Rapper Yukmouth first surfaced as one half of the Oakland, CA-based duo the Luniz; debuting in 1995 with the album Operation Stackola, they launched a major hit with the single "I Got 5 on It." With the release of 1997's Lunitik Musik, Yukmouth re-christened himself Smoke-a-Lot, but took back his old name in time to make his solo debut a year later with Thugged Out: Albulation. Thug Lord: The New Testament and Block Shit were issued in spring 2001. United Ghettos of America appeared in 2002 and was followed two years later by a second volume. Million Dollar Mouthpiece dropped in 2008.