The LBC is back on the map with a new beginning. It has been over a decade since Long Beach, California, natives Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound burst onto the scene, selling millions of albums. Young Lyfe is here to reestablish Long Beach's place in hip-hop music, and there is no better candidate, for he grew up around those that first made it happen. Born William Landrum, Young Lyfe did not have an easy childhood, living with his mother who was addicted to Valium. Her addiction made her too lethargic to work, resulting in frequent evictions and sometimes living out of a car. At fifteen, William was fed up. He packed all of his belongings into a trash bag, walked to a pay phone, and called his father. He lived with his dad for the remainder of his youth. In 1988 William fell in love with rap music after hearing Eazy E's first single, and he was inspired to pick up the mic. He sent Ruthless Records a demo, but never heard from them. To William's dismay, about a year later J.J. Fad came out using that exact style, indicating William was already ahead of his time. William's long time comrade, the late Radio, mentored William, advising him not to quit and encouraging him to improve. William remains grateful to Radio for being the first rapper to put it down for the LBC. In 1996 William's father started Low Life Records after learning William and his sister Kola Loc (later of Doggy's Angels fame) were serious about rapping. William chose the stage name Young Lyfe, a variation of his father's nickname, Big Low Life. Their studio was located next door to the infamous VIP Records in Long Beach. Big Low Life gathered young, fresh artists from the LBC and mixed them with veterans from Tha Dogg Pound and their affiliates to put together a compilation. Shortly before the album was completed, the studio was robbed of everything, including the compilation masters. Young Lyfe was devastated, but nothing was going to stop his dream. Low Life Records remade the compilation, calling it "Escape from Death Row." The title is a not-so-subtle reference to many of the guest artists' former work with Death Row Records. This was Young Lyfe's first appearance on a major release. It hit stores in 1999 on Low Life/Private I/Universal Records. Although the compilation had the streets buzzing, it was not a financial success, in part due to label problems. Low Life Records folded soon after. Young Lyfe and his father then moved to Portland, Oregon. There was a lull in Young Lyfe's career until 2004, when he joined Paperchase Records and began work on his debut solo album entitled, "Real Lyfe." Young Lyfe intends to bring the LBC back to the mainstream and knew the only way that would happen is if he got back together with the originators of the Long Beach sound. It was just like the old days when Soopafly, Daz, Lil' ½ Dead, Bad Azz, Goldie Loc, Jellyroll, and sister Kola Loc collaborated with Young Lyfe on his new project. Daz produced the smash single, "Bounce With Me," a club track with a dirty south flavor. Other contributors include controversial rappers Tha Realest and Kam. Young Lyfe describes his style as neither gangsta rap nor political hip-hop, but a style that is a happy medium between the two. His main goal was to create an LP that people can listen to without wanting to skip any songs. As Young Lyfe describes it, "Something you can ride and party to and not have to touch the player once." With Universal Records backing Paperchase, it appears that Young Lyfe has a blueprint for success in "Real Lyfe."