Corey Latif Williams, better known as Latif, is an American R&B singer and Grammy nominated songwriter.Grammy Nominations: Best R&B Song
Accessed December 11, 2008 He was the winner of ''

Teen People ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

's Who's Next'' contest. He was a mentee of

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...

. He was once signed to

Universal Motown Records Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the "urban" half of UMG, although there were some ...

Biography

Latif was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 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,

, 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. 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 Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. 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

. 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 Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip hop ...

Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter who is notable for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. Among his most notable productions are "Be Wit ...

Adonis Shropshire Adonis Shropshire, or Adonis for short, is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written and or produced singles including: Mariah Carey's " I Stay In Love", Usher Raymond's " My Boo", P. Diddy's " I Need a Girl (Part One)", "I Need ...

, Greg Charley, Andy C, Teddy Bishop, Mechalie Jamison, D "French" Spencer, and

Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...

. 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 Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include: People with the name Given name or nickna ...

, The Roots,

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

Joey Bada$$ Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...

, Usher,

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day' ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al ...

, and

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by the stage name Musiq Soulchild or simply Musiq (pronounced "music") is an American singer and songwriter whose style blends R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, gospel influ ...

to name a few. He has signed a co-publishing deal with

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

(UMPG). In 2017, he teamed with friend and fellow writer-producer Aaron Kleinstaub to form duo Lo Boii. The band is signed to London-based label AWAL. Its first single "Floor Seats" dropped in April 2019.

Discography

Singles

*"I Don't Wanna Hurt You" (2003) *"Think U Know" (2006) *"Promise Me" (2010) *"Without You" (2003) *"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)

Features

* – * hooks written by Latif

Selected Co-Writer Credits

Grammy Awards And nominations

The

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...

of the United States. Latif has received 2 nominations. , - , rowspan="1", , ,

Teachme "Teachme" is the second single from Musiq Soulchild's fourth album ''Luvanmusiq''. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on March 31, 2007 at #54, the same week his album, ''Luvanmusiq'', entered the ''Billboard'' 200 and t ...

, ,

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

, , , - , , , '' Gone Already'' , ,

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

, ,

References

External links

*
Corey "Latif" Williams interview for SoulRnB.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Latif Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American contemporary R&B singers Musicians from Philadelphia Motown artists 21st-century African-American male singers