Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Queen Latifah is one of the few hip-hop artists to become a Hollywood star. At 40, she's amassed success as a businesswoman, actress, singer, rapper and spokeswoman and won countless awards, including a Golden Globe, a Grammy, an NAACP Image Award and a SAG award. Here, Blackvoices.com takes a look at Queen Latifah: Through the Years.
Paul Morigi, WireImage
The Record
BlackVoices.com
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Queen Latifah is one of the few hip-hop artists to become a Hollywood star. At 40, she's amassed success as a businesswoman, actress, singer, rapper and spokeswoman and won countless awards, including a Golden Globe, a Grammy, an NAACP Image Award and a SAG award. Here, Blackvoices.com takes a look at Queen Latifah: Through the Years.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Dana Elaine Owens was born in Newark, N.J. She got her stage name, Queen Latifah, from her cousin at age 8.
The moniker means "delicate" and "gentle" in Arabic.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Basketball remains one of Latifah's favorite sports. In high school, at 5-foot-10, she was a power forward on the girls team.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Way before rapping, Latifah actually sang: According to legend, she performed the song 'Home,' from the musical The Wiz in a high school play.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Latifah released her debut, 'All Hail the Queen, in 1989. At 19, she became a hip-hop success story, thanks in large part to her female anthem, 'Ladies First,' which featured Monie Love, and the album's first single, 'Wrath of My Madness.'
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Latifah has had a longtime association with Essence magazine, which is recognized as the best-selling periodical for black women. In this photo, she is pictured with the magazine's longtime editor Susan Taylor in 1990.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
The commercial and critical success of 'All Hail the Queen' allowed Latifah to perform in Europe and even take the stage at the famed Apollo Theater. The album quickly reached platinum status.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Queen Latifah enjoyed an early taste of mainstream success with her contribution to the soundtrack of the 1991 blaxploitation film 'New Jack City.' Titled 'For the Love of Money/Living for the City,' the track also featured Troop, and Levert and was a medley of Stevie Wonder's 'Living for the City' and The O'Jays' 'For the Love of Money.' The track reached #1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
Spike Lee is said to have handpicked Latifah to portray the no-nonsense waitress, Lashawn, in 'Jungle Fever.' The movie, which tackled the subject of interracial relationships, starred a who's who of Hollywood black talent, including Wesley Snipes, Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Stevie Wonder performed the entire movie soundtrack.
Queen Latifah: Through The Years
In 1991, Latifah released her second and last studio album for Tommy Boy Records. 'Nature of a Sista' featured one of her signature tracks, 'Latifah's Had it Up 2 Here.'
Queen Latifah: Through The Years