Superstar

Natural talents like Jacob Latimore come just once or twice in a generation. At only eleven years old, this singing, dancing dynamo is reminiscent of fabled kid prodigies Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. It must be in the genes. The young singer’s father, Jacob Sr., and three uncles make up the soul quartet, the Latimore Brothers, who were once signed to MCA Records as the group Jersey Ave. Jacob Sr. is also a distant cousin of R&B crooner, Kenny Latimore.Since the age of three, the talented Milwaukee native has been singing and imitating his father’s performances for family and friends around the house. At 5, Jacob discovered the movie, The Temptations, and watched it everyday, perfecting every dance move he saw. By the first grade, Jacob had developed a serious discipline for the craft of dance. He taught himself different moves by studying videos of B2K and Michael Jackson that his mom and future manager, Latitia Taylor brought home for him.In 2005, at the age of 9, Jacob decided to officially pursue a career in music. With the support of his parents, he teamed up with local Milwaukee producers to record his first song, “Best Friend.” Several local DJs and radio stations caught wind of the song and immediately began labeling him “the next kid star” – and he hadn’t even performed in public yet! Still, the buzz continued to build around the city, especially as Jacob began performing at local Boys and Girls clubs, outdoor events, and schools. However, his career really took flight when “Best Friend” was picked up by Radio Disney. Jacob was subsequently featured on the station’s Incubator program, which profiles promising young artists around the country.From there, he booked several shows with Radio Disney artists like B5 and Ashley Parker Angel."I love performing,” says Jacob. “I am not scared to perform in front of a crowd. I love when the crowd goes crazy. It's the best feeling ever!” Jacob indeed loves to sing, but he admits he’s drawn to good dancing. “When I watch a singer with good dancers, I can't pay attention to the singer because I’m always looking for the dancers," he says.It’s Jacob’s natural balance of both dancing and singing that leaves quite an impression when he performs. The 10-year old recently appeared on “The Maury Show” after producers saw a video of him on his MySpace page. His performance skills attracted the attention of songwriter/rapper Rico Love, who’s written for everyone from Usher to Britney Spears. “The kid is a show!” says Love, a fellow Milwaukean who was first blown away by Jacob at a hometown Valentine’s Day show.