Latif: Learning Curve

Most Philly folks his age are at the mall or on the block on a Saturday, but 21-year-old Corey Latif Williams is busy rehearsing with eight of his friends in producer Zukhan's recording studio. "This is my Voltron crew," says Latif, exchanging pounds with his homeboys. And when they back him up on a bluesy, impassioned rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," Latif performs the kind of verbal heroics that could land him a home-plate gig at Veterans Stadium.

Proof of Latif's interpretive gift can be found on his debut LP, Love in the First. "Latif is a producer's dream," says beatmaker French (B2K), who produced two songs on the album. "In the studio, you just have to give him the outling, and he knows how to paint a full picture."

Latif is no musical novice-he was mentored by family friend Teddy Pendergrass. At 12, a demo deal with Sony fell through. "Boyz II Men was really hot then, and that's the image they wanted for me," Latif says, "I felt like I was being puppeted like Pinocchio."

After that episode, he worked on creating his own musical identity-rough arond the edges, yet romantic-and studied music for a year at Boston's jazz-oriented Berklee College before signing with Motown in 2002. His time at Berklee enhanced his abilities and offered raw, youthful experiences ripe for song. Lyrics he cowrote to cuts like "I Don't Blame You" stem from a "beautiful, crazy," long-distance relationshiop that put him through the ringer. "It put a stain on my music career," he says. "She's the only girl I've ever loved like that." Though the relationship ended two years ago, Latif can still only scratch the surface of the wound. "I'm going to start crying if I go too deep," he says.

As for now, he keeps the tears in check by making joyful noise with his crew. "I'm 21 now, and I've gotta be comfortable with this music when I'm 71," he says. "It's like a tattoo. Get something you're going to want for the rest of your life." For Latif, that goes for music and relationships.

-Jason King

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