UB Interview: Kenny Lattimore Talks “The Best Man Holiday,” Starting His Own Label & More

Earlier this week, UrbanBridgez.com attended an advanced screening of “The Best Man Holiday” at the iconic ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. Having treasured its predecessor for over a decade (almost 15 years, to be exact), we were ecstatic to be one of the firsts to preview the film, and see where life has taken Harper, Jordan, Lance, Julian, Quentin, Robin, Mia and, yes, even Shelby.

Little did we know that we’d run into R&B veteran Kenny Lattimore, who was also there to see the movie. Sure we knew there was a 98% chance that we’d run into somebody—the ArcLight is date night central for a lot of celebs—we just didn’t know it would be Kenny. And, no, ladies. The “For You” singer did not have a female companion with him…as far as we could tell.

When we first caught a glimpse of Kenny, he was outside of the theater, dressed down with the hood of his gray sweater over his head choppin’ it up with his boys. It seemed like he was trying to be incognito. But there was no hiding that million-dollar smile of his. We recognized him immediately.

Later, on our way to Theater 13, we spotted Kenny chillin’ alone at the foot of the stairs and took advantage of the opportunity to ask him a few questions. (He was as gracious as can be, btw!) Keep reading to see what he told UrbanBridgez.com reporter Danielle about his love for the original flick, The Best Man, which character he identifies with most, whose storyline he’s really looking forward to seeing in the sequel and more. Of course, we also had to ask him about his new music and other projects he’s currently working on.

—————————————–

UrbanBridgez.com: What did you love about the first movie, The Best Man?
Kenny Lattimore: I had a song featured in it called “Beautiful Girl,” so I was very excited about the movie. The scene they gave me was great. They played my song when you first see Monica Calhoun’s character [Mia Morgan]. I saw the movie so many times! I loved the chemistry among the cast. I also loved that the outcome wasn’t predictable. I laughed. I cried. There were so many great elements all wrapped up into one amazing film.

UrbanBridgez.com: Who was your favorite character?
Kenny Lattimore: First of all, there were a lot of things going on in the movie, but it was absolutely incredible how each character was developed fully. I liked each person. That’s what’s great about there being a sequel: it’s like coming back to see old friends. For me, The Best Man was a breakout point for Terrence Howard. He had done buy ventolin nebules no prescription tons of films and television, but he embodied the character [of Quentin Spivey] so well. He was hilarious.

UrbanBridgez.com: Whose storyline are you looking forward to seeing progress in the sequel?
Kenny Lattimore: Initially, I was thinking about how the first movie ended with the Quentin and Shelby characters ending up in bed together. I cracked up laughing when I saw that. But I saw a trailer for the sequel and you know what? I want to see what Harold Perrineau’s character [Julian Murch] is doing with these two women–Candace and Shelby! I’m totally intrigued by that now.

UrbanBridgez.com: Which male character can you relate to the most?
Kenny Lattimore: Wow! I guess I saw elements of myself in all of them! [laughs] I don’t know that I am just one of those guys. I’ve definitely been Harold’s character–kinda shy and trying to keep things peaceful among everyone. I’ve been the sex symbol character that Terrence plays. At the same time, the character Taye Diggs plays is sensible. He may have made some errors, but he’s trying to make things right. I know all of those guys.

UrbanBridgez.com: Congratulations on the Soul Train Award nom!
Kenny Lattimore: Thank you! I’m nominated for Best Independent R&B/Soul Performance. I hope I win! It’s in a couple of weeks.

UrbanBridgez.com: What can we expect from you in the future?
Kenny Lattimore: I started my own record label [SincereSoul Records], and put out a single…just trying that whole thing out. I didn’t do the full album, but hopefully the full album will be coming soon. You’re definitely going to hear more music from me. I just did a duet for Christmas with my little cousin, Jacob Latimore. That’s going to be on his mixtape. That’s coming out October 31st. It’s going to be really exciting to see how his project goes. Beyond that, I have this idea about a concept of being “one.” It really is about being whole, and understanding that the type of love it takes to be with another person starts with you being the complete version of yourself and bringing that to the table. I also want to campaign to stop the abuse of women and children. There are some new things that have happened in my life over the last couple of years that have made me passionate about these causes, so I’ll be talking about that a lot more. But being “one,” that’s my big thing. Most of what my music has been about through the years is the kind of love that it takes to be “one.”

————————
Tune In Today at 6pm PST for Kenny Lattimore LIVE on USTREAM!
————————