Black Sheep

One can look back on the early Nineties Native Tongues hip-hop movement much like one would regard the Miami Heat roster these days: Y’know, ya got Shaq and Dwyane leading the way, and then a bunch of solid, sporadically sensational role players coming in for a while and then departing into the NBA ether (otherwise known as the Golden State Warriors). Similarly, while De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were the bona fide all-stars, other like-minded acts such as Digable Planets, Arrested Development, Das EFX, and the Pharcyde pretty much hit it, then quit it. Black Sheep — the duo of Dres and Mr. Lawnge — scored big with its brilliant 1991 debut, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, and then disappeared after a follow-up album tanked. But now the two have reunited — buoyed by their playful party jam “The Choice Is Yours” soundtracking a JC Penney commercial — and they’re putting the wraps on a new album, 8WM, so you’ll hear material new and old. It should be exciting — like Voshon Lenard coming back to drain some threes in the clutch.