Latif (singer-songwriter)

Latif
Background information
Birth name	Corey Latif Williams
Genres	Soul, Contemporary R&B, Hip-hop, Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Actor
Instruments	Vocals, Piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Universal Motown Records & H.U.R.L.

Corey Latif Williams, also known as simply Latif, is an American R&B singer and Grammy nominated songwriter.^[1] He was the winner of Teen People's Who's Next contest. He was a mentee of Teddy Pendergrass. He was once signed to Universal Motown Records.

Biography

Latif was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His early passion for music came mainly from his parents, who, ironically, were not musically-inclined. This passion for music developed into an interest in singing. A close friend of Latif's family, Teddy Pendergrass, served as a mentor for the young budding artist. It was this mentorship that taught Latif how to "deliver" songs. This relationship was nurtured by Latif being taken along with Teddy to various interviews and appearances. It was this that led to Latif being noticed by the daughter of a label executive. Which brought about his first recording contract with Sony/550.^[2]

Latif was given a demo deal, which helped him hone his writing skills, and gave him knowledge about the recording process. Latif's vocals were featured in a highly popular commercial for a local bank.

In 2001, the buzz from winning the competition was enough to draw the eye of Kedar Massenburg. This actually worked out well for Latif, because the "taste of spotlight" from the performance convinced him to tell his parents that he did not want to go back to Berklee College of Music. He wanted work on his music full-time. His mother gave him one semester to prove himself, or he had to go back to school. Massenburg became interested in Latif, and signed him to Universal Motown Records.^[2]

Latif's debut album on Universal Motown was called Love in the First. Only one single, "I Don't Wanna Hurt You" was released. It was mainly written by Latif, with production by Ryan Leslie, Bryan-Michael Cox, Adonis Shropshire, Greg Charley, Andy C, Teddy Bishop, Mechalie Jamison, D "French" Spencer, and Sean Garrett. Due to poor promotion, the album did not do well.

Latif is no longer signed to Universal Motown Records. He has garnered a large fanbase overseas. One song that may be attributed to his international popularity is "U Think U Know". He has also continued to write for other artists, such as JoJo, Cassie, The Roots, Jim Jones, Lil Scrappy, Tiffany Evans, Frankie J, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Cheri Dennis, and Musiq Soulchild to name a few. He has signed a co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG).

Discography

Singles

• "I Don't Wanna Hurt You" (2003)
• "Think U Know" (2006)
• "Promise Me" (2010)
• "Don't Wanna Be" (2010)
• "One Kiss" (2011)
• "Crazy Love" (2011)
• "Above & Beyond" (2012)
• "Deejay" (2015)
• "More Than Perfect" (2016)

Albums

• Love in the First (2003)
• Love Is Love (2010)
• Love Life (2011)
• IV Love (2013)
• Love Language (2016)

EPs

• Philadelphia Healing (2012)
• Dealing Wit Life (TBA)

Mixtapes

• Breath of Fresh Air (2010)
• LATIF - The Leaks - H.U.R.L. & Love Songs Vol. 1 (2011)

Unreleased tracks & Leaks

• "B4 & After" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "It's Killin' Me"
• "Last Year/This Year" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "No Mystery" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Ridah" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Slo Roc"
• "Things Ain't the Same" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Where Did the Love Go?" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Fix That"
• "My Dove" (Produced by Stargate)
• "It's Over Now"
• "Set It Off"
• "Actin' Crazy"
• "I Got Her" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Stop Sayin'" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "What's da Deal" (produced by Ryan Leslie)
• "Ride On"
• "Play"
• "Pretty Pink"
• "Ur Tha 1"
• "So Cold"
• "Anything 4 Ya Love"
• "Feel Good"
• "All I Never Wanted" (produced by Stargate)
• "So Real" (produced by Stargate)
• "Do Ya?"
• "Look" (produced by The Runners)
• "Love or Lust"
• "How Bizarre"
• "I Can Make Ya..."
• "Lately"
• "Brain Freeze"
• "Clouds"
• "Forever and a Day"
• "Listen"
• "E.F.F. Love"
• "Reason Why Ur 1st"
• "Rocket Science"
• "Never Looked Back"
• "Juices"
• "Nowhere" (produced by Hit-Boy)
• "Camera Shy" (produced by Soulshock & Karlin)
• "Wasteland" (produced by Harvey Mason, Jr.)
• "I Won't Let You Go"
• "Kiddin' Me"
• "For The Sake of Love" (produced by Just Blaze)

Features

• - * hooks written by Latif

Selected Writer Credits

Grammy Awards And nominations

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Latif has received 2 nominations.

References

External links

• Latif on Twitter
• (French) Corey "Latif" Williams interview for SoulRnB.com