Kenny "Silky Voice" Lattimore Proves That "No One Can Be A Better You" With His Killer Hit Singles!

 Interview by: Gina Sedman

The multi-talented Kenny "Silky Voice" Lattimore & Man of Many Voices, Proves "No One Can Be a Better You" With His New Single Never Knew & His Billboard Chart #1 Hit Single, Take A Dose!

Interviewing Mr. Kenny Lattimore was a pleasure. Besides his award-winning voice and uniqueness, I was most impressed by his warm, friendly nature and natural humility. Mr. Lattimore has had many accomplishments. In 2013 he was nominated for a Soul Train Award for Best Independent R&B/Soul Performance for "Find a Way."

In 1998, he was nominated for another Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Single–Male. In 1998 he received a Grammy nomination for, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his iconic wedding song, "For You." In 1997, he was not only nominated for an Image Award (NAACP), but he was the winner of an (NAACP) Image Award for "Outstanding New Artist." Two of the most recent songs from his album, Here to Stay, "Take A Dose" and “Never Knew,” are blowing up the airways, and his single, “Take a Dose,”hit #1 for no less than two weeks in a row on the Adult R&B Airplay Billboard Charts. Another notable mention is that his song, “For You,” held the No. 1 spot for 17 weeks on the Adult R&B Airplay Billboard Charts.

Unlike many other celebrities, Mr. Lattimore does not relish the opportunity to boast about how successful he is or how he managed to make all of this happen by himself. Instead, he continuously references the people who helped him reach where he is today, the truth about how he got there, and the hard work and faith he placed in God to get him there. Amazingly, he gave God all the credit for where he is today! I learned so much from Mr. Lattimore's testimony, which is overflowing with wisdom. The kindness, meekness, and intelligence of Mr. Lattimore will always be remembered among the many interviews I've conducted. We talked about many things about his life and journey in our discussion. The following is what he told me. 

Paul McCartney officially announced his departure from The Beatles on April 10, 1970. Meanwhile, the departure of one historical event was followed by the entry of another. In a far-off enchanted land, a beautiful queen named Sonya Ball Ryan gave birth to one of the silkiest skilled vocalists of our time. To his parents' surprise, he would go on to be nominated for two Soul Train Music Awards, one Grammy, win an Image Award for Outstanding New Artist and sing for Nelson Mandela's 80th birthday party. Also, he didn't know that his flawless angelic-sounding voice would become one of the most sought-after songwriters, and voices on stages worldwide; Mr. Kenny Lattimore, congratulations, and it is an honor.  

First, may I ask where you are initially from and where you currently reside?  I was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the DMV area, which includes Maryland and Virginia. My grandfather on my mother's side had a home in Arlington, VA, so we spent time there. I took voice lessons in Arlington, VA., and I attended high school in Greenbelt, MD, when I got older. Now, I'm currently in Los Angeles.

Awesome! Minnie Riperton is one of my favorite singers besides yourself. Thank you.

My pleasure and I love the song “Back Down Memory Lane.” So, I would like to take this time to go back down memory lane and ask you a few fun questions. So, the first fun question is, did your school have a school bully when you were growing up? Oh wow, I'm pretty sure we did. I think everybody had a school bully, for sure. But you know what was really crazy? I was a big guy. If you see me now, I'm a medium average-sized guy, or some people even say I'm a small guy. Some people, when they see me on videos, think I'm 6 ft 3, but I'm not. I wish I were.

But, when I was growing up, my body grew faster, so I was about 5 ft 7 or something like that in elementary school. My son was exactly the same way. So, nobody really messed with me. (Laughs)

I think I got in one fight in the 4th grade, and because of my size and everything, I had a big heart. Same thing with my son. I always just tried to be nice to people and treat them well, so when I got in a fight, I did some damage. But I felt really bad about it.

Yeah. But, the bullies I would see kind of on the peripheral, but they never messed with the kid. (Laughs)

That's awesome! Now, I graduated high school in 1990, so at that time there were Jheri Curls, penny loafers, moccasins, FILA’s, Sergio’s and Levis. They were all in style when I was in high school. Yeah. (Laughs)

Having said that, what was the most chick magnet or flyest outfit you wore during your high school years? Oh my gosh, that's a good one. This is crazy, but my interest in girls began in middle school. I had an older sister named Trinita, and Trinita told me that if I wore a tie and put a chain around my neck, the girls would love it. 

So, I would dress up in middle school wearing shirts, ties, and slacks. In middle school! My folks from back home who have known me for many years would laugh because I would also bring a briefcase to work. I called the school “work.” So, I would bring a briefcase to school, and people would say, “Who is this guy?” (laughs) 

Yes! (Laughs) But I dressed up like I was going to work every day because I had an amazing stepdad or, as I call him, “my bonus dad,” and I used to watch him dress up and go to work. Basically, I emulated him.

In the UK, children wear neckties with their uniforms. The culture here is very different from that in the US.  In the States people were totally casual. It was like they were just getting out of bed and coming to school, but I went to school on purpose with those clothes on. (Laughs)

(Laughs) Yes! That is so cool! Now let's talk cars. Was there a dream car you wanted as a teenager, and did you ever get it? Wow! You know what? My dream car as a teenager was a Maserati, but I never got one. Not that I couldn't have; I just kept evolving.

As I became more aware of things around me, I got other types of vehicles. Although I don't recall which version of the Maserati I wanted then, I know I wanted one.

Maserati's are amazing cars! Great choice. Mr. Lattimore, in my youth, sitcoms were popular. “The Looney Tunes” and "What's Happening" were my favorite childhood sitcoms and cartoons. What was yours? The Flintstones, hands down. I don't know what it was about the Flintstones, but I used to think they were so hilarious. Maybe because so much of what they talked about related to true life.

And, when they would flip the names of things to make it sound like the Stone Age, that was always hilarious to me! (Laughs) I also loved The Looney Tunes, but The Flintstones were my favorite. 

And what was your favorite sitcom? I liked “Good Times.”

Oh yeah! Yes, I was that kid that watched "Good Times." Oh, and "The Brady Bunch!" Nevertheless, Good Times was my favorite because I liked seeing people that looked like me on camera. I thought that was fascinating.

My childhood in the 70s and 80s was memorable. In our neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA, we had a candy house where we bought all our candy. One of my favorite candies was Reese's Buttercup. In addition, I remember the ice cream truck coming around and selling strawberry shortcakes, one of my favorites. Can you recall which candy and ice cream you enjoyed the most from the ice cream truck? Oh, from the ice cream truck. I think it was called a “Nutty Buddy.” It was like an ice cream cup with nuts, chocolate, and caramel. 

Yeah! Loved it!

Awesome! And what was your first favorite candy? I was never a big candy person. I ate a lot of cakes, pies, Suzy Q's, and chocolate eclairs all the time. It was "TastyKakes," which I think was out of Pennsylvania, like the Dutch country. Although I loved sweets, I wouldn't describe myself as a candy lover; I preferred baked goods that made you fat. (Laughs) 

Trust me, I can relate. I love sweets, but although I love them, I'm trying to limit my intake. It's not always easy, but I do my best. (Laughs) Mr. Lattimore, what was your favorite teenage song, and have you ever covered it professionally? Wow, as a teenager, there were so many songs I loved and so many songs I've covered. Wow. I think my favorite teenage song was “Ribbon in The Sky” by Stevie Wonder.  It was a huge thing for me when I was in school. And, although I’ve never covered it, I have sung it at weddings. But I never touched it because I've always thought that Ribbon in The Sky was in a category all by itself.

Awesome! If you ever decided to cover it, your rendition of Ribbon in The Sky would be fantastic. Mr. Lattimore, many people are prone to OCD. I'm a germophobe. What would be yours?  Oh man, I am extremely organized and my house, and my surroundings have to be like a model. They have to be ready for people to come by because I don't like to clean up as a project. I like to clean up as I go along, so it never becomes too overwhelming. I don't like getting ready for anybody; I like being ready at all times. Therefore, my thing is cleanliness and organization. 

That goes from home, physically, to my files and the way I do business. Everything is extremely organized. This allows me to accomplish much more since I run various corporations, manage my music career, etc. Consequently, it enables me to handle all of that efficiently.

I agree. It's stressful living a cluttered life. I can't do it. Many people do not realize how much stress disorganization can affect the body. I always say the word "tomorrow" is the silent killer. It wastes time and kills dreams. "Do it now" is my model. Good for you. I think that's a great OCD to have. 

That's awesome! The Bible speaks about how we should treat the people we meet, and that is with love. In addition, it mentions that by doing so, you may have entertained angels unknowingly. 

With that being said, have you ever had a moment where you thought you may have encountered an angel, or has God ever done something so miraculous in your life that there was no doubt that it was a miracle? "Entertaining angels unaware." I have many of those. There have been times when I have been in compromising situations when I did not realize they were compromising situations, and people have ushered me away from them.

In my entire life, whether they were people who I knew as friends or what have you, my mom would say, "Go with Kenuth" (because I was "Kenuth" back then) to the club, to his performance, or wherever, because I started singing in clubs at 14 years old. So, I could see drugs and all kind of different activities happening around me. But I think I had many angels protecting me.

I've even had situations where I've fallen asleep while driving back from the club and dreamt that I was driving, woke up, and realized that I was actually behind the wheel. I was like," Oh my God!" You know?

Yes.This is not about angels but just the miracles of God guiding my life. One of the most memorable ones for me was when, while living in DC, I believe The Lord Himself told me to move to New York because my producer was there.

So, I left everything in faith and moved to New York. It took a little while, and I had some challenges, but I had to learn to hear what I believed God's voice sounded like so that I would know. 

And once I met the producer and everything, it was simply amazing because some people said, "Ah, he's going to come back." And I told them that I'm so convicted about this voice and this understanding that God told me to move to New York, that if I ever come back, I will apologize to everyone I've ever said this to.

As a matter of fact, the church gave me money and everything to go just on the fact that I said it because I wasn't a person who ever said, "Oh yeah, God told me this." I wasn't that person.

Yeah. And so, I said it has to come to pass, 150%, or it wasn't God, it was just me, and Yikes! That's scary because I have to examine myself on so many levels. But as we see, everything came to pass. (Laughs)

Yes! Everything worked out well. The Lord has truly blessed you in many ways. Thank you so kindly for sharing your wonderful experiences of God's miracle-working power in your life. Now, I want to talk to you about your beautiful angelic voice, Mr. Lattimore. When was that moment that you were you said, "Wait a minute, I can sing?" When did you discover your exquisite voice? Thank you. You know what? My mother discovered my voice. I thought everybody could sing. I didn't think I was special. I would get my neighbors and sisters, and we would sit around and harmonize. My family sang, my mother and my father, so we sat around and had a great time singing.

But my mother thought I was different because while listening to Minnie Riperton, although I found it fascinating that she could hit those high notes, I could actually split them over her.

Are you kidding me? That’s insane! Awesome! I was hitting these five octaves, but I'm doing harmonies in that fifth Octave. So, my mother was like, "Was that you singing?"

And I thought at first, I was getting ready to get in trouble. (Laughs) I was like, "Well, I was just playing around" because we think that's so funny that she's singing so high up there. And that's how it all started. But I never felt that I was special or anything. Now, in middle school, when I was singing something in a little talent showcase, people just went crazy, and I was like, “wow you guys!”

I thought it was because I just had the guts to do it. Some people didn't have the courage to be in front of everybody. And I danced a lot back then. We "popped locked" and did many things I don't even do anymore and couldn't even think of how to do it. But all the girls started screaming, "Oh my gosh!" But I thought it was more about my dancing than singing.

So, when I got into high school, I did a duet with this young lady, and the song we sang was "Endless Love" By Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.

And, while we were singing that song, I could see the audience moving closer and closer and closer to us until they erupted in applause. And I said “OK, something is different now.”

And that that whole evolution has continued throughout most of my career because honestly, I don't even think I can say, “Oh yes, I know or I knew who I was as a singer and as a recording artist until the last, maybe seven years.

I did my first, second, and third album and had success—all of that. But, even with my success, I didn't always feel like I knew who I was as an artist until recently.

Well, I can tell you this with certainty. Many people all over the world love your voice. Listening to your voice is like having your grandma hold you to her chest, rock you in the rocking chair, and sing to you. It's soothing and flawless, as far as I'm concerned. 

I recently interviewed a beautiful young lady named Victory Brinker, and she holds the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest opera singer. I don't know if you've seen her on AGT, but her voice is beautiful and Operatic.

I mentioned her because one day, while on the internet, I noticed another individual who also had a beautiful Operatic voice, and that person was none other than you, Mr. Kenny Lattimore, one of my favorite singers. And when I heard you, I thought it was fantastic! I was surprised to learn that you sang opera. How did you become proficient at opera, and are you considering making an opera album? You know what's funny? I loved meeting her because I felt like, wow, although she's doing it younger than I did, she's a version of what I was doing. I wanted her to be so encouraged because she was really good too! She's excellent! But, again, when my mother discovered I could sing and I started taking voice lessons, I was singing "The American Songbook" like, "I left my heart in San Francisco." Songs by artists like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett.

What ended up happening was, I think, as a child, my mind shifted where I started to feel like, “OK, I'm outside of the box, maybe I can do more.” So, I started getting into Broadway and found myself listening to songs from West Side Story, Dreamgirls, Cats, Pippin and all that.

Although the musicals were phenomenal, I still was like, “OK, what else can I do?” So, I started singing choral music and the choral music was based on classical technique.

Then I started thinking out of the box and said, “hey, I want to get into chamber and classical music because I saw other kids that could sing that style and I just felt like I wanted to be able to sing every style. 

Today, when you come to my show, I will do a little piece of almost everything that I've ever learned just to show that I learned how to transition in and out of classical, into R&B, into gospel, and into all these things, because I respected it.

But what I love is that I feel like those genres respected me in them. Now I haven't done as much classical, but I love the fact that I'm probably one of the few respected R&B artists that sings gospel and jazz and have recorded it. You know? All of those things. 

Chaka Khan was the first to tell me, "You need to do the jazz records." I was like, "What?" She was one of my favorites! But that's how it began. It was just going to school, seeing other kids do things, and feeling like I could do that too.

And you do a fine job with whatever you sing. Yes, this is all good stuff. As time progressed, you signed with several labels before becoming an independent artist. While signed to a major label, your breakout single was “Never Too Busy. Afterward, there was your first hit song, “For You.” This was the beginning of many memorable hit songs from the Kenny Lattimore song catalog to come. With all that being said, some may not be aware that you were the lead singer in a group called Mannequin. Mr. Lattimore, can you tell me about that?  Well, Mannequin was a fantastic and very talented funk band. I guess that's what you would have called it back in the late 80s.

I was a kid that sang at weddings. While attending Howard University, trying to figure my way out, a lady named Vern Goff came to me and said, "Hey, would you sing at a wedding with my band?" And when she saw our chemistry, she said, "Hey, would you be interested in doing a demo?" I didn't know what a "demo" was, so I said, "OK, let's do a demo." So, we went into the recording studio.

Although I had recorded it before, it was my first time in a studio this big. So, they took me into a fantastic studio, and I'm listening to myself, saying, "Wow, this is amazing! This is happening to me?" But it was my training ground for “the business.” I learned most of what I knew about the recording business during that time. That gave me the foundation I needed to feel like I was ready to sign with a major label.

I always knew that I wanted to be a solo artist because I felt like you coming from a Christian background. I had a mission and a purpose that I did not think aligned with the band necessarily because the stuff they wanted me to sing about, I did not want to sing about that. And I was far more radical about what I did not do.

There was a time when I didn't even say "baby" in songs because if people relate, when you come from the church, singing what's sacred versus what's secular, there was a huge separation.  So, I went through all these different periods knowing that that's what I was dealing with. And I never wanted to dump that on them because I was like, "You guys are who you are, but I'm very different." 

So, we probably painfully got through the first album because I took them through many changes with that, I did. (Laughs) But it was my growth and me dealing with my convictions as a man. So, in my story, my biggest cheerleader and the person who discovered my ability to sing, my mother had just passed away from cancer, so there was so much that I had to take responsibility in the time I was with Mannequin. It was the foundation once I finished that album.

We worked with Charlie Wilson from The Gap Band, Charlie Singleton from Cameo, Bernie Worrell from Parliament Funkadelic, Ernesto Phillips from Starpoint, and all these amazing groups from that era. Looking back, it was absolutely one of the most wonderful experiences I could have ever had. There were some painful times too. Not because of the guys as much or anything like that, it was because I didn't like singing in the clubs that much. I just didn't.

Yes, absolutely! I'm with you on that. I don't like it either. People were blowing smoke, and I had to get up there, sing and perform like five and six sets a night for 45 minutes, and I hated it, and I hated doing covers, but I needed it because when it was time to be Kenny Lattimore and be on stage, it was easy.

I get it. I run for my life from smoke. (Laughs) As a professional singer, being in smoky environments is harsh on your vocal cords and dangerous to the health of those who innocently inhale it. Now, you've worked with John, Lucian, Glenn Jones, Tevin Campbell, and many other great singers and musicians as yourself. I'm sure there are too many to name, but can you share a few names of other creatives you've worked with? I know it skips around a bit, but before I did the solo deal, I wrote songs for John Lucien and Glenn Jones. I started singing backgrounds for Tevin Campbell and a bunch of people. I also did demos for The Winans. Goodness, there are so many different people. When I came to California, I met Keith Crouch, who was the number one producer at that time because of Brandy and Kipper Jones. They were a force to be reckoned with. 

While I was developing and waiting to do some of my own solo recordings, I was given the opportunity to work with them. That's how I ended up singing backgrounds for Ray J. I sang a song called "Everything You Want From Me" for his album, and it was a lot of fun. It helped me to solidify my sound. As a background singer, there was a signature Kenny Lattimore sound, influenced by Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Holiday, Stephanie Mills, Anita Baker, and Luther Vandross.

It had all kinds of edge because of my Stevie influence, but at the same time, I could give you a lot of air and smoothness like Anita Baker. So, I just mixed all that stuff up, and there I was. All of this was before I started my solo career. By having the opportunity to practice and be in the studio, I was able to take those sounds and bring them to that first solo record.

Mr. Lattimore, would you share with me the events that led to your signing your first-label deal? I was working at Sony in New York. This is such a fantastic story, but I'll try to be as brief as possible but concise. 

Awesome! When God told me to go to New York, and my producer was there, that was fine, but then there was an interval of time when I was also being taught to depend on The Lord for everything.

Hopefully, the audience will understand this. Every experience that you go through teaches you something. It is not to destroy you. So there I was, learning to depend on God and not just me and my ability. And that was where I was in my life and what I needed. So, I had money. I had everything because the church gave me money when I arrived in New York. But the money ran out. 

When the money ran out, I said, "Lord, where's the producer you promised me?" Two things happened. I sang on an album called Broken, which is a gospel record. William Becton is the artist. And I did four songs on that album. William Becton's album's album came around the time that I was broken. I literally was broken. I was being broken of myself.

 I was learning God's voice again. He had already told me something, and I had to say, "OK, I'm going to walk in this." It was like Moses and the children of Israel and the stories in the Bible. The moment they reached the edge of the water or where they were going, there was a huge obstacle in front of them, like an ocean of water. And then you look, and you're like, "How are we going to get across that Lord? Oh, you brought us out here to die, and then you're like, no," and then he parts the ocean. I literally lived my life like that.

When I got to New York, I lived well, but right when I ran out of the money I had been given, I was like, "Lord, what am I going to do?" Then, I got a call from a friend who worked at Sony. She says, "Hey, can you type?" I told her, "Yeah." Then she said, "I need an assistant because my assistant just quit." Suddenly, I became a television producer at Sony on Madison Ave in New York. So, I go in and work, making more money than I've ever made. And I'm just floating along like, Oh my goodness! I get enough money to build my accounts back up, get some clothes, and establish myself again. And then one day, I thought to myself, I'm getting comfortable here. (Laughs) But I was not "in purpose" anymore.

Yes. So then, no sooner than I thought it, "Hey Kenny, we just hired somebody to come in and do blah, blah, blah, blah." And I was like, "Oh, wow, OK." So, then I said, "I've got to get back to the music." As I was walking the streets of New York, I would look at the buildings, and I would say, "One day, I'm going to be in these hotels, and I'm going to be in these buildings, "but I didn't know how I was going to get to this next phase. 

So, I called another friend because we were young people, and a lot of young people had jobs at record companies in New York. It wasn't a big deal. They weren't making decisions, but they just knew other people. So, one of my friends said, "Why don't you come into the office of Mercury? Let's make some calls. We're going to find you a producer." And we go into Mercury, and he says, "Let's call this guy J. Dibbs because he just finished working on this new artist named Joe. 

And I said, Joe? I've heard Joe's song. Then, even with all my faith and everything, I thought, why would J. Dibbs want to work with me when he had just finished Joe? Isn't that crazy? 

Yes, it is. So, we called J. Dibbs, and he was like, yes. Long story short, I met with him, sang for him, and he said, "I'll do your demo for you, and the rest is history. On that demo was, For You, Joy, Where Did Love Go, and we did a couple of the songs that didn't make the album. But that was the beginning of my solo career. 

During that period, I made many sacrifices. I used to sleep on his sofa, watch his kids, and do whatever I had to do. He worked with The Winans, Vanessa William, and many other great artists back then. Therefore, I had to wait my turn, and I had to understand what that meant. Interestingly enough, my last album was produced by one of his sons, whom I babysat when I was at his house back in the day. It was a song called "Only Girl." (Laughs) So, we've had full-circle moments in relationships and creativity.

Yes. Wow, that is a remarkable story! Thank you so much for sharing that. I appreciate your willingness to share your victories and struggles in your musical journey. Now, at some point, you went on tour with Barry White. What did you learn by watching him? Going on tour with Barry White was the best thing that could have happened. Although he was OK with mentoring me and showing me things, I didn't get the chance to take advantage of that as much because he was a little sick and wasn't feeling as well. But I did get a chance to watch him every night. What I loved about Barry White was his presence and demeanor. He was such a man's man, and he had this thing about him that when they would open up the show with his song, "Ecstasy," the orchestra would be playing, and he would simply walk out. He would stroll out really cool, then walk straight up to the mic and say, "Good evening" in that low voice. And the place would erupt.

Yeah! And, I was like, I want to be cool like Barry. I want to be cool like that. (Laughs) So, one of the things I began to do after the tour because I didn't do it while we were on tour was reliving those moments.

I wanted my persona to be cooler, but I wanted it to be a part of who I am. I feel like I have an alter ego when I go on stage. It’s definitely an alter ego because it's different from the Kenny that everybody is used to, but I get to play a different role and be another side of who I am. 

 Mr. Lattimore, you are electrifying on stage. Being on stage is something you love doing, and with that comes the excitement of that mixed with the crowd's appreciation for what you do. That’s enough to make anyone come alive onstage. It’s beautiful to be blessed enough to see your dreams in motion, and I'm so happy for you! Speaking of being in another character, have you ever been in any films, or are you planning to be in any television shows, movies, or anything of the sort? Oh, absolutely. I love acting. I just did a play this past weekend with a guy named Christian Keyes and a bunch of television actors here in the States, and I love it because it is an extension of what I already do. It's taken me a while to get comfortable in my skin with it, but I think I've finally reached the point where I feel like I know what I'm doing now. 

But I had to take some lessons even though I did take lessons throughout the years. When you're taking lessons through the years, you still have a different understanding. I think I've finally gotten to the point of understanding the beauty of it and how to reach specific points, and how to relay the character. So yes, I have lots of plans to do that. 

I did a movie called Baby Girl. I just played a small role in it, but it was a tough one because it was based on sex trafficking awareness, so that we can fight against that. And it's won awards all over the world. So, I definitely want to do more film and Television. 

I look forward to seeing your Oscar award-winning performances on big and little screens in the coming years. Good for you! I love that you constantly explore new avenues to share your talent rather than stagnate in one place. That's awesome. While we are on new things, you have a few new singles that are pretty successful. Please tell me about your new music. The new single is called "Never Knew," produced by Daryl Simmons. And Daryl Simmons and I had success years ago with "If I Lose My Woman" from my "From the Soul of Man" album. So, it's like going back to friends and creating all over again. Also, it's my wife's favorite song on the album. It reflects where I am in my relationship and life, so I love it.

But we just had another #1 song 25 years after the "For You" release. So, I got another #1 song, which was brilliant because when it comes to charts and popularity, you never know what will resonate with people, how things will be promoted, or who will be in line.

And it was an interesting time when that song went #1 because Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and I think Jasmine Sullivan were at the top with me. (Laughs) And I was like, "Oh boy, I don't know what's going to happen because these are some heavy hitters right here?

So when "Take a Dose" got to #1, which stayed there for a couple of weeks, I was like, wow, this is really special! I believe one of the only people who accomplished that during the year was Usher, in our genre.  So, it has been a really amazing resurgence of popularity and connection to the audience. So, I'm grateful, very grateful.

That is so awesome, and congratulations! I would love to hear about any awards or recognitions you've received in your music career besides your phenomenal chart success. Thank you so much.

My pleasure. I just got two awards for writing for television. My wife has a television show she did a while ago called Divorce Court, and I did the theme song with one of my friends, Aaron Lindsay. So that was very special because it was outside of the box. Again, totally in a different area. But of course, before that, I won an NAACP image award for Best New Artist. That was phenomenal back in the day because, at that moment, I needed something to validate me and say, Kenny, you're OK and moving in the right direction. 

And then, we had nominations for various awards through the years. But I've learned to just be OK with your growth, where you are, and who you are because although awards and things are great marketing tools, don't let them completely define you. 

That's right. So, what happened is, through the years, I've learned to be gracious and accepting of whatever honors people give. Getting an award lets you know you're on the right track and being seen, but don't let it define you. Use it to say, "Hey, people actually see my effort, and they see what I'm doing." And then, that way, it stays in the proper perspective.

Great advice! Do you have any upcoming tours or live shows?  The tours are just starting. I've been doing a lot of private events and reshaping my shows. I have some public appearances too. To stay updated, visit kennylattimore.com, and all of my tour information is there. You can access the VIP lounge on kennylattimore.com if you don't want to search through all the content when you visit the website. You can sign up, put your e-mail down, and we'll send you information about my upcoming tour date.

All good stuff! Thank you so kindly. Lastly, many of us grew up with a mentor or elder who imparted wisdom to us. Over the years, many of those words carried me through life. I have always held those principles close to my heart. Mr. Lattimore, here's my question. Has anyone ever told you something so profound that their words have rung loudly in your heart throughout your lifetime? Also, can you impart words of wisdom to someone who did not have anyone to impart that kind of wisdom to them? Well, my mother gave me a lot of practical biblical wisdom. She would tell me to write things and make them plain upon the tables because other people would run with those things, not just you, but it would also remind you of your vision and what you wanted to do.

And then Denise Williams came to Howard University, and she said, "Nobody can be a better you." That's stuck with me forever.  Thirdly, my aunt, my mother's sister, said to me one day, "Everybody's not going to like you." And I was like, "Whoa, where is that coming from?" She looked at my video, "Never Too Busy," before it came out, and she said, "You look great; this is a hit song, it's really powerful, and it's amazing, but just remember, everybody's not going to like you." And living in the type of society that we live in now resonated even louder than anything else because, for whatever reason in human nature, we tend to become vulnerable to negativity much more than we embrace positivity. 

That's right. In the bible, it talks about that very same thing. It's one of the Ten Commandments, and God said we should not do it. Thank you. Mr. Lattimore, interviewing you today has been an honor and a privilege. My prayer for you is that God will bless the works of your hands, be it done according to His will for your life. I pray that God will protect and cover you and your beautiful family as you travel on the road. In this industry, I also pray that the Lord will send you godly, reliable, and trustworthy people who are concerned about your well-being. Last, I am thankful for the extraordinary gifts that God has given you in your life.

The fact that you have persevered through rough times and never stopped trusting and loving God through it all makes me incredibly proud of you. Be a light for Christ wherever you go since the world needs to see an accurate representation of what it means to be a Christian through serving, loving, giving, and sharing Jesus' message of love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Thank you again, Mr. Lattimore, for your time.

Furthermore, congratulations on the birth of your beautiful little princess, your baby girl, and warmest congratulations to you and your lovely Queen. I love the love you and your wife have for one another. It's beautiful. Continue to show the world what blessing can come from true love in a marriage committed to God's will. Thank you. God bless you. God bless you too. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Until next time.

Amen. Bye. Bye. 

End Of Interview

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END OF INTERVIEW