Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singerBessie Smith in theHBO filmBessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. From 2016 to 2019, she starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical drama seriesStar. In 2020, she portrayedHattie McDaniel in the miniseriesHollywood. She portrayed the lead role onCBS's revival of the action dramaThe Equalizer, which aired five seasons from 2021 through 2025.
She found her stage name,Latifah (لطيفةlaṭīfa), meaning "delicate" and "very kind" inArabic, in a book of Arabic names when she was eight.[10] Always tall, the 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m) Dana was apower forward on her high school basketball team.[17][18] She performed the number "Home" from the musicalThe Wiz in a grammar school play.[19]
Music career
1988–1989: Career beginnings
She beganbeat boxing for the hip-hop group Ladies Fresh and was an original member of theFlavor Unit, which, at that time, was a crew ofMCs grouped around producer DJ King Gemini. DJ King Gemini made a demo recording of Queen Latifah's rap song Princess of the Posse, which he gave toFab 5 Freddy, the host ofYo! MTV Raps. The song got the attention of Tommy Boy Music employeeDante Ross, who signed Latifah and in 1989 released her first single, "Wrath of My Madness". More recent artists, likeIce Cube andLil' Kim, would go on to sample Latifah's track in their songs "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo" and "Wrath of Kim's Madness" respectively in later years. Latifah has a two-octave vocal range.[20] She is considered a contralto, with the ability to both rap and sing.[20]
1989–2002: Rap and hip-hop
Latifah made her mark in hip-hop by rapping about issues black women face. She wrote songs about topics includingdomestic violence,street harassment, and troubled relationships.[21]Freddy helped Latifah sign withTommy Boy Records, which released Latifah's first albumAll Hail the Queen in 1989, when she was nineteen.[10] That year, she appeared as Referee on the UK label Music of Life album1989 – The Hustlers Convention (live). She received aCandace Award from theNational Coalition of 100 Black Women in 1992.[22] The single "Ladies First" featuringMonie Love became the first collaborative track by two female rappers not in a group.[23] In 1993, she released the albumBlack Reign, which was certified Gold in the United States[24] and produced the Grammy Award-winning song "U.N.I.T.Y." In 1998, co-produced by Ro Smith, now CEO of Def Ro Inc., she released her fourth hip-hop albumOrder in the Court, which was released byMotown Records. Latifah was also a member of the hip-hop collectiveNative Tongues.
Queen Latifah hosts LEAGUE National Awards and Recognition Luncheon 2008
AfterOrder in the Court, Latifah shifted primarily to singing soul music and jazz standards, which she had used sparingly in her previous hip-hop-oriented records. In 2004, she released thesoul/jazz standardsThe Dana Owens Album. On July 11, 2007, Latifah sang at the famedHollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as the headlining act in a livejazz concert. In front of a crowd of more than 12,400, she was backed by a 10-piece live orchestra and three backup vocalists, which was billed as the Queen Latifah Orchestra. Latifah performed new arrangements of standards including "California Dreaming", first made popular by 1960s iconsthe Mamas & the Papas. Later in 2007, Latifah released an album titledTrav'lin' Light.Jill Scott,Erykah Badu,Joe Sample,George Duke,Christian McBride, andStevie Wonder made guest appearances.[26] The album was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" category.[27]
In 2008, Latifah was asked if she would make another hip-hop album. She was quoted stating that the album was done already and it would be calledAll Hail the Queen II. The following year, in 2009, she released her albumPersona. The song "Cue the Rain" was released as the album's lead single.[30] 2011 saw Queen Latifah sing "Who Can I Turn To" in a duet with Tony Bennett for his albumDuets II.[31] In January 2012, while appearing on106 & Park withDolly Parton, to promoteJoyful Noise, Latifah stated that she had been working on a new album.
Film and television
1991–2001: Early career
She began her film career by having supporting roles in the 1991 and 1992 filmsHouse Party 2,Juice andJungle Fever. Moreover, she has guest starred in two episodes during the second season (1991–1992) of theNBC hitThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and had a guest role as herself on theABC sitcomHangin' with Mr. Cooper in 1993. From 1993 to 1998, Latifah had a starring role onLiving Single, theFOX sitcom, which gained high ratings among black audiences; she also wrote and performed its theme song. Her mother Rita played her mother on-screen. Latifah appeared in the 1996 box-office hit,Set It Off, and had a supporting role in theHolly Hunter filmLiving Out Loud (1998). She played the role of Thelma in the 1999 movieThe Bone Collector, alongsideDenzel Washington andAngelina Jolie. She also had her own talk show,The Queen Latifah Show, from 1999 to 2001 and revamped in 2013. On January 6, 2014,The Queen Latifah Show was renewed for a second season. However, on November 21, 2014, Sony Pictures Television canceled Latifah's show due to declining ratings. Production of the series closed down, taking effect on December 18, 2014, leaving new episodes that were broadcast until March 6, 2015.
2002–present: Mainstream success
Queen Latifah performing at the "Kids Inaugural: We Are the Future" concert in 2009
In 2003, she starred withSteve Martin in the filmBringing Down the House, which was a major success at the box office.[10] She also recorded a song "Do Your Thing" for the soundtrack. Since then, she has had both leading and supporting roles in a multitude of films that received varied critical and box office receptions, including films such asKung Faux (2003),Scary Movie 3 (2003),Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004),Taxi (2004), andBeauty Shop (2005). In early 2006, Latifah appeared in a romantic comedy/drama entitledLast Holiday.[10] Film criticRichard Roeper stated that "this is the Queen Latifah performance I've been waiting for ever since she broke into movies".[32] Also in 2006, Latifah voicedEllie, a friendlymammoth, in the animated film,Ice Age: The Meltdown (her first voice appearance in an animated film), and appeared in the dramaStranger Than Fiction.
In 2017, Latifah starred in the hit comedy filmGirls Trip.[41] On April 26, 2017,MTV announced that Latifah would be an executive producer for the third season of the slasher television seriesScream. The show would undergo a reboot with a new cast andBrett Matthews serving as show runner. In addition, Matthews, Shakim Compere and Yaneley Arty would also be credited as executive producers for the series underFlavor Unit Entertainment.[42][43] The third season titledScream: Resurrection premiered onVH1 on July 8, 2019.[44]
In 2019, Latifah played the sea witchUrsula inThe Little Mermaid Live!. Although the production itself was not well received, critics widely praised Latifah's performance,[45][46] withThe Hollywood Reporter calling her performance "the best moment of the evening".[47]
Al Hail the Queen features hip-hop, reggae,soulful back-up vocals,boppishscatting, snappy horn back-ups, andhouse music. She described the work as "a creative outlet... and sometimes it can become like a newspaper that people read with their ears."[52]
Early in her career, Queen Latifah's lyrics were described as woman-centered andAfrocentric. The rapper often used Afrocentric attires during public appearances and music videos, looks that became her trademark.[53] In 1990,The New York Times' Michelle Wallace described her art as "politically sophisticated", which "seems worlds apart from the adolescent, buffoonish sex orientation of most rap."[54] ForAllMusic, her "strong, intelligent, no-nonsense" persona made her "arguably the first MC who could properly be described as feminist".[3] Queen Latifah did not identify as a feminist at the time, and expressed that her music was not exclusive for the female audience.[55] On the topic, authorTricia Rose wrote that Black female rappers likely did not identify with feminismduring that time because it was perceived as a movement that focused primarily on white women's issues.[56]
Products and endorsements
Latifah is a celebrity spokesperson forCoverGirl cosmetics, Curvation women's underwear,Pizza Hut, andJenny Craig.[57] She represents her own line of cosmetics for women of color called the CoverGirl Queen Collection.[58] Latifah has also launched a perfume line called "Queen" and "Queen of Hearts". On May 23, 2018, Latifah was named thegodmother ofCarnival Cruise Lines' vesselCarnival Horizon. Apart from singing, Queen Latifah has written a book on confidence and self-respect calledLadies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.[59]
Latifah's older brother, Lancelot Jr., was killed in 1992 in an accident involving a motorcycle that Latifah had purchased for him.[10] A 2006 interview revealed that Latifah still wore the key to the motorcycle around her neck,[10] visible throughout her performance in her sitcomLiving Single. In 1995, Latifah was the victim of acarjacking, which also resulted in the non-fatal shooting of her bodyguard, Sean Moon.[61]
In 1996, she was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a loaded handgun.[62] In 2002, she was arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles County.[63] She was placed on three years' probation after being convicted.[64]
On March 21, 2018, her mother, actress Rita Owens, died due to heart failure, an issue she had been battling since 2004.[65]
Latifah long refused to address speculation around her sexuality and personal life, tellingThe New York Times in 2008 that "I don't feel like I need to share my personal life, and I don't care if people think I'm gay or not".[66] At theBET Awards 2021, during her acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award, she publicly acknowledged her female partner Eboni Nichols and son Rebel for the first time, ending the speech with "HappyPride!"[67]
In the January 2020 season 6, episode 4 ofFinding Your Roots titled "This Land Is My Land", Latifah learned that her family were descended from a line offreed Negroes, since her ancestors were listed by name in the U.S. pre–Civil War census of 1860 in Virginia.[68] Slaves were almost never listed by name in pre–U.S. Civil War censuses. Latifah also learned the exact date her ancestors became free which was October 1, 1792, the date her second earliest known ancestor, a woman named "Jug" or Juggy Owens, was emancipated from slavery.[69]
Disagreements betweenFoxy Brown and Queen Latifah began in mid-1996, where media reports indicated that Brown was a prime target of Latifah'sdiss record "Name Callin'", which was featured on theSet It Off soundtrack.[71] In response, Brown made allegations of Latifah "checking her out" at musical events and further questioned Latifah's sexuality in various public radio interviews. In 1998, Brown released a diss record titled "10% Dis", where she continually questioned Latifah's sexuality and accused her of being jealous.[72][73]
By late spring of 1998, Latifah responded to Brown through another diss record titled "Name Callin' Part II".[74][75] On the record, Latifah disses Brown about her heavy reliance on sex appeal, in which she implies that Brown has to rely on skimpy outfits to hide her "half-assed flow".[74][76] Foxy Brown retaliated via a response-diss record titled "Talk to Me", in which Brown made fun of the ratings of Latifah'stelevision talk show and went on to make various homophobic remarks to both Latifah and then-newcomerQueen Pen.[77]
A significant part of media dubbed Latifah "the winner" of the feud.[75] Hip-hop magazineEgo Trip stated that Latifah won the feud with her diss record "Name Callin' Part II" and added that she showed that "the lady's still first", in reference to Latifah's 1990 single, "Ladies First".[75] In 2000, Brown and Latifah reconciled; to prove that the truce was real, Brown performed her song "Na Na Be Like" onThe Queen Latifah Show.[78]
Legacy
Music
Often cited as one of the best female rappers,[79] Queen Latifah achieved groundbreaking success[80] in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and became whatPitchfork considered as the "most recognizable female rapper" of thegolden era of hip hop.[81]AllMusic writer Steve Huey stated that Latifah was "certainly not the first female rapper, but she was the first one to become a bona fide star."[3] In the bookNotable Black American Women,Jessie Carney Smith hailed her as "rap's first feminist" and "one of the few women to make a mark in the male-dominated field of rap music".[82]Variety called her "one of the major forerunners for women in modern hip-hop,"[83] andThe Guardian referred to her as a "pioneer of female rap".[84]
Throughout her career, several media publications have referred to her as the "Queen of Rap"[52][85][86] includingNew York magazine (1990) via editorDinitia Smith,[82] as well as "Queen of Hip Hop".[85][84][87][53] Latifah became the first solo female rapper to receive aRIAA certification for an album (Black Reign), a commercial breakthrough that theAllMusic editor considered as creating a path for "a talented crew of women rappers to make their own way onto the charts as the 90s progressed".[3] Her breakthrough also helped place New Jersey on the hip hop map.[53] In 1998, she performed in theSuper Bowl XXXIIhalftime show, making her the first rapper to do so.[25]
According to anAfrican American Review journal, herafrocentric feminist music video for "Ladies First" presented a "televisual moment" and disrupted the continuity of sexism and racism that dominated the music videos at the time.[88] The song was listed on theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll,[89] and was one of the firsts texts to address the declining standards of male-female relationships in community life.[56] AuthorTricia Rose expressed that it "offered hip-hop for the development of pro-female pro-black diasporas political consciousness."[56] InConsequence, Okla Jones noted that the song "U.N.I.T.Y."—which lyrics confront slurs against women in hip-hop culture and address other types of disrespect—created a path for future female rappers to be "their authentic selves".[90]
Acting
Vibe magazine has noted her as the first female rapper to cross over into TV & film,[91] as an artist that "broke barriers and set standards" for Black women in music to follow, and cited her as the "First Lady of Hip-Hop".[23] For her performance as Matron "Mama" Morton inChicago, Latifah earned a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first woman in hip hop to earn an Oscar nomination.[92]
PlaywrightLin-Manuel Miranda has stated that Latifah inspired the portrayal ofAngelica Schuyler in the musicalHamilton.[111] In 2020,Vogue editor Janelle Okwodu considered her afashion icon that "helped to start a conversation about body image that continues to this day", crediting her among the first artists that pioneered the "climate of size inclusivity and muses of all shapes".[112]
Influence on the entertainment industry
Challenging Eurocentric standards
Queen Latifah has demonstrated several forms of activism over her lifetime, challengingEurocentric ideals and representing the black, female body. An initial sign of the beginning of her resistance to these Eurocentric standards started with her name. Her entire name was self-chosen, and while 'Latifah' came from an Arabic book, 'Queen' originated from her desire to create a strong, black identity, which was fueled by her mother, Rita Owens, who gave her the foundation to develop into a self-proclaimed Queen.[113]
Afrocentric Queendom is a concept that Queen Latifah uses to demonstrate her resistance to Eurocentric standards. This term, Afrocentric Queendom, refers to African centered customs that also incorporate female empowerment. Eurocentric constructions are challenged by this concept becauseAfrocentrism deconstructs oppressive environments, essentially disrupting centralized European spaces.[113] The notion of the term Queen was intentionally crafted by Latifah, redefining what plus size, black women were in society. Over the twentieth century, the term 'mammy' coincided with black women because many were left to take care of white children. This term stripped many black women around this time of their name, forcing them to adopt the new identity of 'mammy'.[114] Following the emergence of this term, African American women have been stereotyped as mothering figures, while also signaling a loss of identity.[114] This is what Queen Latifah aimed to avoid when creating her stage name, with the intention of opposing the Eurocentric construction of the term mammy. The sole idea of her choosing her name imitates power and promotes strength within herself.[115]
Latifah also rejects Eurocentric standards by embracing Afrocentric ideals and incorporating this concept within her work. She claims that Afrocentricity is a great way of living, creating a sense of pride around her heritage.[115] Within her music, Latifah incorporatesAfrobeats and language while also centering black women within her lyrics and visuals. This can be clearly identified in her 1989 'Ladies First' music video, to where South African culture is present in her work, which included Afrocentric visuals and clothes that align culturally with South Africa.[115]
The idea of the black, female body has been criticized and mocked, as well as being imitated over the past couple of decades by celebrities. Latifah, a plus sized, black woman, has continued to challenge Eurocentric standards by advocating for body positivity and incorporating her size as a part of her music identity within her early Hip Hop career. Her goal was to politicize and posterize her body to influence young, black girls that all bodies should be accepted, especially in her male dominated field at the time.[113] Throughout her early career, Latifah challenged the Eurocentric mythology of the inferiority of black, female bodies, by creating a marketable figure that was respectable within the Hip Hop industry in the mid-1990s.
Queen Latifah did not always center Africanness around her career, eventually embracing more Black American customs, while not completely abandoning African ideals. This was present through her physical appearance and her music. In her 1993 rap song,U.N.I.T.Y. she incorporates more jazz and soul sounds into her music, as well as empowering lyrics.[113] Her lyrics address concerns regarding harassment and domestic violence within the black community, as well as lyrics to uplift black women, and lyrics that address misogyny within the hip hop community.[116]
Early influence of feminism
While Afrocentric influence and pro-black productions were what Queen Latifah focused on, she also incorporatedfeminism throughout her work. Latifah's demonstration of Afrocentricity co-existed with how she also demonstrated her feminism. The message of hip hop and rap began to change around the mid-nineties, with rappers like Queen Latifah, as well asMonie Love andLil' Kim, changing the narrative. The lyrics of the songs produced by several of these women related to sexual liberation, female autonomy, and sexual domination.[117] Language in hip hop was changed through female artists, reclaiming derogatory words that are used against women and incorporating them within their music.
Queen Latifah's name, while self-empowering and challenging Eurocentric ideals, also demonstrates feminist action. The term "queen" refers to a female ruler who is in a higher position than those around her. By placing "Queen" in her stage name, Latifah set herself in a position to counter sexist ideals in the hip-hop and rap music industry, which was primarily dominated by men during this time.[117]
While there were several women, like Latifah, who associated with feminism, there were several women who rejected the idea of incorporating this into their artistry due to negative connotations of this movement. Involvement with feminism could adversely affect their career, especially if the idea of feminism is rejected by people who dominate the music industry. Queen Latifah was not a follower in this situation, subtly incorporatingthird-wave feminism within her lyrics, which specifically addressed the inclusion of women of color in feminism and the elimination of homophobia.[117]
Flavor Unit Records
Latifah also founded a production company, which was referred to as Flavor Unit Records, eventuallyFlavor Unit Entertainment, co-launching it in 1995 with her business partner Shakim Compere.[118] Near the creation of this label, she helped several artists create their music, such as Daddy D. Daddy D was Latifah's first artist to create a single with. Her purpose was to create a multimedia company that operates at full service. Several music artists at the time wanted to join Queen Latifah's label because they easily identified her success, from an artist herself, to a self made label chief.[118] The label remained quite small in the nineties, but eventually gained traction as Queen Latifah gained more attention. While her record label helped several artists start up their career, she remained atMotown Records for her own benefit.[118]
Portrayal of characters
Queen Latifah expanded her career from music, branching out to acting, as well as producing. Her first role that she took on was in the movieJungle Fever, which was released in 1991, where she performed among several significant black actors, such asSamuel L. Jackson andHalle Berry. Her role in this movie was not major, but displayed her overall talent enough in the film. She later moved to entertainment television, starring and co-producing certain episodes of the showLiving Single.
Living Single
Queen Latifah was the star of the sitcomLiving Single, which followed her character, Khadijah James, and three of her black, female friends. This sitcom that aired for three years aimed to highlight the Black American experience by demonstrating Black excellence.[119] Latifah's character is described to embody what black womanhood was in the early nineties. Her character was well rounded and represented the idea of what a 'girl boss' was.[citation needed] With this all black cast, the possibilities for characters to be presented in a variety of ways were endless. Some characters, such as Maxine Shaw, played byErika Alexander, were depicted as lawyers, while others were depicted as wealthy, such as Regine Hunter, played byKim Fields. Khadijah was everything from a business owner, to a songwriter, to a friend, all while maintaining the lead role in the show. Depth and duality behind black characters on sitcoms within the nineties was not very common outside of Black Entertainment Television (BET), so it was quite significant to television when Latifiah took on such an important role. With the help of Latifah,Yvette Lee Bowser, the executive producer and creator, actively changed the perception of Black Americans, painting a new light on the Black experience.[119]
Through her performance through the show, Latifah showed the complexity of Black womanhood successfully. There were several parallels that were identified betweenLiving Single and Queen Latifah's life, such as how both she and her character had to navigate a male-dominated industry while trying to be successful.[120] Their personalities also align, both being outspoken, confident, and driven. Latifah realistically depicted a black woman on television by simply acting as herself onLiving Single.
Early influence of sexuality in entertainment (before the 2000s)
Queen Latifah's sexuality has always come into question through her on-screen performances. In one of her films, 1996'sSet It Off, she takes on a more masculine role. Cleopatra Sims (Cleo), Latifah's character, can be described as abutch, lesbian bank robber, which highlighted her sexuality.[120] She was so successful while playing this masculine role, that rumors about her sexuality started spreading.[120] In the early stages of her career, Latifah chose not to address the rumors regarding her sexuality, letting the public categorize her in their own way. Queen Latifah's ambiguity played to her strengths when acting, allowing her to have versatile roles and not become constrained to certain acting roles because of her off screen sexuality.[120] This can be identified in many of her later films in her career, playing a range of either oversexualized characters or sexually muted characters. The distance Queen Latifah created from assumptions about her sexuality in her early career excluded her from any queer discourse throughout the 1990s.[121] Her involvement in offhanded politics and pro-black work productions helped define her work, while her sexuality did not affect her work, early on.[121]
Queen Latifah became the first female hip-hop recording artist to get nominated for anOscar. In 2003, Queen Latifah was awarded Artist of the Year by theHarvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations.[122] In 2006, Latifah became the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame,[123] and was also inducted into theNew Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011.[124] In her music career, Queen Latifah has sold nearly 2 million albums in the US.[125][126]The Root ranked her at number 35 onThe Root 100 list.[127] In 2017,American Black Film Festival honored Latifah with the Entertainment Icon award.[128] In 2018, she received an honoraryDoctor of Fine Arts Degree by theRutgers University.[129] In 2019, Harvard University awarded theW. E. B. Du Bois Medal to Queen Latifah for her contributions to black history and culture.[130] In 2023, Queen Latifah's debut albumAll Hail the Queen, was added into theLibrary of Congress'sNational Recording Registry, making it the earliest female rap recording to enter the National Recording Registry,[131] and making her the second female hip-hop recording artist to have her music included afterLauryn Hill.[132][133]
Latifah,Jill Scott andErykah Badu joined to create and own the rights to the Sugar Water Festival Tour, LLC. All three singers toured together while inviting music duoFloetry in 2005 and singerKelis in 2006 as opening acts. Comedian/actressMo'Nique served as host for the 2006 Sugar Water Tour.
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^ab"12 Best Hip Hop Halftime Show Performances".xxl. February 12, 2023.Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 19, 2021.Latifah made history as the first rapper to hit the stage at the Super Bowl.
^abcRose, Patricia (1994). "Black noise: Rap music and Black cultural resistance in contemporary American popular culture".{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
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