Lyfe Jennings

Lyfe Jennings (born Chester Jennings in Toledo, Ohio in 1978) is a platinum-selling African American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. He is in a group called Natural Born Killers with Nyce & KG, who are signed to Infamous Records.

Early life

Lyfe started his musical career as a young boy in a church in Toledo, OH. His love for music led him to join a group that included two of his cousins and his older brother. After splitting Lyfe continued his interest in music. As stated in the song "Ghetto Superman" The Phoenix, Lyfe lost his father at an early age. In 1992, at the age of 14 Lyfe went to jail.

Time behind bars

In 1992, Lyfe Jennings went to jail for arson. As Lyfe refers to many times in his music, while in jail he turned his life around. Lyfe continued to write music and rekindle his faith in God. Lyfe served a little over 10 years behind bars.

Life after jail

Lyfe found his true love for music again while serving time in prison. "Deeper situations tend to lead to deeper music and prison was one of those deeper situations. (Music) gave me an opportunity to express emotions in an unemotional environment." He began to play the guitar, sing, write and even started a music program in the Ohio institution. Upon his December 2002 release he began seriously pursuing his solo career. He spent his 2nd day of freedom recording a 4 song cd and the 3rd day performing at a club.

By January 2003, Lyfe had showcased his talent to a nation-wide audience on "Showtime In Harlem" (The Apollo). He received a standing ovation for his acoustic performance of original material, and made his mark by winning the amateur competition five times. "I felt blessed just knowing that at least somebody appreciated my struggle, my experience and my life." During his success at the Apollo, Lyfe began to independently sell his EP "What Is Love". Two songs from the EP, "What Is Love" & "She Got Kids" , garnered regular spins at local radio, which aided in the sale of thousands of EP's. To add to Lyfe's success, calls began to pour in from countless agents, promoters and record labels, which prompted the Ohio native to move to NYC to make his dream come true. Soon after Lyfe arrived in New York, he wrote and co-produced a song for a major label, made a cameo in a music video, appeared in publications and performed many solo shows and opening acts for major recording artists, including the most memorable opener in front of a sold out crowd @ Radio City Music Hall for Hip-Hop star Nelly, and his spontaneous serenade to New Yorkers during the October 14th blackout @ The Cafeteria in Chelsea. Other noteworthy venues and events include 2003 NBA All-Star events, NAACP Convention where he performed "Thank God for the NAACP" (an anthem he wrote for the organization), world famous B.B. King's Lounge & Grill, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tennessee State University and a host of clubs and schools.

After much success with his debut, Lyfe begin to work on his second album. Lyfe became a mainstream artist and it showed with the well known producers and features that he had on his album. The name The Phoenix, refers to the Greek mythology Phoenix, symbolizing a rebirth, resurrection, or renewal. The anticipation of his new album led to many TV appearances, including Good Morning America. He is a good friend of Young Buck. Buck appeared on Lyfe's album on a song called "Slow Down" and in return, he appeared on Young Buck's album "Buck the World" on self-titled song.

According to Lyfe's myspace page, he has a new album dropping Fall 2007.

He will also be featured on Bizzy Bone's new album, A Song For You, due late 2007.

Discography

Albums

• 2004: Lyfe 268-192
• 2006: The Phoenix
• 2007: TBA

Singles

Year	Song	Top 100	U.S. R&B	UK Singles	Album
2005	"Must Be Nice"	38	5	-	Lyfe 268-192
2006	"Hypothetically" (featuring Fantasia)	-	38	-	Lyfe 268-192 (Special Edition)
2006	"S.E.X." (featuring LaLa Brown)	37	3	-	The Phoenix
2006	"Let's Stay Together"	-	32	-	The Phoenix

Featured singles

Year	Song	U.S. Hot 100	U.S. R&B	UK Singles	Album
2004	"Cold Outside" (Jin featuring Lyfe Jennings)	-	N/A	-	The Rest Is History
2006	"Freeze" (LL Cool J featuring Lyfe Jennings)	-	65	-	Todd Smith
2006	"It's My Time" (Rick Ross featuring Lyfe Jennings)	-	-	-	Port Of Miami
2006	"Tell Tell Tell (Stop Snitchin')" (Project Pat featuring Lyfe Jennings & Young Jeezy)	-		-	Crook by da Book: The Fed Story
2007	"Ghetto Mindstate" (Lil Flip featuring Lyfe Jennings)	-	64	-	I Need Mine
2007	"Buck The World" (Young Buck featuring Lyfe Jennings)	-	-	-	Buck The World

External links

• Official site
• Lyfe's Yahoo! Music profile
• Lyfe's VH1 Profile