Pop-R&B vocalist and actor Jacob Latimore gained fame as a Radio Disney artist in the mid-2000s before coming to wider commercial recognition with his 2007 single "Superstar." A subsequent deal with major-label RCA didn't pan out, but Latimore has thrived as an independent artist known for mature contemporary R&B. He has released Connection (2016), his charting debut LP, followed by additional full-lengths Connection2 (2019) and C3 (2020), along with the Leo Season EP (also 2020) and an assortment of singles. His acting career includes film and television projects such as Vanishing on 7th Street and Detroit, and lead roles in The Chi and The Last Summer.

Born Jacob O'Neal Latimore, Jr. in 1996 in Milwaukee, he got his first taste of fame at a very young age, when his debut single, the 2005 release "Best Friend," was played on Radio Disney. Placed in Radio Disney's Incubator program, he performed with fellow child artists and appeared on Maury Povich's nationally televised talk show. Latimore and his family subsequently moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta for the sake of advancing his budding entertainment career. His next single, "Superstar," was co-written and co-produced by Rico Love; it peaked at number 84 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in September 2007. Additional strides were made in 2010, when Latimore signed with Jive/RCA and appeared in the film Vanishing on 7th Street. Even though he had inked a major recording contract, he continued to act, with appearances on the television series Read Between the Lines and The Finder. He also released a series of mixtapes, including 2009's I Am the Future and 2012's This Is Me.

Another single, "Like 'Em All," enjoyed an extended stay on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and reached number 55 in December 2011. The suggestive (if respectful) "You Come First," released the following summer, also charted. Featuring guest vocals from T-Pain, the single "Heartbreak Heard Around the World" arrived in 2014. Latimore returned in 2015 with another single, "The Climb," which also appeared on his debut album, Connection. Released in 2016, the full-length was highlighted by the IshDARR collaboration "The Real" and "Remember Me," and peaked at number 36 on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart. Connection2 followed in 2019 with "Tru Shit" (featuring Trevor Jackson) and "Come Over Here" among the tracks that quickly generated millions of streams. Latimore delivered the third LP in his Connection series, C3, in 2020. The triple album combined the majority of the first two volumes with a set of new material in a similar vein of mature contemporary R&B. The seven-track Leo Season EP was out before the end of the year, and was followed in 2022 by the single "Selfish." ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi