz professing his love but apologizing that he "could never leave the streets." It all sounds like these "streets" are a cul de sac and not the mythical concrete jungle of Detroit called 8 Mile, while elsewhere, you'd swear you can hear this bona fide gangster pushing his glasses up his nose, but the hooks, the good times, and the great feeling are always present on this attractive ride through rap-rock and whatnot. Fringe Psychopathic folks Sugar Slam and Jumpsteady provide the "& the Purple Gang" part of the record and give loyal ICP fans some fodder for message boards, but those who enjoy quirky cool transmissions from Planet WTF will think Legz is their savior, or at the very least, quite charming. ~ David Jeffries