Queen Latifah

As an American rapper, songwriter, singer, actress, producer, and feminist, she keeps herself to be one of the busiest women in the world through so many different platforms and values.

## Queen Latifah

### Occupation

An American rapper, songwriter, singer, actress, producer, and feminism activist.

## **Biography**

Born in Newark, New jersey, Queen Latifah's real name is Dana Elaine Owens. Her debut album, *All Hail to the Queen,*sold more than 1 million copies, and the single *"*U.N.I.T.Y.*"*earned Latifah her first Grammy Award. Latifah has also garnered acclaim for acting, earning her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2002 blockbuster musical *Chicago,* and an Emmy nod for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the 2015 HBO film *Bessie*.

### **How it all began**

The second child of Lance and Rita Owens, Latifah is best known for her social politics, acting skills and gift for rhyme. When she was 8 years old, a Muslim cousin gave her the nickname Latifah, meaning "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic. In her first year of high school, Latifah began informal singing and rapping in the restrooms and locker rooms. In her junior year, she formed a rap group, Ladies Fresh, with her friends Tangy B and Landy D in response to the formation of another young women's group. Soon the group was making appearances wherever they could.

## **Notable Works**

While studying communications at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, she recorded a demo tape that caught the attention of Tommy Boy Records, which signed the 18-year-old Queen Latifah. In 1988 she released her first single, "Wrath of My Madness," and the following year her debut album, *All Hail the Queen.* appeared. Propelled by diverse styles: including soul, reggae, dance, and feminist themes, it earned positive reviews and attracted a wide audience. Soon after, Queen Latifah founded her own management company. Her second album, *Nature of a Sista* (1991), however, failed to match the sales of her previous effort, and Tommy Boy did not re-sign her. After signing with Motown Records, she released *Black Reign* in 1993. The album was a critical and commercial success, and the single “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which decried sexism and violence against women, earned a Grammy Award. In 1991 Queen Latifah made her big-screen debut in *Jungle Fever*, and after several television appearances she was signed in 1993 to costar in the series *Living Single*. After the show ended in 1998, Queen Latifah returned to the big screen, playing a jazz singer in the 1998 film *Living Out Loud*. Her commanding screen presence brought roles in more films, including *The Bone Collector* (1999) and *Brown Sugar* (2002). In 1999 she began a two-year stint of hosting her own daytime talk show, and that year she published *Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.* Queen Latifah’s prominence in Hollywood was cemented in 2003, when she received an Academy Award nomination (best supporting actress) for her portrayal of Matron Mama Morton in the big-screen adaptation (2002) of the stage musical *Chicago*.

## **Queen Latifah and Feminism**

As her phenomenal works have been noted, there doesn't seem to be an area of the entertainment industry she can't conquer. But that's not it. Her movement towards feminism aspired many artists and some say she's the base ground for all the female artists that pursue the idea of feminism. Latifah has often been called the first lady of hip-hop.But given her ever present influence on culture, particularly how it casts women, the term that’s most appropriate is right there in her name: Queen. Relax, Beyoncé still gets to be Queen Bee, butwithout Queen Latifah, it’s hard to imagine Beyoncé's brand of feminism or even cries for solidarity among women in modern music. Latifah called out the misogyny in hip-hop at a time when women in the industry weren’t being given opportunities to ask for much at all. She infused feminism into rap music when female artists were barely allowed through the door. And then she left it open. Queen Latifah was showing her skill as an MC on a mission to bring feminist ideals to the mainstream. The first two albums she released, *Hail the Queen* and *Nature of a Sista*, packed heavy punches with songs about power and respect that counteracted the overwhelming sexism in rap during the late ’80s and early ’90s. She was calling out misogyny in hip-hop during a time when women were just trying to break into the industry. Through singles like “U.N.I.T.Y.” and “Ladies First,” she called out sexist MCs, derogatory language, sexual harassment, and cycles of violence within the black community. For her “U.N.I.T.Y.” jam, she became one of the first women to ever win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Outside of music, she’s also starred in the cult classic remake of *Hairspray* and even won an Emmy last year for her role as a bisexual Depression-era blues singer in the biopic *Bessie Smith*. Without Queen Latifah’s fearless attack on hip-hop’s sexism, the landscape of music may have looked drastically different.

## **Bars**

"*Cause they see a woman standing up on her own two/ Sloppy slouching is something I won't do/ Some think that we can't flow/ Stereotypes, they got to go" - Ladies first. From the album, ALL HAIL THE QUEEN.*

"*Instinct leads me to another flow/ Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a hoe/ Trying to make a sister feel low/ You know all of that gots to go" - U.N.I.T.Y. From the album, BLACK REIGN.*

## **References**

Rudulph, Heather. August 5, 2015. *Why Beyonce, Nicki, & Taylor Own a Debt to Queen Latifah.* Refinery29. Article. Retrieved on May 9, 2018. https://www.refinery29.com/2015/08/91904/queen-latifah-unity-feminist-legacy

Thomas, Chris. February 10, 2016. *5 Women Reclaiming Black Feminism Over the Decades.* Milk.xyz. Article. Retrieved on May 9, 2018. https://milk.xyz/articles/the-5-women-reclaiming-black-feminism-over-the-decades/

The Famous Biography Website. March 22, 2018. *Queen Latifah Biography.* Retrieved online May 9, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/queen-latifah-9542419.

The editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2018. *Queen Latifah.* Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved online on May 9, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Queen-Latifah.

Wallace, Michele. 1990. *Pop View; When Black Feminism Faces The Music, and the Music Is Rap.* The New York Times. Article. Retrieved on May 9, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/29/arts/pop-view-when-black-feminism-faces-the-music-and-the-music-is-rap.html.

The Genius. 2018. *U.N.I.T.Y. Lyrics and meanings Breakdown.* Genius. Retrieved online on May 9, 2018. https://genius.com/Queen-latifah-unity-lyrics