A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Black Sheep album)

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Studio album by
Black Sheep
ReleasedOctober 22, 1991 (1991-10-22)
RecordedNovember 1990 – August 1991
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length70:40
LabelMercury
Producer
  • Lisa Cortes (exec.)
  • Dave Gossett (exec.)
  • William McLean
  • Dres
Black Sheep chronology
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
(1991) 		Non-Fiction
(1994)
Singles from A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
  1. "Flavor of the Month"
    Released: September 23, 1991
  2. "The Choice Is Yours"
    Released: October 29, 1991
  3. "Strobelite Honey"
    Released: December 28, 1991
  4. "Similak Child"
    Released: March 3, 1992

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is the debut studio album from American hip hop group Black Sheep, released October 22, 1991, on Mercury Records.

The album peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. By April 1992, it was certified gold in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA[2]
RapReviews7/10[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
The Village Voice(choice cut)[5]

The album peaked at thirty on the U.S. Billboard 200[6] and reached the fifteenth spot on the R&B Albums chart.[7] It was certified gold in April 1992.[8]

John Bush of AllMusic called the album "playfully satirical, witty, and incredibly imaginative," and stated that "Black Sheep hit a height with their debut that few hip-hop acts would ever reach."[1]

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums Ever.[9]

Track listing

All music is composed by W. McLean and A. Titus except where noted

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Intro" 0:49
2."U Mean I'm Not" 1:25
3."Butt... In the Meantime" 4:13
4."Have U.N.E. Pull" 3:48
5."Strobelite Honey" 3:05
6."Are You Mad?" 0:43
7."The Choice Is Yours" 3:23
8."To Whom It May Concern" 4:04
9."Similak Child" 4:27
10."Try Counting Sheep"Cornelius Grant, Edward Holland, Jr., McLean, Titus, Cornelius Whitfield4:24
11."Flavor of the Month" 4:17
12."La Menage" (feat. Q-Tip)McLean, Q-Tip, Titus3:23
13."L.A.S.M."McLean, Jennifer Perry, Titus, Gwen Watts2:12
14."Gimme the Finga" 4:25
15."Hoes We Knows" 4:20
16."Go to Hail" 1:02
17."Black with N.V. (No Vision)" 3:56
18."Pass the 40" (feat. Chi-Ali)Chi-Ali, Dave Gossett, Joe Jones, Clifton Lighty, McLean, Titus4:46
19."Blunted 10" 1:56
20."For Doz That Slept"Jackson, Klein, McLean, Titus2:39
21."The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" 4:03
22."Yes" 3:20

Chart history

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[12]
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Dance Music/Club Play Singles U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks U.S. Hot Rap Singles
1991 "Flavor of the Month" — — 18 — 2
"The Choice Is Yours" 57 9 6 21 1
"Strobelite Honey" 80 1 4 — 5
1992 "Similak Child" — — 44 — —

Personnel

Recording credits based on information from AllMusic:[13]

  • William McLean, Andre Titus – arranging & production
  • Lisle Leete – engineering
  • Lisa Cortes, Dave Gossett – executive production
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Gregg Mann, W. McLean, A. Titus – mixing
  • Angelique Bellamny – vocals
  • Chi-Ali – vocals (background)

References

  1. ^ a b Bush, John. "allmusic ((( A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing > Review )))". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  2. ^ Bernard, James (April 10, 1992). "MUSIC REVIEW – A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (1992) – Black Sheep". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  3. ^ Fatboy, DJ. "Black Sheep :: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing :: Mercury". RapReviews.com. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  4. ^ McLeod, Kembrew (2004). "Black Sheep". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 79. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert (June 2, 1992). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Black Sheep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Black Sheep Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 24, 2010 : Search Results – Black Sheep". RIAA. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  9. ^ "100 Best Rap Albums". The Source. New York (100). January 1998. ISSN 1063-2085. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  12. ^ "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing § Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing § Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2017.