Black Sheep (group)

Black Sheep

Company type	Hip hop duo
Industry	Music, hip hop
Founded	1989
Founder	William "Mista Lawnge" McLean
Headquarters	Queens , United States
Area served	United States
Products	Hip hop music, albums, singles

Black Sheep is a hip hop duo originating from Queens, New York, consisting of Andres "Dres" Vargas Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean. The pair first connected as adolescents after their families moved to Sanford, North Carolina. They were affiliated with the Native Tongues collective, which included groups such as the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. Established in 1989, Black Sheep made their debut in 1991 with the popular track "Flavor of the Month" and released their initial album, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, which was praised for its distinctive beats and thoughtful lyrics. The duo parted ways in 1995 following creative disagreements.

Formation and early years (1989–1995)

William "Mista Lawnge" McLean founded Black Sheep in 1989. While performing as a DJ in New York, McLean encountered Mike Gee from the Jungle Brothers and DJ Red Alert, who motivated him to start a group. He then brought in Dres, a childhood friend from North Carolina. Black Sheep holds the distinction of being the first hip-hop act to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after Johnny Carson's departure. Their initial recorded contribution was on De La Soul's 1991 album De La Soul Is Dead, where Dres appeared on the track "Fanatic of the B Word".

Their debut album, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, produced several entries on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1992, including "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" reaching No. 9 and "Strobelite Honey" hitting No. 1. Additionally, they participated in a remix of Vanessa Williams' single "Work to Do", which peaked at No. 8. Supported by Mercury/PolyGram, Dres established a boutique label named One Love, distributed via PolyGram's Independent Label Sales division. This label released only one full-length project: Legion's Theme + Echo = Krill in 1994.

Their sophomore album, Non-Fiction, launched later that year but suffered from inadequate marketing and lukewarm critical response, leading to disappointing sales figures. Shortly afterward, the duo dissolved.

Post-breakup activities

Dres contributed to the second Handsome Boy Modeling School album White People on the track "First...and Then." In 2006, Dres issued an online-only album titled 8WM/Novakane under the Black Sheep name without Mista Lawnge's involvement; "8WM" stands for Women with Women with Weed with Wine with Me. That same year, Mista Lawnge adopted the moniker Mr Long and released a mixtape called The Class of 89. Dres also appeared on the 1990s remix of Nas' February 2007 single "Where are They Now?."

In 2008, "The Choice is Yours (Revisited)" was ranked number 74 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs and was featured in a 2010 commercial for the Kia Soul.

Studio albums

Compilation of studio albums, including notable chart rankings and certifications

Album Title	Album Information	Highest Chart Positions		Certifications
		US	US R&B /HH
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing	Release date: October 22, 1991 Record label: Mercury Available formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming	30	15	RIAA: Gold
Non-Fiction	Release date: December 6, 1994 Record label: Mercury/PolyGram Available formats: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streaming	107	14
8WM/Novakane	Release date: October 24, 2006 Record label: Bumrush Available formats: CD, digital download, streaming	—	—
From the Black Pool of Genius	Release date: June 29, 2010 Record label: Bumrush Available formats: CD, digital download, streaming	—	—
Tortured Soul	Release date: August 17, 2018 Record label: X-Ray Available formats: CD, digital download, streaming	—	—
"—" indicates albums that did not chart or were not issued in the specified region.

As lead artist

Selection of singles featuring peak chart rankings

Single Title	Release Year	Highest Chart Positions Achieved					Associated Album
		US	US Dance	US R&B	US Rap	UK
"Try Counting Sheep"	1991	—	—	—	—	—	A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
"Flavor of the Month"		—	—	—	2	—
"The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)"		57	6	21	1	—	Stay Tuned (soundtrack) / A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
"Strobelite Honey"		80	1	36	5	—
"Similak Child"	1992	—	—	—	—	—	'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'
"Without a Doubt"	1994	90	87	—	63	60	'Non-Fiction'
"North, South, East, West"	"1995"	"—"	"—"	"56"	"—"	"—"	'Non-Fiction'
"We Turn It" (featuring Doug E. Fresh)	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"Why, Why, Why"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"
"Can't Shake Us" (featuring Special K)	"2002"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	'Non-album single'
"Snakes of the World Today"	"2018"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	'The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Deluxe Edition)'
"Hey Young World (Demo)"	"2019"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	'The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Deluxe Edition)'
"Midas Touch"	"2019"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	'Non-album single'
"Can't Dance To a Track That Ain't Got No Soul"	"2019"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	"—"	'Non-album single'

• The symbol "—" indicates singles that did not enter charts or were unavailable in those markets.

Albums

Album details
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Release date: October 22, 1991 Certified Gold by RIAA Certification Peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 Reached No. 15 on R&B/Hip-Hop charts Notable 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"
Non-Fiction Release date: December 6, 1994 Billboard 200 peak position: No. 107 Ranked No. 24 on R&B/Hip-Hop charts Singles released: "Without a Doubt"/"We Boys", "North South East West"
8WM/Novakane Release date: October 23, 2006
From the Black Pool of Genius Release date: June 29, 2010
Tortured Soul Release date: August 10, 2018

Singles and EPs

• "Flavor of the Month" (1991)
• Remix of "Flash's theme" included on the September 1991 reissue of Flash Gordon
• "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" (October 1991)
  • Covered by various artists such as Trik Turner, Bloodhound Gang, and Deftones
  • Featured in the 2010 Kia Soul advertisement titled "Rapping Hamsters"
• "Strobelite Honey" (1992)
• "Similak Child" (1992)
• "Without a Doubt" (1994)
• "North South East West" (1995)
• Redlight, Greenlight (EP) recorded in 2000 and released in 2002

Music videos

• "Flavor of the Month" (1991)
• "The Choice Is Yours" (1991)
• "Strobelite Honey" (1992)
• Vanessa Williams featuring Black Sheep – "Work to Do" Remix (1992)
• Showbiz & A.G. featuring Black Sheep – "Bounce Ta This" (1992)
• "Similak Child" (1992)
• Flavor Unit featuring Dres – "Rollin' wit da Flava" (1993)
• The Legion featuring Dres – "Jingle Jangle" (1993)
• "Without a Doubt" (1994)