For lack of a better word, “concious” rappers give good raps but get a bad one in return. Dressing as if Stevie Wonder is their stylist, rapping over terrible beats and crying over Hip-Hop like it’s the Wailing Wall are just some of the stereotypes that those with a message face. But 9th is of a different caliber. Cornrows replace the Erykah Badu headwrap, gold grills are favored over Jansports, and instead of incense, you’ll likely find homeboy lighting a Black N’ Mild. While street cats and backpackers alike try to keep things black-and-white, 9th is basking in the gray area.

“9th Legend is a people’s person. A lot of times, I don’t even like Quincy [his government name],” he says, explaining the difference between him and the person he aspires to be. “Quincy done did stuff to people that wasn’t doing nothin’ but trying to help him, but he couldn’t see that at the time. What I’m workin’ on now is gettin’ day-to-day - that 9th Legend [is] becoming me. I don’t want no stage name. I want that to be me.”

The journey to finding 9th Legend can be heard via Proper Sitten - a full-length album that blends boom-bap beats and soulful samples with the introspective rhymes of a young man who wonders as he wanders. The album title is an ode to the waywardness of today’s people, which includes the restless youth. “A little girl - she fast,” he tells of the inspiration for the title. “ ‘Girl, sit down somewhere. Girl, don’t rush to be grown.’ You just start reacting without thinkin’ first. Everybody need to sit down sometime. Inhale, exhale, breathe. That’s ‘proper sitten’, dog. You need to sit down and collect your thoughts.”

With a poetic flow that’s more Digable Planets than Lil’ Boosie, 9th’s music brings balance to a city that’s oversaturated with pill poppers and gun shooters. Standout cuts include “First Floor” - a tale of a man caught up in the fastlane - and “Testimony” - a personal litany told in couplets that will have you breaking your rewind button.

With no plans of being in a box, 9th states, “Like I say, I’m a leader, not a follower. I know I can die, and one thing I know: That I was true to myself. Why worry about someone else judging me?”

[UPDATE:] In true grind fashion, The 9th Legend has completed and released his second effort entitled L.O.M.O (League Of My Own).Visit www.myspace.com/the9thlegend and contact 9th for more information.