Queen Latifah is an American rapper, actress and talk show host whose exploits and popularity ignited and motivated many female rappers who began their careers. She was also an openly queer female rapper in the 1990s, a time when many queer women were discriminated against and a genre which is known to be homophobic.
Her talent and courage were an inspiration to many young women who had similar passions. Queen Latifah also played powerful roles on screen as an actress. Characters who made it evident that there was more than one way to be a woman.
Queen Latifah was born in 1970 in Newark, New Jersey. She was given the nickname Latifah (Arabic for “delicate” or “sensitive”) as a child and eventually took the name Queen Latifah.
In high school, she was a member of the all-female rap trio Ladies Fresh, and while studying communications at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, she created a demo tape that drew the notice of Tommy Boy Records, who signed her at the age of 18. In 1988, she released her first single, “Wrath of My Madness,” and the following year, her debut album,
All Hail the Queen, was released. According to information obtained from Britannica, the album received favourable reviews and drew a large audience thanks to its numerous styles, including soul, reggae, and dance, as well as feminist themes. This marked the beginning of Queen Latifah’s success.
Soon after, Queen Latifah started her own management company. She signed with Motown Records and released Black Reign in 1993. The album received good reviews and sales; the song “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which condemned misogyny and violence against women, won a Grammy.
Queen Latifah made her film debut in Jungle Fever in 1991, and following several television appearances, she was cast in the 1993 series Living Single. The series was the only show in the 1990s besides Girlfriends with an all-female lead. Entertainment Tonight describes the show as an influence on many other hit shows like Friends and Insecure. The show ended in 1998,
Queen Latifah later appeared as a jazz singer in the film Living Out Loud. Her powerful screen presence earned her jobs in several films, including The Bone Collector and Brown Sugar. In 1999, she began hosting her daytime talk program for two years and published Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.
Queen Latifah’s success in Hollywood was solidified in 2003 when she won an Oscar nomination (best supporting actress) for her performance of Matron Mama Morton in the big-screen adaption of the stage musical Chicago. In addition to her acting career, Queen Latifah’s voice was featured in several movies, including four instalments of the animated Ice Age series. Her other albums include The Dana Owens Album and Trav’lin’ Light, collections of jazz and pop standards that showcased her strong singing voice, and Persona, an eclectic return to hip-hop. She also hosted another daytime show in 2013-15. The Queen Latifah show.
In 2023, Queen Latifah became the first female rapper to earn a Kennedy Center Honor.
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