  Queen Latifah was born Dana
Owens in Newark, NJ on March 18, 1970.
Latifah is Arabic for delicate and sensitive
and picked by her when she was 8. Queen
Latifah is probably the most well-known and
respected female rapper in the industry with
her strong, empowering lyrics and personable
style. Latifah demonstrated that black women
can be portrayed as intelligent and beautiful
instead of being sexual props in her male
counterpart's videos.
 Queen Latifah's debut LP, All
Hail The Queen was released and contained her
first hit on R&B radio, "Ladies
First" as well as "Dance For
Me" and "Wrath Of My Madness."
Guests on the LP included De La Soul
and Monie Love. As CMJ
New Music Report put it, "Male
rappers step off, because the Queen has
arrived." Critics applauded her message
and musical style of rap, R&B, and even
reggae.
 Queen Latifah helped out David
Bowie on one of his remixes of "Fame
90."
Queen Latifah was nominated for
a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance (All
Hail The Queen).
 Similar praise followed her next
release, Nature
Of A Sista - Q magazine
said of the LP, "...her true potential
is now being revealed." Latifah had the
ability of singing from her heart with the
influence of her mind.
Latifah later signed with Motown
Records after Tommy Boy Records didn't
re-sign her contract.
 Latifah was nominated for a Grammy
Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Fly
Girl").
 # 170
Singles Artist of the Year
Latifah was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Latifah's Had
It Up 2 Here").
 Queen Latifah had her high
success with the release of Black
Reign which included the Top 20 hit
"U.N.I.T.Y." The LP gave
Latifah more exposure on radio and on video
channels. The song "U.N.I.T.Y."
epitomized Latifah's strong woman stance and
went on to win her a Grammy Award. Q
magazine said of the LP, "...out of the
sea of bland and repetitive rap albums
currently nailing the coffin shut on the
legacy of funk comes a welcome life raft of
sanity..." and Entertainment Weekly
said, "...she is probably hip hop's most
assured and exciting female
performer..."
Queen Latifah hit the Top 40
with "U.N.I.T.Y."
 Queen Latifah has also found
success acting with several movie appearances
including Set
It Off, House
Party 2, Juice, and Jungle
Fever, and a popular TV sitcom Living
Single which began airing on FOX.
Queen Latifah also has her own
management company called Flavor Unit
Entertainment (home of Flavor Unit Records)
which represents such acts as Naughty
By Nature, L.L.
Cool J, Monica, and SWV.
 Much of Latifah's popularity has
developed not just from her music or acting,
but from her humanity. After experiencing her
brother's death in the early 1990s (which
inspired much of the determination found on Black
Reign) and having been a victim of
car-jacking, Latifah has shown how to rise
above tragedy with class, direction and
empowerment.
 # 81
Singles Artist of the Year
Queen Latifah topped the
Billboard Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales
chart for a week with "U.N.I.T.Y."
 Black
Reign was certified gold.
Queen Latifah hit the Top 40
with "Just Another Day."
Queen Latifah won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("U.N.I.T.Y.").
 Queen Latifah was arrested for
drug and weapons charges after she was
stopped for speeding in California and a
loaded gun and marijuana were found in the
vehicle. Latifah later confessed the incident
was unfortunate and reflected a downward
spiral resulting from the car-jacking and the
continuing feelings of loss over her
brother's death. She said of the incident:
"I made decisions that I regret, and I
took them as learning experiences... I'm
human, not perfect, like anybody else."
Latifah later entered guilty pleas and was
fined for the incident.
 Queen Latifah appeared in the
film and on the soundtrack for the Set
It Off soundtrack.
Rock
'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500
Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Ladies
First."
 The 1997 Soul Train Lady of Soul
Awards honored Queen Latifah with the
"Aretha Franklin Award" for
"Entertainer of the Year."
Queen Latifah
could be heard on the soundtrack for Nothing
To Lose with "It's Alright."
 # 194
Singles Artist of the Year
Queen Latifah's
sitcom Living Single may have been
"let go" by the Fox network in '97,
but her acting streak got even bigger with a
role in the movie Sphere co-starring with
Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon
Stone.
 Queen Latifah unleashed her next
LP, Order
In The Court with the first single,
"Bananas." She said to MTV: "A
lot of queens came along while I was away
from my throne for a moment... and its all
good. I don't knock anybody, but I'm holding
my spot... The thing about me is that I've
never competed with anyone else because I've
always done my own thing. So in my mind, I'm
not in competition with any other female
rappers out there. No other female rapper can
make Latifah records, just like I can't make
Foxy records, I can't make Kim records, I
can't make Missy records. They're individuals
and I'm an individual. But this is what I do,
I'll assert myself in my own way, and I'll
hold my throne like I always do."
During the
summer, Latifah also played some dates with
the Lilith Fair tour.
 Queen Latifah talked
with CNN: "I've always been a person who
cuts my own mold... I don't follow trends...
I try to be current but I don't follow what
everyone else is doing... Just because some
rappers chose to sell the sex - I'm a big
woman and I'm not going to embarrass myself
by pulling my gut out... I can be sexy and
sensual in my own way... besides, I think big
chicks rule."
Queen Latifah could be seen in
the film, Living
Out Loud, as a jazz singer. The film's
soundtrack will also feature 3 jazz standards
sung by Latifah: "Lush Life,"
"Goin' Out Of My Head," and
"Be Anything (But Be Mine)."
Latifah could also be seen in the TV
mini-series Mama
Flora's Family (a Roots sequel) on
CBS, and in The
Bone Collector with Denzel Washington.
Queen Latifah was named one of
the 'Most Fascinating Women of 1998' by Ladies
Home Journal.
 Queen Latifah
was nominated for 2 NAACP Image Awards for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion
Picture (Living
Out Loud) and Outstanding Actress in a
Television Movie/Mini-Series/Dramatic Special
(Mama
Flora's Family).
VH1: 100
Greatest Women of Rock & Roll included Queen Latifah
at # 72.
Latifah talked with TV
Guide about her new talk show:
"We're going to be sort of
Oprah-meets-Rosie-meets-Chris Rock... we'll
deal with news events, issues and celebrities
just doing their own thing."
 Queen Latifah hit the bookstores
with Ladies
First: Revelations Of A Strong Woman.
Queen Latifah demonstrated her
vocal range at the Academy Awards during a
Best Song melody.
 Queen Latifah joined Melissa
Etheridge, Garth
Brooks, the Pet Shop Boys,
k.d.
lang, and George
Michael to perform April 29th in
Washington, DC as part of 'Equality Rocks' -
a benefit concert in support of a gay and
lesbian human rights campaign (Human Rights Campaign).
Queen Latifah could be
seen in the film Brown
Sugar.
Queen Latifah was pulled over by
California police and arrested for driving
under the influence after failing a sobriety
test.
 Queen Latifah released a hits
collection - She's
A Queen: A Collection Of Hits.
Queen Latifah pleaded guilty to
driving under the influence charges stemming
from last November and was placed on 3 years
probation, fined $300, and ordered to get
alcohol counseling.
Queen Latifah was
nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best
Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago.
Queen Latifah could be heard on
the soundtrack for Chicago with the track
"Cell Block Tango" (which also
features Lil' Kim and Macy
Gray).
 Queen Latifah co-hosted
the Soul Train Music Awards.
Queen Latifah could be
seen on the big screen with Steve Martin in Bringing
Down The House - a film she also co-executive
produced. The film was the #1 movie its debut
weekend - bringing in over $31 million.
Queen Latifah was
nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for
Best Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago. She won a SAG Awards
as part of Best Cast Performance.
Queen Latifah was
nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for
Best Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago.
Queen Latifah was
nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago. She said of the
nomination: "I felt like doors opened
for the future. That maybe the
rappers-turned-actors who really have talent
and put work into the craft, can make a
serious career of it because it's been done.
The precedent has been set."
Queen Latifah was hit
with a $15 million lawsuit by a writer
claiming the film Bringing
Down The House was her idea.
VH1: 50
Greatest Hip Hop Artists includes Queen Latifah
at # 24.
Queen Latifah hosted and
performed on VH1's Diva Duets 2003.
 Queen Latifah could be
seen in the film Scary Movie 3.
Queen Latifah
could be heard dueting with Rod Stewart on "As Time Goes
By" on Stewart's LP As
Time Goes By... The Great American Songbook,
Volume II.
Queen Latifah was nominated for
a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance -
Female
("Go Head").
Queen Latifah could be
seen in the film Barbershop
2: Back In Business.
 Queen Latifah won a
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in
a Motion Picture (Bringing
Down The House).
Queen Latifah released
her next LP Dana
Owens Album - a collection of
standards and covers.
Queen Latifah could be
seen in the film Taxi.
Queen Latifah hosted
and performed on Saturday Night Live.
Dana
Owens Album was certified gold.
Queen Latifah hosted
the Grammy Awards and was nominated for
Best Jazz Vocal Album Dana
Owens Album).
Queen Latifah could be
seen in the film Beauty
Shop.
Queen Latifah won a Kid's Choice
Award for the Wannabe Award - the celebrity
kids most want to be like.
Queen Latifah became the first
rap artist to be awarded with a star on the
Hollywood Wak of Fame.
Queen Latifah could be seen in
the film Last
Holiday with LL Cool J.
Queen Latifah could be heard as
one of the voices in the animated film Ice
Age 2: The Meltdown.
Queen Latifah could be seen in
the film Stranger
Than Fiction.
Queen Latifah could be heard on
the compilation LP We
All Love Ella: Celebrating The First Lady Of
Song on the track "The
Lady Is A Tramp."
Queen Latifah could be seen in
the film Hairspray.
Queen Latifah was nominated for
an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in
a Miniseries or a Movie (Life Support).
 Queen Latifah released Trav'lin'
Light.
Queen Latifah topped the
Billboard Top Jazz chart with Trav'lin'
Light.
Queen Latifah performed at the American Music
Awards.
Queen Latifah won a Golden Globe
Award for Best Peformance by an Actress in a
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for
Television (Life Support) and a
Screen Actors Guild Award for the same
performance later in the month.
Queen Latifah was nominated for
a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Trav'in'
Light).
 Queen Latifah could be seen in
the film The Secret Life Of Bees.
Queen Latifah released Persona.
Queen Latifah could be heard on
the Tony Bennett LP Duets
II
on the track "Who Can I Turn
To."
 June 2: Queen Latifah
starred in the HBO bio-flick of Bessie
Smith and could be found
throughout the Bessie soundtrack.
July 16: Queen Latifah was
nominated for an Emmy Award for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited
Series or a Movie for Bessie.
- January 10: Queen Latifah was
nominated for a Golden Globe Award for
Best Actress in a Miniseries or
Television Film for Bessie.
- January 30: Queen Latifah won
a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance
by a Female Actor in a Television Movie
or Miniseries for Bessie.
|
All Hail The Queen
Released: November, 1989
Billboard
peak:
# 124
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Dance For
Me" - "Mama Gave Birth To The
Soul Children" - "Come Into My
House" - "Latifah's Law" -
"Wrath Of My Madness" -
"The Pros" - "Ladies
First" - "A King And Queen
Creation" - "Queen Of Royal
Badness" - "Evil That Men
Do" - "Princess Of The
Posse" - "Inside Out" -
"Dance 4 Me" (Ultimatum Remix)
- "Wrath Of My Madness"
(Soulshock Remix) - "Princess Of The
Posse" (DJ Mark The 45 King Remix) |
|
Nature Of A Sista'
Released: September, 1991
Billboard
peak:
# 117
Rolling Stone
review:  - Entertainment
Weekly: A
Tracks: "Latifah's
Had It Up 2 Here" - "Nuff' Of
The Ruff' Stuff'" - "One Mo'
Time" - "Give Me Your
Love" - "Love Again" -
"Bad As A Mutha" - "Fly
Girl" - "Sexy Fancy" -
"Nature Of A Sista'" -
"That The Way We Flow" -
"If You Don't Know" - "How
Do I Love Thee" |
|
Black Reign
Released: November, 1993
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 60
Tracks: "Black Hand
Side" - "Listen 2 Me" -
"I Can't Understand" -
"Rough" - "The D.J.'s
" - "Bring The Flavor" -
"Coochie Bang..." -
"Superstar" - "No
Work" - "Just Another Day..." - "U.N.I.T.Y." -
"Weekend Love" - "Mood Is
Right" - "Winki's Theme" |
|
Order In The Court
Released: June, 1998
Billboard
peak:
# 95
Rolling Stone
review: - Entertainment
Weekly: A-
Tracks:
"Bananas" - "Court Is In
Session" - "No/Yes" -
"Turn You On" - "Black On
Black Love" - "Parlay" -
"Paper" - "What Ya Gonna
Do" - "It's Alright" -
"Brownsville" - "I Don't
Know" (featuring Sisqo) -
"Life" |
|
She's A Queen: A
Collection Of Hits
Released: December, 2002
Tracks: "For The
Love Of Money" - "Ladies
First" - "She's A Queen" -
"Fly Girl" - "Latifah's
Had It Up 2 Here" - "U.N.I.T.Y." -
"Black Hand Side" - "Go
Head" - "Just Another Day" - "Set
It Off" - "Paper" -
"It's Alright" - "Come
Into My House" |
|
Chicago
Released: January , 2002
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 2 - Entertainment
Weekly: A-
Queen Latifah Tracks: "When You're
Good To Mama" - "Class"
(with Catherine Zeta-Jones) - "Cell
Block Tango / He Had It Comin;"
(with Lil' Kim & Macy Gray) |
|
Dana Owens Album
Released: September, 2004
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 16
Rolling Stone
review:  - Entertainment
Weekly: C
Tracks: "Baby Get
Lost" - "I Put A Spell On
You" - "Simply Beautiful"
- "The Same Love That Made Me
Laugh" - "Moody's Mood For
Love" - "Close Your Eyes"
- "California Dreamin'" -
"Hard Times" - "Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy" - "Hello
Stranger" - "If I Had You"
- "Lush Life" |
|
Trav'lin' Light
Released: September, 2007
Billboard
peak:
# 11
Entertainment
Weekly: C+
Tracks: "Poetry
Man" - "Georgia Rose" -
"Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars" -
"Don't Cry Baby" - "I Love
Being Here With You" - "I'm
Gonna Live Till I Die" -
"Trav'lin' Light" - "I
Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl" -
"I'm Not In Love" - "What
Love Has Joined Together" -
"How Long (Betcha Got A Chick On The
Side)" - "Gone Away" -
"I Know Where I've Bee" |
 |
Persona
Released: August, 2009
Billboard
peak:
# 25
Rolling Stone:
Tracks: "The
Light" - "Fast Car" (with
Missy Elliott) - "Cue The Rain"
- "My Couch" (with Cool &
Dre) - "Take Me (With You)"
(with Marsha Ambrosius) - "With
You" - "Hard To Love Ya"
(with Busta Rhymes, Shawn Stockman &
Dre) - "What's The Plan" -
"Long Ass Week" -
"Runnin'" - "People"
(with Mary J. Blige) - "If He
Wanna" (with Serani) - "Over
The Mountain" (with Skitz) -
"The World" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
Bessie soundtrack
Released: June 2, 2015
Queen Latifah Tracks: "Young Woman
Blues" - "Weepin' Woman
Blues" - "Down Hearted
Blues" - "Preachin' The
Blues" - "Work House
Blues" - "Long Old Road" -
"Gimme A Pigfoot And A Bottle Of
Beer" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
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