The Luniz
The Luniz biography and discography: Oakland’s Yukmouth and Numskull, C-Note Records, Operation Stackola, “I Got 5 on It” and its Bay Ballas Remix, and Lunitik Muzik.
Oakland originals
The Luniz are Oakland's Yukmouth and Numskull, who formed the duo in 1992. Numskull had already made his mark at 18 on Dru Down's Fools from the Streets, and the pair became the flagship act of C-Note Records.
“I Got 5 on It”
Their debut, Operation Stackola (1995), released through Noo Trybe and Virgin, went to No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart and was certified platinum. Its single “I Got 5 on It,” produced by Tone Capone with Michael Marshall singing the hook, reached No. 8 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 in the UK. The Bay Ballas Remix gathered Dru Down, E-40, Shock G as Humpty Hump, Richie Rich and Spice 1, a snapshot of the whole Bay on one record. “Playa Hata” followed.
After Stackola
Lunitik Muzik (1997) reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200, with Raphael Saadiq, Redman, E-40, Too $hort and 8Ball & MJG. Yukmouth went solo with the gold double album Thugged Out: The Albulation (1998), started Smoke-A-Lot Records and formed Thug Lordz with C-Bo. The duo released Silver & Black on Rap-A-Lot in 2002 and reunited in 2015.
Legacy
“I Got 5 on It” never went away. Jordan Peele built a key scene of his 2019 film Us around it, with an eerie orchestral version on the soundtrack, introducing the song to a new generation.
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