Rock the flock

>> Dres of NYC’s Black Sheep on old
alliances and new directions

SHEARS, MATE: Dres of Black Sheep

by SCOTT C

Any lover of true-school hip hop will have a story about the first time they got wild to Black Sheep’s “The Choice Is Yours.” In the club, in your car, in your cousin’s basement, Dres and Mista Lawnge had you jumping around a full year before House of Pain even came along. Now a solo artist still repping Black Sheep, Dres joins forces with the Sneaker Pimps Tour to promote his new album, 8WM/Novakane.

Mirror: How did you end up a solo artist who still carries the Black Sheep name?

Dres: After the second album, Mercury Records got bought out and Universal stepped in and bought Polygram, and even internally, we were going through some things. Just coming into our own as men, our relationship was taking a different turn, as far as who we were growing up to be. It felt like it wasn’t what I had signed up for, more or less, and that it would be in my best interest to step away. I remember doing shows back in the day where it was Biggie, Tupac and us, and I felt like, “Wow, I don’t even really have to be here.” Stepping away was probably the best thing I could have done, personally.

Me and Lawnge decided to get back together around 2000, but it just seemed like we were two totally different people and had different ideals as far as what we were trying to do musically. The project that I just did was supposed to be the both of us, but I ended up wishing him all the best.

M: The whole idea of a Native Tongues reunion, or some sort of collaborative project—do you think it will ever actually happen?

D: If there’s a Native Tongues reunion, then me and Lawnge are back together (laughs). It’s that simple. I think this is gonna be the year that everybody gets on the same page, and in my personal opinion, times are changing, and the windows of opportunity are growing smaller. Cats are getting older and they’re realizing their own mortality. We made all these records about empowerment and unity and moving together as a cohesive community, but we weren’t able to do that as a microcosm, so I think the pressure is kind of on us at the moment.

At the Sneaker Pimps Montreal
at le Studio on Saturday,
Feb. 9, 9 p.m., $12