Black Sheep (hip hop group) 2503380 222611569 2008-06-30T07:07:29Z Paul A 7104 link repair ([[Wikipedia:WikiProject Red Link Recovery|You can help!]]) {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | Name = Black Sheep | Img = <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image: Blacksheeppic.jpg|250px]] --> | Img_capt = | Img_size = | Landscape = | Background = group_or_band | Birth_name = | Alias = | Born = | Died = | Origin = [[Bronx]], [[New York]], [[United States]] | Instrument = | Voice_type = | Genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] | Occupation = | Years_active = 1991&ndash;1995<br>2000 to present | Label = [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]/[[PolyGram Records]]<br>Bumrush | Associated_acts = [[Showbiz & A.G.]]<br>[[Chi-Ali]]<br>[[Native Tongues Posse]]<br>[[The Legion (hip-hop group)|The Legion]] | URL = http://www.blacksheeponline.com | Current_members = [[Dres (rapper)|Dres]] | Past_members = Mista Lawnge | Notable_instruments = }} '''Black Sheep''' is an [[alternative hip hop]] duo from [[Queens, New York|Queens]], [[New York]], comprised of [[Andres "Dres" Titus]] and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. The duo are native New Yorkers but met as teenagers in [[North Carolina]] where both of their families relocated.[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:w9frxqr5ldfe~T1] The group was an affiliate of the [[Native Tongues Posse]], which included The [[Jungle Brothers]], [[A Tribe Called Quest]] and [[De La Soul]]. It debuted in [[1991]] with the hit song "Flavor of the Month" and later released their first album, ''[[A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (album)|A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing]]'', which gained them praise and recognition in the hip-hop community for the album’s unique rhythms and intelligent lyrics. ==Overview== Black Sheep was the first hip-hop act to appear on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'' after the departure of [[Johnny Carson]]. Black Sheep was also one of the first groups to parody [[gangsta rap]] (still in its infancy when ''A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing'' was released) in the hilariously over the top "U Mean I'm Not." In the song, Dres describes in detail killing his sister, his parents, and his [[letter carrier]]. At the end, he is roused from his sleep and tells his friends bewilderedly, "I dreamt that I was...hard." ''A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'' charted three times on the ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Dance Music/Club Play]] chart in 1992 with "The Choice Is Yours" (#9), and "Strobelite Honey" (#1). Black Sheep was also featured on the [[remix]] [[Vanessa L. Williams|Vanessa Williams]]' single, "Work to Do" (#8). The group's relationship with its label, Mercury/PolyGram, was so good that the label allowed the duo to establish a boutique label through which it could sign its own acts. Mercury distributed the imprint, which was called One Love, through PolyGram's Independent Label Sales division rather than PolyGram Group Distribution. However, only one full-length title was ever released, the only album by affiliated act the Legion, titled ''Theme + Echo = Krill'', from 1994. The group's second album, ''[[Non-Fiction (album)| Non-Fiction]]'', was released later that year. Due to virtually no promotion and a generally poor reception, the album managed only lackluster sales. Titus and McLean would separate soon afterward to work on various independent projects and left their label. This resulted in Dres's solo album ''[[Sure Shot Redemption]]'' and being billed as Dres the Black Sheep. In 2000, the duo reunited to record the [[title track]] for the movie ''[[Once in the Life]]'', in which Dres had an acting role. In the same year, the duo made a 12-inch [[EP]] called ''[[Redlight, Greenlight (EP)]]''. It was released two years later and was not covered by the media. Dres was featured on the second [[Handsome Boy Modeling School]] album, ''[[White People]]'', on the track "First...and Then." In 2006, the group released an [[online]]-only album ''[[8WM/Novakane]]''. ''8WM'' stands for ''Women with Women with Weed with Wine with Me''. Shortly before the album's release, Mista Lawnge left the group a second time. According to [[AllHipHop.com]], he has changed the spelling of his name to Mr. Long and is working on a solo project. According to Dres through [[MySpace]], although Lawnge was involved in the album, he is no longer with the group. Reasons for his departure were not given, but Dres says that it was amicable. Dres appeared on the '90s remix of [[Nas]]' February 2007 song "[[Where Are They Now? (song)|Where are They Now?]]" ==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" !align="left" |Album information |- |align="left"|''[[A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (album)|A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing]]'' *Released: [[October 22]] [[1991]] *[[RIAA Certification]]: Gold *Billboard 200 chart position: #30 *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #15 *Singles: "Flavor of the Month"/"Butt...In the Meantime", "The Choice is Yours (Revisited)"/"The Choice is Yours"/"Have U.N.E. Pull"/"Yes", "Strobelite Honey"/"Gimme the Finga", "Similak Child" |- |align="left"|''[[Non-Fiction (album)|Non-Fiction]]'' *Released: [[December 6]] [[1994]] *Billboard 200 chart position: #107 *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #24 *Singles: "Without a Doubt"/"We Boys", "North South East West" |- |align="left"|''[[8WM/Novakane]]'' *Released: [[October 23]] [[2006]] *Billboard 200 chart position: *R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: *Singles: "Whodat?" |} ===Singles and EPs=== * "Flavor of the Month" (1991) * "The Choice is Yours" (1991) * "Strobelite Honey" (1992) * "Similak Child" (1992) * "Without A Doubt" (1994) * "North South East West" (1995) * ''[[Redlight, Greenlight (EP)]]'' (recorded 2000, released 2002) * "Whodat?" (2006) ===Music videos=== * Black Sheep - Flavor of the Month (1991) * Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours (1991) * Black Sheep - Strobelite Honey (1992) * Vanessa Williams ft. Black Sheep - Work to Do (Remix) (1992) * Showbiz & A.G ft. Black Sheep - Bounce Ta This (1992) * Black Sheep - Similak Child (1992) * The Legion ft. Black Sheep - Jingle Jangle (1993) * Black Sheep - Without a Doubt (1994) * Black Sheep - Whodat? (2006) * Black Sheep - Novakane Groove (2007) ==External links== *[http://www.blacksheeponline.com Black Sheep official site] *[http://www.latinrapper.com/featurednews53.html Dres of Black Sheep interview] *[http://www.myspace.com/blacksheep Black Sheep on Myspace.com] *[http://www.mrlongmusic.com Mr. Long's (nee Lawnge) Solo site] *[http://halftimeonline.com/hip-hop-icon-series/black-sheep/ Last Black Sheep Interview as group] [[Category:Native Tongues Posse]] [[Category:American hip hop groups]] [[Category:African American rappers]] [[Category:Five Percenters]] [[Category:Nation of Islam]] [[Category:People from the Bronx]] [[Category:People from Queens]] [[Category:People from North Carolina]] [[de:Black Sheep (Band)]] [[es:Black Sheep]] [[fr:Black Sheep (groupe)]] [[pl:Black Sheep]]