Perpetrators and haters beware: one of the original thugs, Yukmouth, is returning to the fray with a banging new album, Thug Lord: The New Testament, a collection that finally let's the world know who the true leaders of thug life are.

"Everybody's thuggin' on wax," observes Yukmouth. "To be the epitome of thuggin', I came with the Thug Lord thing. Also, making music is a spiritual thing to me. You need God. So it's... Me and God, the thug and the Lord, together on the album."

Thug Lord: The New Testament arrives two years after Yukmouth set the West Coast on fire with his 1998 double CD, Thugged Out: The Albulation, and his incendiary tribute to Tupac Shakur, "Still Ballin'," with 'Pac's famed side clique, the Outlawz.

The success of that single, however, led more than a few haters to accuse Yukmouth of trying to be the next Tupac. Yukmouth addresses the controversy on "We Gone Ride," a reunion with the Outlawz produced by Rick Rock. "Niggas think I act like 'Pac/Bitch nigga I don't rap like 'Pac/I just get dap like 'Pac/Bring the West back like 'Pac."

"A lot of people say that because I'm thuggin', and I'm the closest movement," to Tupac's influential "Thug Life" agenda, says Yukmouth. "I had to put that out there. I don't sound like 'Pac, I'm just keeping the movement alive. That's all."

"'Pac is a big influence for me, along with Biggie, all of them, just for being young black entrepreneurs that made it out of the gutter."

One track from Thug Lord: The New Testament to look out for, "Clap Yo Hands," is already working the streets harder than a bag of stress; an equally potent second salvo to be aware of, the raucous "Ooh Ooh," is soon to follow. Both should distinguish Thug Lord: The New Testament's gangsta boogie from its more contemplative predecessor. "Last album, I had a lot of storytelling, basically letting people know who Yukmouth is," says the rap veteran of Thugged Out: The Albulation. "Now that I got that off my chest, I can go back to making songs for the people."

In addition to the Outlawz, Yukmouth assembles a gallery of hardcore rap veterans on Thug Lord: The New Testament, including C-BO and Phats Bossi ("Do It Right"), Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and Kokane ("So Ignorant") and CJ Mac ("Smile").

Also returning is the R