With each leak from Dres' From The Black Pool of Genius, he proves that age ain't nothing but a number and not all elder rappers lose the capacity to rhyme with the elite.
He was “Forever Luvlee” last year on his From the Black Pool of Genius: The Prelude EP, which caught a few ears, but I worry people are still doubting the power of a Dres comeback. For all those nostalgic heads – and there's a million of you, I've read the message boards – Dres' full length should warm your cold hearts (no homo).
It's time to stop holding out for a Q-Tip solo that sounds like his '90s production and embrace Dres, who is tastefully infusing the later sounds of the Native Tongues into his current project. “Party Tonight” (featuring Jean Grae) feels a little like a return to Stakes Is High with its soulful guitar melody line. Dres impresses on the second verse with a flawless Posdnous-like delivery of “I'm only tryin' to party tonight / I ain't sprung / Elated, I'm a product that be native to the tongue / Related, I'm the object that equated to the sun / Just trying to seize the words to the song you ain't sung.”
Of course, Dres outdoes himself with “Birds Of A Feather” by actually reuniting the Native Tongues on record with verses from Q-Tip, Dave (Trugoy, Dove, Plug Two) of De La Soul and Mike Gee of Jungle Brothers. We can only hope that this is the beginning of several collaborative efforts between the Native Tongues crew.
From The Black Pool of Genius is out June 29.
Black Sheep, “Party Tonight” (Feat. Jean Grae)
Black Sheep, “Birds Of A Feather” (Feat. Q-Tip, Dave and Mike Gee)
