Queen Latifah

While Queen Latifah did not originate the role of female rapper, she earned the distinction of becoming the first genuine superstar in the field. Greater personal magnetism set her apart from earlier artists, and her commanding, insightful, straightforward image established her as perhaps the initial MC who could accurately be called feminist. Black Reign, her third album, achieved the distinction of being the first by any female MC to attain gold status, opening commercial pathways that enabled a wave of skilled women in rap to reach the charts through the 1990s. She soon expanded into film, television comedies, and even her own talk show. Despite extended absences from the studio, she stayed the most widely known woman in hip-hop, commanding a respect that approached iconic standing.

Dana Owens entered the world in Newark, NJ, on March 18, 1970; an Arabic term for “delicate” or “sensitive,” the name Latifah came from a Muslim cousin when she turned eight. She took the lead in her high school staging of The Wiz and started rapping alongside Ladies Fresh, where she also functioned as human beatbox. During college she adopted the stage name Queen Latifah and joined Afrika Bambaataa’s Native Tongues collective, whose goal was to infuse hip-hop with a more affirmative, Afrocentric outlook. A demo tape secured her a Tommy Boy contract; “Wrath of My Madness” appeared in 1988, followed by “Dance for Me.” All Hail the Queen, her full-length debut, arrived in 1989 to widespread critical approval, and the enduring single “Ladies First” introduced her to the broader hip-hop audience. Alongside incisive rap, the record explored R&B, reggae, and house while pairing her with KRS-One and De La Soul; strong sales lifted it into the Top Ten of the R&B album charts. She promptly launched Flavor Unit Entertainment and helped launch Naughty by Nature. Nature of a Sista, her 1991 follow-up, proved lighter and less commercially successful, prompting Tommy Boy to let her contract lapse. Further hardship arrived when she survived a carjacking and lost her brother Lance in a motorcycle crash.

A renewed sense of purpose led her to Motown, which released Black Reign in 1993. Dedicated to her brother, the album became her strongest seller, eventually reaching gold certification, and contained her biggest single, “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which reached the R&B Top Ten and earned a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance. By then she had already begun acting, appearing in Jungle Fever, House Party 2, and Juice as well as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In 1993 she joined the cast of the Fox series Living Single, which continued until 1997; during those years acting took precedence, and she played a bank robber in the 1996 film Set It Off. That same year she was stopped for speeding, arrested after police found a loaded gun and marijuana in her car, and fined after pleading guilty. Following the 1997 cancellation of Living Single, she returned to recording and completed her fourth album. Order in the Court appeared in 1998, emphasizing R&B textures that prompted some critics to compare her approach to Missy Elliott; she increased the amount of sung material and collaborated with Faith Evans and Pras of the Fugees. The set moved steadily on the strength of “Bananas (Who You Gonna Call?)” and “Paper.” That year she also appeared in Sphere and Living Out Loud, performing several jazz standards in the latter. The Queen Latifah Show debuted in syndication in 1999 and ran until 2001. In November 2002 she was again stopped by police, failed a sobriety test, and received three years’ probation after pleading guilty to DUI. The incident was soon eclipsed by her acclaimed performance in the musical film Chicago, which brought Best Supporting Actress nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes.

The Dana Owens Album, issued in 2004, presented an eclectic set of covers—from Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band’s “Hard Times” to Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life”—that showcased her singing more than her rapping. Trav’lin’ Light followed a similar path in 2007, drawing from the Pointer Sisters to Shirley Horn and featuring Joe Sample, George Duke, Erykah Badu, and Jill Scott. Between those projects she appeared in Taxi, Beauty Shop, Last Holiday, and Hairspray. In 2009 she released the star-studded, pop-oriented Persona, produced by Cool & Dre.