Search - Black Sheep :: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Try Counting Sheep

Carltouis Stevenson | Angeles Mesa, Los Angeles | 10/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Newcomers of the Native Tongue (De La Soul, Jungle Brothers & A Tribe Called Quest) family, Black Sheep drops a debut, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, with only one trait pertinent, lyrical skills. Dreaming to begin the album, off with a more comedic effort on "U Mean I'm Not" as more of a disrespect of gangster rap's street graphic tales. "La Ménage" featuring Q-Tip is a good song pertaining to sex as Dres and partner Mista Lawnge or alter ego Sugar Dick Daddy show you can't have a show without the DJ. A song with a down play of guitar chords looped with a subtle flute makes "Hoes We Knows" a standout. "Black With N.V. (No Vision)" is a different atmosphere for this album that was necessary as social issues are being confronted. This LP also contains both versions of the hit "The Choice Is Yours". Thoughtful, clever and quite funny interludes help to push this LP among such as "Are You Mad?", "L.A.S.M.", "Go To Hail" and "For Doz That Slept". One thing that kept this from being a classic is the fact that there are no original tracks besides the heavy sample of jazz tunes. For everything that wasn't mentioned about this album here's how to describe their personality and concepts: "...the doo-doo eating, vomit tasting, pee drinking, jelly doughnut making, hoe slapping, kitty cat licking, cesspool swimming, pre-marital sex having, you know the whole nine, so run for the hills and hide your hoes...""

Ba Ba Black Sheep...(4.5 Stars)

Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 06/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in 1991, The Native Tounges were known for making heavy laid back musical vibes (ATCQ: Low End Theory; De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead), so when a group called Black Sheep were added into the group, it had a much different edge to the name. Consisting of Dres who mostly did the vocals and Mista Lawnge who mostly did the production, Black Sheep would bring a humorous taste to the hip hop era in '91.



One topic that they mostly focused on inside of this album is hitting skins (a 90's term for getting some), in a humorous way, but at the same time didn't cross the line when talking about that topic, unlike the songs you hear nowadays. "Stroblite Honey", "Flavor Of The Month", and "Similak Child" (and many more) are songs about Dres running his game on the females mostly with his arrogant style as he would say to a female, trying get rid of her in the song "Stroblite Honey". Aside from pulling the feamles, Dres would come with some hard lyrics, as he would rhyme about racial and social issues in the song "Black With No N.V" that went along with the skit "Go To Hail" because a cab driver refused to take him home. "The Choice Is Yours" (both versions) come off nice and will make your head nod.



Mista Lawnge would take care of most of the production, and does a good job that gives it some of the vibes that most Native Tongue songs have. He can also spit a few rhymes at random portions of this album on tracks like "To Whom It May Concern" dissing wack rappers and producers who in need to step their skills up.



This album can be humorous also. The second track "U Mean I'm Not" will make you laugh as Dres comes at listeners with a gangstafied tone (yeah it reminds you of old Ice Cube songs). The skit L.A.S.M. will make you laugh also, as it goes along with the content that is mostly talked about throughout the album.



Guest appearances are good as Q-Tip would join in on the song "La Menage" which works well. A young pre-teen named Chi-Ali would make bried appearances in the songs "Have U.N.E. Pull" and "Pass The 40" which is good. Some unknowns named Diggety Dog and some guy named Chris (I think thats their names) on "Pass The 40" come ff decent.



Overall A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing is a good album. It reminds me of many songs I've heard on the radio when I was a child on tracks like "The Choice Is Yours (revisited)" (I was 6 when this came out). Mostly the subject matter on women would cause this to fall short of other Native Tongue albums that came out in 1991. Thats my only knock on this album, but that shouldn't stop you from adding this to your collection. I haven't heard "Non Fiction" and Dres' solo album that came out in 1999 yet, but I recommend this to people who are big fans of 90's music, mainly The Native Tongues family.



Lyrics: A-

Production: B+

Musical Vibes: A-

Guest Appearances: B+

Overall: A-"

I said latah man!!!!

D. L. Adger | Philadelphia | 04/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you know that catchphrase, then more than likely you are already up on Black Sheep and really don't need to hear me tell you how dope and ahead of their time the two man crew from NY by way of "North Cackalack" were. As members of the "Native Tongue" collective, featuring The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest, the self described outsiders of the crew, blessed themselves with the moniker Black Sheep to further certify their oddball point of view. This move aside, the music was as dope as anything the JB'S or Tribe put out themselves. "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" was damn near groundbreaking in the sense that it was far left of what dominated the hip-hop landscape at the time. Incredulous beats crafted by totally underrated Mr. Lawnge coupled with clever, "can't see me" lyrics from Dres were all over tracks like "Similak Child", "Gimme The Finga", "Try Counting Sheep". I first saw these cats in the video for "Flavor Of The Month" and knew they were bringing that different fire. Their impact is still heard right now in the game. Dres' arrogance can be heard in scores of underground MCs'. and you can still hear the classic "The Choice Is Yours" in many a club. The Sheep were true innovaters, and it's a shame they didn't stick around as long as other less talented acts did. Oh, and peep the very telling intro "You Mean I'm Not" which lampooned the landscape of gangsta rap that was major at that time. Dres' yelling delivery ala Ice Cube with a NY accent gave it away off the bat! Cop this album for a blast of timeless classic 90's era hip-hop. And as a pre-teen pre-felony Chi Ali says "Pass The 40 cause my moms ain't lookin""