Sublime was an American ska punk and alternative rock band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Eric Wilson (bass) and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Michael 'Miguel' Happoldt and Marshall Goodman "Ras MG" contributed to and co-wrote several Sublime songs. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996. In 1997, posthumous songs such as "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.

Sublime released three studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums (one of which also contains never-before released material), three EPs and one box set. Although their first two albums—40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin' the Hood (1994)—were quite popular in the United States, Sublime did not experience major commercial success until 1996 with their self-titled third album, released two months after Nowell's death, which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "What I Got", which remains the band's only number one hit single (on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart) in their musical career. As of 2009, the band has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, including about 10 million in the U.S. alone.