Conscious Queens hip-hop duo, Black Sheep (Andres “Dres” Titus and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean) haven’t made much noise since their definitive album Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing topped the charts in 1992. (The follow-up, 1994’s Nonfiction, tanked critically and commercially.) But the pair proved they’re ready for a comeback at their gig last night at NYC restaurant/club Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction, during which they previewed songs from their forthcoming, digital-only release, 8WM/Novakane (available October 24th). Attacking the stage with a spitfire of a cappella freestyles, Dres treated the crowd to a skillful mix of old tracks and fresh-cut rhymes that recalled the duo’s glory days. Much of the newer stuff contains the purified melodies and plain-spoken lyrics of the Sheep’s Clothing era.

A good three quarters of the set was stripped-down: Just Dres emceeing with bursts of DJ samples and occasional contributions from a four-piece band. But things got pleasantly hectic when the rapper invited some of his old-school heroes onstage. Boogie Down Bronx emcee Jus Ice joined Dres for a version of the 80’s hit “Latoya.” “[This is] the type of shit that I was listening to that made me want to pick up a pen and start writing,” Dres told the crowd.

The Sheep closed the show with their ‘92 classic, “The Choice is Yours” — about as close to a sure thing as you can get in hip-hop when it comes to making a crowd happy. We caught up with him for a post-show recap: ” I want to do something that matters, that lives on. It’s definitely hip-hop in it’s purest form.”