Quadir was home schooled for the majority of his educational career. Born November 22, 1981 in Houston, Texas, Quadir Ibn Lateef Habeeb was always destined to make a name for himself. Affectionately known as “Q” by close friends and family, Quadir was raised a devout Muslim, and his Imam (spiritual counselor/mentor) Fajri Ansari, a two-time class B and C basketball championship-winning coach, recognized Q’s raw sports talent, and continued to develop his athleticism at Turner Carroll High School (Buffalo, NY) during his junior year of high school.

After only one year on the team, Q was recruited by a private school and spent his senior year of high school there where he was scouted and received a full basketball scholarship to St. Bonaventure University. When university coach Jim Baron accepted a new position, Q returned to Buffalo and received his associates degree in Science from Erie County Community College. Q then received a full basketball scholarship to Howard University in Washington DC. While at Howard, Q began to discover his voice as a writer, creating intense and soul-stirring poems. Q began to perform his original spoken word pieces throughout the Washington DC area, as he was sought out by various student organizations, Greek Letter Organizations, and professors for paid performances. Even Tavis Smiley (formerly of BET) chose Q to host the poetry section of his very first “Youth to Leaders National Summit” which was aired on C-SPAN in 2003. At age 23, Q left Howard to pursue his career in spoken word and rap music.

He published his first spoken word CD entitled “Words of Awakening,” which included a fiery political base of commentary. 2003 surely proved to be a pivotal year for Q: he performed for Russell Simmons at the Annual Black Face Awards, leading to his performance for the Jam Master Jay Commemoration where Russell and Danny Simmons personally requested for Q’s audition for HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, springing him into a national spoken word spotlight. After performing before Dr. Ben Chavis Muhammad, Q was invited to perform at the Pre Tony Award show for the Def Poetry cast.

Q then joined the BET All Stars Tour, performing for hip-hop legend Chuck D, and was invited to work in his private studio as a result. In February of 2005, Q partnered with music publishers and producers The Polygon Group, and soon released his first underground hip hop CD entitled “The Unheard of: Volume 1,” receiving much acclaim in Q’s stomping grouns of Upstate New York. In 2005, Q was featured in Artvoice magazine as the Artist of the Week, as well on NBC’s Buffalo affiliate local news show. Q also was afforded the opportunity to showcase his talents in front of a celebrity-packed audience at Reebok’s Tenth Year in the League Anniversary party for NBA superstar Allen Iverson. Jammed with passion and intensity, his brilliant performance caused him to be chosen to be included in a segment to be televised nationally on Comcast Def On Demand in February 2006.

June 2006 proved to be eventful for Q. as he relocated to Jersey City to be closer to the New York City music scene. This move paid dividends immediately, as Q entered a music showcase with some of the hottest emcees in the Tri-State area. In front of industry A&R execs and DJs judging the showcase, Q put on a performance that earned him a $1000 dollars cash and 1st place honors, not to mention future meetings with label representatives that were in attendance.

Q worked with DJ Green Lantern on a mix tape entitled “Thee Unheard Of: Da Block Da Devil Da Deen,” which features production from in-house producers Bang & Flip of the Equalizers Carolina Blu, Da Artz, & Thugzmen plus the likes of Marie Ben-Ari, King James, Green Lantern, DJ S&S, and G-Unit producers Chad B & Black Jeruz. Q was also featured on Grand Theft Auto 4 with his hit record “Nick Name,” which sold over 6 million in the first week! Although he was offered a deal from a major label, Q turned it down because he didnt like the direction he career was going. After a three-year break, Quadir changed his stage name from Q-Boogie aka Da Poet to his birth name “Quadir Lateef,” and is proud to present his EF “Half Earth Half Angel.”

Promoting an all-natural sound, this project uses no musical instruments whatsoever. With 2012 well underway, this year will no doubt be an explosive year for Quadir Lateef: he’s already recorded new records with Brother Ali, Amir Sulaiman, Khalil Ismail, The Reminders, Mustafa Abdul Basit, his Older Brother Alkebulaun, and his wife Drea D’Nur!!! If that isn’t enough, just be on the lookout for DEEN & DREAM, and a joint project with hit producer SAMI MATAR IA. 2012 is all about achievement for Quadir Lateef!