Black Sheep is an American hip hop duo from

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States, composed of Andres "Dres" Vargas Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. The duo was from New York but met as teenagers in

Sanford, North Carolina Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 30,261 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lee County. History Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroad civil engineer i ...

, where both of their families relocated. The group was part of the

Native Tongues The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal me ...

collective, which included the

Jungle Brothers Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam), and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Known as the pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hip ...

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, and

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

. After getting together in 1989, Black Sheep debuted in 1991 with the hit song "Flavor of the Month" and later released its first 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, often humorous lyrics. After six years together, Black Sheep disbanded in 1995, citing creative differences.

Biography

Initial career and break up (1989–1995)

Black Sheep was formed in 1989 by Andres "Dres" Vargas Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. While working as a DJ in New York, McLean met Mike Gee of the

and

DJ Red Alert Frederick Crute (born November 27, 1956), known professionally as Kool DJ Red Alert, is an American disc jockey who rose to fame on WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM in New York City and is recognized as one of the founding fathers of hip hop music and cultur ...

, who encouraged him to start his own hip hop group. He recruited Dres, who he had grown up with in North Carolina. Black Sheep was the first hip-hop act to appear on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' after the departure of

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...

. Their first official appearance as Black Sheep was on

's 1991 album ''

De La Soul Is Dead ''De La Soul Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on ''3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album wa ...

''. Dres was featured on the track "Fanatic of the B Word". '' A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'' charted three times on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart in 1992 with "

The Choice Is Yours (Revisited) "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" is a song by the Native Tongues affiliate Black Sheep, from their debut album '' A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing''. It was released in October 1991 as the second single from the album. The song quotes the Roger Mil ...

" (#9), and " Strobelite Honey" (#1). Black Sheep was also featured on the

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...

's single "Work to Do" (#8). The group's relationship with its label, Mercury/PolyGram, allowed Dres to establish a boutique label through which he could sign his 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 Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

'', was released later that year. Because of virtually no promotion and a generally poor reception, the album managed only lackluster sales. Black Sheep broke up shortly after its release.

Aftermath

Dres was featured on the second

Handsome Boy Modeling School Handsome Boy Modeling School is an American collaborative project between hip hop producers Dan the Automator ( Gorillaz, Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030) and Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz). The collaboration originally lasted ...

album ''

White People White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

'', on the track "First...and Then." In 2006, Dres released an

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

-only album titled '' 8WM/Novakane'', under the name Black Sheep, but with Lawnge only appearing on a few tracks on the album. ''8WM'' stands for ''Women with Women with Weed with Wine with Me''. According to a 2006 article on AllHipHop.com, Mista Lawnge changed the spelling of his name to Mista Long. He also released a mixtape called ''The Class of 89'' in 2006. Dres appeared on the 1990s remix of

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

' February 2007 song " Where are They Now?" In 2008, the single "

The Choice is Yours (Revisited) "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" is a song by the Native Tongues affiliate Black Sheep, from their debut album '' A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing''. It was released in October 1991 as the second single from the album. The song quotes the Roger Mil ...

" was ranked number #73 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs. The song was featured in a commercial for the 2010

Kia Soul The Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed worldwide by Kia, currently in its third generation. Designed at Kia's design center in California, the Soul debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show and is manufactured in South Ko ...

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

* "Flavor of the Month" (1991) * "Flash's theme (remix)" on ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

'' reissue (Sept 1991) * "

" (Oct 1991) **covered by several artists including Trik Turner,

Bloodhound Gang The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career pro ...

, and the

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...

**(Used in the 2010 Kia Soul "Rapping Hamsters" commercial) * "Strobelite Honey" (1992) * "Similak Child" (1992) * "Without a Doubt" (1994) * "North South East West" (1995) * ''Redlight, Greenlight'' (EP) (recorded 2000, released 2002)

Music videos

* Black Sheep - "Flavor of the Month" (1991) * Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours" (1991) * Black Sheep - "Strobelite Honey" (1992) *

ft. Black Sheep - "

Work to Do "Work to Do" is a 1972 funk song by the Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The song, written and produced by the group, was issued on their 1972 album, '' Brother, Brother, Brother'', and charted at #51 pop and #11 R&B upon its ...

(Remix)" (1992) * Showbiz & A.G ft. Black Sheep - "Bounce Ta This" (1992) * Black Sheep - "Similak Child" (1992) * The Legion featuring Dres - "Jingle Jangle" (1993) * Black Sheep - "Without a Doubt" (1994) * Black Sheep - "Work to Do"

References

External links

Dres of Black Sheep interviewDres of Black Sheep on Myspace.comMr. Long's (formerly Mista Lawnge) Solo site

Last Black Sheep Interview as group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Sheep American musical duos Hip hop duos Hip hop groups from New York City Mercury Records artists Musical groups from North Carolina Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Native Tongues Posse People from Sanford, North Carolina