Black Sheep's 8WM/Novakane
Shortly before the release of Black Sheep's 8WM/Novakane Mista Lawnge split from Black Sheep, leaving Dres to take the reigns. Although Lawnge's presence on the album is minimal, his departure doesn't limit Dres in providing an album that serves up the refreshing sounds of real NYC rap. The album packs smooth, easy-flowing rhymes, and catchy hooks backed by piano-driven, hand-clap beats; it makes you wonder if we’ll be seeing a Dres solo album before too long.
With old school samples from fellow New York MCs, Black Sheep pay homage to the good old days of hip hop before Southern rap stepped up to the mic. The first song, "U Mean I Don't," is a parody of today's crunk rap as well as a callback to "U Mean I'm Not," the gangsta rap parody that opens the duo's 1991 classic A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. In the update, he raps about everything he's pimping, mocking the prominence of it in much of today's rap music, ridiculously stating, "I'm pimpin' Santa Claus" and "I'm pimpin' oxygen." It sets the tone that Black Sheep are about the core aspects of rap, keeping it real in the fullest.
All joking now aside, Dres steps to the mic to get people to "bid the bullshit ado" in "Whodat?" a song driven by an energetic, jazzy loop and hard-hitting bass. Again, their commentary on current rap and hip hop is present. "Some people are based on charades/ They promenade with façades." Without coming across as old grandpas crankily "pushin' kids outta the loop," the song acts as a reflection on how the issues and concerns of mainstream rap have shifted.
"Novakane" brings to light the deeper side of Black Sheep, calling to mind their previous conscious hip hop efforts through their affiliation with the Native Tongues Posse. Thematically rooted in money-spending habits and the failure of seeing the big picture, Dres ponders the numbing effects of living in an environment with a skewed perspective of cash flow, where he comes to realize he was "chasing what I never needed." He's not down and out, however; he reflects and aims for positivity. "I get so numb and wonder where this road has taken me/ Has the world mistaken me? And has God forsaken me?/ Said it's deep down inside of me I know we can prevail."
On the flip side, "8WM," an abbreviation for "Women with Women with Weed with Wine with Me," brings the piano and horns to the forefront on this hedonistic overload. It's the album's quintessential party song, full of rapid rhymes ("I couldn't care if you wore Prada, Escada, or Dada/ My only aim is to get you and your girl in the Ramada/ You could be a prima donna, bohemian with a fro") and verses of wordplay that draw from the song's alliterative title ("I got seven senoritas sizzlin' just like fajitas.").
Fitting is the album's half-and-half title combination, as it references the two faces of this album. 8WM/Novakane gets you moving and you can party to it, but equally addresses real life issues. Its beats, themes and constantly on-point lyrical finesse are cohesive, but there's still enough variation to satisfy all your Black Sheep needs.
With old school samples from fellow New York MCs, Black Sheep pay homage to the good old days of hip hop before Southern rap stepped up to the mic. The first song, "U Mean I Don't," is a parody of today's crunk rap as well as a callback to "U Mean I'm Not," the gangsta rap parody that opens the duo's 1991 classic A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. In the update, he raps about everything he's pimping, mocking the prominence of it in much of today's rap music, ridiculously stating, "I'm pimpin' Santa Claus" and "I'm pimpin' oxygen." It sets the tone that Black Sheep are about the core aspects of rap, keeping it real in the fullest.
All joking now aside, Dres steps to the mic to get people to "bid the bullshit ado" in "Whodat?" a song driven by an energetic, jazzy loop and hard-hitting bass. Again, their commentary on current rap and hip hop is present. "Some people are based on charades/ They promenade with façades." Without coming across as old grandpas crankily "pushin' kids outta the loop," the song acts as a reflection on how the issues and concerns of mainstream rap have shifted.
"Novakane" brings to light the deeper side of Black Sheep, calling to mind their previous conscious hip hop efforts through their affiliation with the Native Tongues Posse. Thematically rooted in money-spending habits and the failure of seeing the big picture, Dres ponders the numbing effects of living in an environment with a skewed perspective of cash flow, where he comes to realize he was "chasing what I never needed." He's not down and out, however; he reflects and aims for positivity. "I get so numb and wonder where this road has taken me/ Has the world mistaken me? And has God forsaken me?/ Said it's deep down inside of me I know we can prevail."
On the flip side, "8WM," an abbreviation for "Women with Women with Weed with Wine with Me," brings the piano and horns to the forefront on this hedonistic overload. It's the album's quintessential party song, full of rapid rhymes ("I couldn't care if you wore Prada, Escada, or Dada/ My only aim is to get you and your girl in the Ramada/ You could be a prima donna, bohemian with a fro") and verses of wordplay that draw from the song's alliterative title ("I got seven senoritas sizzlin' just like fajitas.").
Fitting is the album's half-and-half title combination, as it references the two faces of this album. 8WM/Novakane gets you moving and you can party to it, but equally addresses real life issues. Its beats, themes and constantly on-point lyrical finesse are cohesive, but there's still enough variation to satisfy all your Black Sheep needs.
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