422



Q

Queen Latifah (Dana Owens) (1970– )
From living in the urban projects to attending the
Academy Awards ceremony, Queen Latifah has
enjoyed a professional career that has extended
from hip-hop to mainstream celebrity status. Born
Dana Owens in Newark, New Jersey, she experi-
enced a close family life with both her parents and
a brother, nicknamed Winki. At age 8, she followed
her brother and other friends in taking a Muslim
name, choosing “Latifah” because it meant “sen-
sitive, kind, and delicate.” During that same year,
her parents separated, transforming her life into a
series of difficult, inner-city experiences as she and
Winki lived with their mother, Rita. Observing her
mother’s strength and commitment for a better
life, young Latifah discovered her own capabilities.
Latifah won popularity during high school by sing-
ing in talent shows, performing in school plays, and
participating on the girls’ basketball team. At the
same time, during those high school years, Latifah,
like her peers, gravitated toward hip-hop.
Latifah organized her own girls’ rap trio, called
Ladies Fresh, and began socializing and creating
rhymes with a group of male rappers, who called
themselves the “Flavor Unit.” She soon became the
only girl in the Flavor Unit, becoming known as the
“Princess of the Posse.” Together, the crew of teens
wrote lyrics, composed beats, frequented hip-hop
clubs, and encouraged one another. Then, at age
18, as she aspired to become known in the local

area as a rapper, she added “Queen” to her profes-

sional name. By age 19, Queen Latifah signed with

Tommy Boy Records, releasing her first album, All

Hail the Queen, which went on to sell 1 million

copies. (Ruth 57)

By 1989, the world of the MC or rapper was

male dominated, and other than a short list of

well-known women rappers, such as ROXANNE

SHANTE, Salt-N-Pepa, JJFad, MC Lyte, and Yo-Yo,

Queen Latifah jumped into a highly competi-

tive business, which was on the brink of moving

into gangsta rap. However, Queen Latifah took

the challenge head-on, using her lyrics to ad-

dress gender issues. The first album contained

the song, “Ladies First,” which was a tribute to

black women as freedom fighters (Tracy 18). Ad-

ditionally, other songs on the album presented

the lives and viewpoints of black women, includ-

ing “Latifah’s Law” and “Mama Gave Birth to the

Soul Children” (Ruth 58).

With her bold expression of a woman’s per-

spective and her African-influenced attire, Queen

Latifah developed an image as a dynamic MC

who could get the listener on the dance floor or

could challenge the listener to think about so-

cial, racial, and/or gender messages. Her second

album, Nature of a Sista (1991), included the song

“Fly Girl,” which was about men showing respect

to women. Her third album, Black Reign (1993),

was dedicated to her late brother, and it garnered