The Hebe Hit List: Corey Latif Williams

Photo: Julian Essink Fotografie

In this new series of posts, we are featuring the people we are going to try and work with in the next year. We made a 'hit list' list last year, but kept it secret inside Hebe. We managed to tick off a lot of people on the 'Year 1 List' such as Hyper Island, Heineken, LeLook and IED Barcelona. Now we focus on the 'Year 2 List' and first up is one of our favourite RnB artists: Corey Latif Williams. 

I first started checking out 'Latif's' stuff in 2006, most noteably the tracks Who's Lovin Her Now and the brilliant U Think U Know. I could tell immediately Latif was something special and after further digging I discovered he had non-other then the absolute legend that is Teddy Pendergrass as a mentor. Around this time (2006-2007) I was really into Latif, Johnta Austin (thanks to Turn It Up) and Ryan Leslie (thanks to Used 2 Be) . These guys were bringing something fresh at that time and regular collaborations between them usually resulted in some quality stuff. (I will try to dig out some of my live mixes from this time and post)

Since then the Grammy Award Nominated Latif has been in the studio working on new material and also getting his writing on for a number of other artists such as Chris Brown, The Roots and Musiq Soulchild. He has also put out a number of tracks online such as I Love U, Promise Me and No Mystery. 

U Think U Know feat. Ryan Leslie by Corey Latif 

Hebe x Latif 

In our past few music events we have featured stuff from house music legends like the Back to Basics gang and up and coming Punk / Dub band ICS. We definitely want to do something with RnB in the coming months and Latif fits the bill perfectly: He is young, mega-talented and we can see some amazing potential for collaboration with some of our peeps here in the UK. Remixes, live-performances, creative collaborations with fashion designers and artists, the possabilities are endless.

We are planning Creative Encounters with cities in America next year and we will definitely be exploring the possibility of hooking up with Latif and getting him involved. After all he did provide the soundtrack for some of the music and fashion projects that eventually led to the creation of Hebe Media so it would be amazing for us to make that contact five years after we were introduced to Latif and get him involved with some of our projects.

Watch this space over the coming months and hopefully we will report back good news! In the meantime check out his new track below :)

The Hebe Week In Pics

Two of our favourite cities combined: A Barcelona bar in Manchester!Interviewing Hyper Island student and fashion designer Dom!Shang Ting in the Hyper School, ManchesterMitch, ready for his close up @ Hyper IslandSo awesome to check in with the students and find out what they have been up to in the past 5 monthsTeam Heebs loving the street art in ManchesterLee likes to think he is like the F1 presenter with his iPad :)Shang Ting and I hit the Harvey Nichols X Land Rover fashion showMy favourite dress!Shang Ting's favourite (so angelic!)Dinner on the HN Fourth FloorFull after the second course!But we fit in dessert ;)Shang-Ting Jordan Swedish people eat weird stuff :s

Far East Feature: Bubble Tea will change your world

When I heard Bubbleology, the original Taiwanese bubble tea was coming to Leeds for one day, I was so super excited I shivered and drooled for 2 days (stroke?). Bubble tea, also called pearl tea, is a traditional Taiwanese drink that became very popular in Asia in the 80s, and now world wide. An innovative drink combined with beverages and desserts.

"Having a cuppa." is such an important thing in British culture, in Asia, tea is also in our daily lifes, our bones, our blood, and our history. In Chinese culture, we create poems for good teas, we have wars fighting for them, we can say sorry, thank you, or good bye with the gesture of making a cup of tea, we need them in weddings, graduations, any occasion.

If you ever get to go to Taiwan, you will find little tea shops in every corner. In there, you get to customize your own favorite teas, from what kind of tea, warmth, how much sugar, to what do you want to add in there, including bubbles, jello, or even aloe vera and so on.

That's why when I went to Victoria Quarter last Saturday, and had my first drink of bubble tea for the last 15 months, I was so happy I could kick someone in the face(?). The Bubbleology's bubble tea is exactly how I remembered, the taste, the bubble, even the machine that packaged the cup! 

So if you're in London, you are very lucky as you can just pop into their shops. If you're in the North like me, join my prayers for them to expand here in the very near future. All hail Bubble Tea!

Leeds Street Style: 19/09/2011

Youngsters use of socks.
Hair colour, jumper's texture and the bagpack. It just works.Floral dress with headphone and trainers, nice mixture of girly and boyish.I think people might notice my fondness of homeless chic.I'm fascinated by this lady.Stylish!Guys with cute jumpers should be encouraged.There's something amazing about this shirt!Bare foot = new trend?

The Hebe Week In Pics

Nigel Martyn being interviewed by Bryn Law for Sky Sports Then i got on the mic! Showed them how it's done ;)Lee with the legend!And then i jumped in for one with Big Nige!STP at Leeds Loves Shopping launchLovely cakes in Anthony's in VQ (chocolate pistachio squares FTW!)Now you see them......now you don't!We caught up with the lovely Leeds Fashion Show Girls!East Street Arts giving an old school presentation including 'walking screensaver' :)Graffiti campaign in the city, Albion StreetLovely photo of Hunslet Church and rainbow captured by STP