Born Joey Pieper in St. Louis, Missouri, MC Yak Boy Fresh was mentored by Nelly associate and St. Lunatics member Ali. Ali considered adding the then-nine-year-old rapper as a Lunatics associate, but with member Nelly ready for superstardom, the too young Fresh was left to develop. By the time he hit his early twenties, regular gigs around St. Louis earned him a loyal following, while opening shows for Tech N9ne, Machine Gun Kelly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and other national acts helped spread the word. Ali then returned and signed the MC to his Derrty Entertainment, and in 2014, he released the Life on the Road album on the Outfit Music Group. T.I.E. (Timing Is Everything) followed in 2015 and included the single "Roll Up & Smoke" featuring Murphy Lee. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi