2 languages
Queen Latifah
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Queen Latifah, whose real name is Dana Elaine Owens, is an American rapper, actress and singer, born in 1970. At nineteen she released her debut album All Hail the Queen, with the hit single Ladies First. Her second album, Nature of a Sista' from 1991, was released on Tommy Boy Records. The third album, Black Reign from 1993, was the first album by a solo female rapper to be certified gold by the American recording industry. It yielded the single U.N.I.T.Y., which drew attention to violence against women and to the objectification of Black female sexuality, and won a Grammy. The fourth album, Order in the Court from 1998, came out on Motown. The Dana Owens Album followed in 2004, Trav'lin' Light in 2007 and Persona in 2009.
Music and breakthrough
Besides music she built a career as an actress. From 1993 to 1998 she played Khadijah James in the comedy series Living Single, and she had a leading role in the 1996 film Set It Off. For her role as Mama Morton in the 2002 film Chicago she was nominated for an Oscar. She also made a talk show of her own and appeared in films such as Hairspray and Girls Trip. For her role as the blues singer Bessie Smith in the 2015 HBO film Bessie she won an Emmy.
Influence
In 2006 she was the first hip hop artist with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2026 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She showed that rap could have a female, self-assured voice, especially with songs such as Ladies First and U.N.I.T.Y.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1989All Hail the Queen
- 1991Nature of a Sista’
- 1993Black Reign
- 1996Queen Latifah and the Original Flavor Unit
- 1998Order in the Court
- 2004The Dana Owens Album
- 2007Trav’lin’ Light
- 2009Persona