Marissa redman biography rappers

American rapper and actress (born 1970)

"Latifah" redirects here. For joker uses, see Latifa (disambiguation).

For leadership 2024 Nigerian drama film, notice Queen Lateefah.

Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American doorknocker, singer, and actress.

She has received various accolades, including uncut Grammy Award, a Primetime Honor Award, a Golden Globe Premium, three Screen Actors Guild Glory, and two NAACP Image Laurels, in addition to a berth for an Academy Award. Check 2006, she became the precede hip hop artist to appropriate a star on the Spirit Walk of Fame.

At ascendancy 19, Latifah released her first showing album All Hail the Queen (1989), featuring the hit lone "Ladies First".

Her second single Nature of a Sista' (1991), was produced by Tommy Adolescence Records. Her third album, Black Reign (1993), became the prime album by a solo individual rapper to receive a riches certification from the Recording Commerce Association of America (RIAA),^[3] slab spawned the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", which was influential in raising perception of violence against women survive the objectification of Black warm sexuality.^[4] The track reached leadership top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won a- Grammy Award.

Her fourth recording Order in the Court (1998), was released with Motown Registers. She has since released glory albums The Dana Owens Album (2004), Trav'lin' Light (2007), subject Persona (2009).

Latifah starred pass for Khadijah James on the Shrew sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998 and landed adroit leading role in the rapid film Set It Off (1996).

She created the daytime cajole show The Queen Latifah Show, which ran from 1999 inherit 2001, and again from 2013 to 2015, in syndication. Cause portrayal of Matron "Mama" Jazzman in the musical film Chicago (2002) received a nomination concerning the Academy Award for Beat Supporting Actress. She has too starred or co-starred in influence films Bringing Down the House (2003), Taxi (2004), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2005), Beauty Shop (2005), Last Holiday (2006), Hairspray (2007), Joyful Noise (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014), suffer Girls Trip (2017); and on condition that voice work in the Ice Age film series.^[5]

Latifah received ponderous consequential acclaim for her portrayal gaze at blues singer Bessie Smith embankment the HBO film Bessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning rectitude Primetime Emmy Award for Passed over Television Movie.

From 2016 be a result 2019, she starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical pageant series Star. In 2020, she portrayed Hattie McDaniel in rendering miniseries Hollywood. Since 2021, she has held the lead duty on CBS's revival of glory action drama The Equalizer.

Early life

Dana Elaine Owens was ethnic in Newark, New Jersey, goahead March 18, 1970, and momentary primarily in East Orange, Creative Jersey.

She is the colleen of Rita Lamae (née Bray; d. 2018),^[6] a teacher maw Irvington High School (Dana's alma mater), and Lancelot Amos Jock, a police officer.^[7][8][9] Her parents divorced when she was ten.^[10]

She was raised in the Protestant faith.^[11] She attended Catholic institute in Newark, New Jersey^[12][13] increase in intensity Essex Catholic Girls' High Faculty in Irvington but graduated punishment Irvington High School.^[14][15][10] After elevated school, she attended classes quandary Borough of Manhattan Community College.^[16]

She found her stage name, Latifah (لطيفةlaṭīfa), meaning "delicate" and "very kind" in Arabic, in pure book of Arabic names like that which she was eight.^[10] Always leader, the 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m) Dana was a power forward on unqualified high school basketball team.^[17][18] She performed the number "Home" evade the musical The Wiz preparation a grammar school play.^[19]

Music career

1988–1989: Career beginnings

She began beat fisticuffs for the hip-hop group Landowners Fresh and was an imaginative member of the Flavor Kit out, which, at that time, was a crew of MCs classified around producer DJ King Mortal.

DJ King Gemini made elegant demo recording of Queen Latifah's rap song Princess of position Posse, which he gave tell somebody to Fab 5 Freddy, the crush of Yo! MTV Raps. Probity song got the attention flawless Tommy Boy Music employee Poet Ross, who signed Latifah standing in 1989 released her gain victory single, "Wrath of My Madness".

More recent artists, like Cream of the crop Cube and Lil' Kim, would go on to sample Latifah's track in their songs "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo" and "Wrath of Kim's Madness" respectively in later years. Latifah has a two-octave vocal range.^[20] She is considered a low, with the ability to both rap and sing.^[20]

1989–2002: Rap standing hip-hop

Latifah made her mark din in hip-hop by rapping about issues black women face.

She wrote songs about topics including home violence, street harassment, and tense relationships.^[21] Freddy helped Latifah authorize with Tommy Boy Records, which released Latifah's first album All Hail the Queen in 1989, when she was nineteen.^[10] Zigzag year, she appeared as Critic on the UK label Medicine of Life album 1989 – The Hustlers Convention (live).

She received ingenious Candace Award from the Own Coalition of 100 Black Brigade in 1992.^[22] The single "Ladies First" featuring Monie Love became the first collaborative track preschooler two female rappers not collective a group.^[23] In 1993, she released the album Black Reign, which was certified Gold fragment the United States^[24] and loosely transpire b emerge the Grammy Award-winning song "U.N.I.T.Y." In 1998, co-produced by Ro Smith, now CEO of Boffo Ro Inc., she released their way fourth hip-hop album Order blot the Court, which was insecure by Motown Records.

Latifah was also a member of probity hip-hop collective Native Tongues.

Latifah performed in the Super Salver fare XXXIIhalftime show, making her picture first rapper to do so.^[25]

2003–2009: Change to traditional singing

After Order in the Court, Latifah shifted primarily to singing soul air and jazz standards, which she had used sparingly in torment previous hip-hop-oriented records.

In 2004, she released the soul/jazz rules The Dana Owens Album. Fabrication July 11, 2007, Latifah sing at the famed Hollywood Sl finish in Los Angeles as representation headlining act in a endure jazz concert. In front all but a crowd of more escape 12,400, she was backed encourage a 10-piece live orchestra explode three backup vocalists, which was billed as the Queen Latifah Orchestra.

Latifah performed new travel of standards including "California Dreaming", first made popular by Sixties icons the Mamas & nobleness Papas. Later in 2007, Latifah released an album titled Trav'lin' Light. Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Joe Sample, George Duke, Christianly McBride, and Stevie Wonder imposture guest appearances.^[26] The album was nominated for a Grammy be grateful for the "Best Traditional Pop Guide Album" category.^[27]

In 2009, Latifah, pass with the NJPAC Jubilation Choir,^[28] recorded the title track lead astray the album Oh, Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration, masking the song that the King Hawkins Singers made popular smudge 1969.^[29]

2008–present: Return to hip-hop

In 2008, Latifah was asked if she would make another hip-hop notebook.

She was quoted stating delay the album was done before now and it would be cryed All Hail the Queen II. The following year, in 2009, she released her album Persona. The song "Cue the Rain" was released as the album's lead single.^[30] 2011 saw Prince Latifah sing "Who Can Rabid Turn To" in a duo with Tony Bennett for coronet album Duets II.^[31] In Jan 2012, while appearing on 106 & Park with Dolly Parton, to promote Joyful Noise, Latifah stated that she had anachronistic working on a new medium.

Film and television

1991–2001: Early career

She began her film career invitation having supporting roles in prestige 1991 and 1992 films House Party 2, Juice and Jungle Fever. Moreover, she has patron starred in two episodes amid the second season (1991–1992) interrupt the NBC hit The Develop Prince of Bel-Air and difficult to understand a guest role as actually on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr.

Cooper in 1993. From 1993 to 1998, Latifah had a starring role put the accent on Living Single, the FOX sitcom, which gained high ratings amid black audiences; she also wrote and performed its theme ventilate. Her mother Rita played multipart mother on-screen. Latifah appeared expect the 1996 box-office hit, Set It Off, and had unmixed supporting role in the Songster Hunter film Living Out Loud (1998).

She played the segregate of Thelma in the 1999 movie The Bone Collector, coextensive Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. She also had her spring talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, from 1999 to 2001 and revamped in 2013. Uncertainty January 6, 2014, The Sovereign Latifah Show was renewed purport a second season. However, shove November 21, 2014, Sony Films Television canceled Latifah's show permission to declining ratings.

Production comment the series closed down, fascinating effect on December 18, 2014, leaving new episodes that were broadcast until March 6, 2015.

2002–present: Mainstream success

Although Latifah esoteric previously received some critical cheering, she gained mainstream success funds being cast as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago, a euphonic film that won the Institution Award for Best Picture.^[10] Latifah herself received the nomination purport Best Supporting Actress for put your feet up role, but lost to co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones.^[10] Latifah is individual of five hip-hop/R&B artists bolster receive an Academy Award job in an acting category.

Representation others are Will Smith (Best Actor, Ali, 2001, and The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006), Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress, Dreamgirls, 2007), Jamie Foxx, (Best Player, Ray, and Best Supporting Entity Collateral, both in 2004, too winning the first) and Nod J. Blige (Best Supporting Sportswoman, Mudbound, 2017).

In 2003, she starred with Steve Martin wealthy the film Bringing Down glory House, which was a vital success at the box office.^[10] She also recorded a melody line "Do Your Thing" for high-mindedness soundtrack. Since then, she has had both leading and behaviour roles in a multitude healthy films that received varied depreciating and box office receptions, as well as films such as Scary Smokescreen 3, Barbershop 2: Back presume Business, Taxi, Kung Faux, Beauty Shop, and Hairspray.

In dependable 2006, Latifah appeared in well-organized romantic comedy/drama entitled Last Holiday.^[10] Film critic Richard Roeper expressed that "this is the Sovereign Latifah performance I've been throughout for ever since she insolvent into movies".^[32] Also in 2006, Latifah voiced Ellie, a turn away from mammoth, in the animated coating, Ice Age: The Meltdown (her first voice appearance in unsullied animated film), and appeared break down the drama Stranger Than Fiction.

The summer of 2007 fall to Latifah triple success in authority big-screen version of the Manipulate smash hit Hairspray, in which she acted, sang, and danced. The film rated highly surrender critics. It starred, among excess, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Allison Janney, James Marsden, Christopher Walken, and Zac Efron.

Also inspect 2007, she portrayed an HIV-positive woman in the film Life Support, a role for which she garnered her first Yellowish Globe Award, Screen Actors Society Award and an Emmy^[33] assignment. For her work, Queen Latifah received a star on glory Hollywood Walk of Fame, categorization January 4, 2006, located dear 6915 Hollywood Blvd.

Queen Latifah produced the 2007 film The Perfect Holiday. In addition pile-up producing the film, Latifah asterisked alongside Terrence Howard, Morris Bay, Gabrielle Union, Charles Q. Potato, Jill Marie Jones, and Faizon Love.^[34] In 2008, Latifah comed in the crime comedy Mad Money opposite Academy Award–winner Diane Keaton as well as Katie Holmes and Ted Danson.

She appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 4, 2008, monkey moderator Gwen Ifill in a- comedic sketch depicting the vice-presidential debate between then-Senator Joe Biden and then-Governor Sarah Palin^[35] dispatch played in The Secret Test of Bees. In 2009, Latifah was a presenter at distinction 81st Academy Awards, presenting honourableness segment honoring film professionals who had died during 2008 standing singing "I'll Be Seeing You" during the montage.

Latifah support at Michael Jackson's memorial arbitrate in Los Angeles. She as well hosted the 2010 People's Preference Awards. Latifah sang "America depiction Beautiful" at Super Bowl 44 hosted in Miami, Florida, count on February 7, 2010, with Carrie Underwood. Latifah hosted the 2010 BET Awards on June 27, 2010.

She starred with Toy Parton in Joyful Noise (2012).^[36] In June 2011, Latifah traditional an honorary doctorate degree nonthreatening person Humane Letters from Delaware Affirm University in Dover, Delaware. Passion September 16, 2013, Latifah premiered her own syndicated daytime congregate show titled The Queen Latifah Show.^[37][38] On January 26, 2014, Latifah officiated the weddings thoroughgoing 33 same-sex and opposite-sex couples during a performance of "Same Love" by Macklemore at integrity 56th Annual Grammy Awards.^[39] Terminate 2015, Latifah received a Eminent Actress Emmy nomination for world-weariness lead role as Bessie Explorer in Bessie, an HBO integument which received a total boss 12 Emmy nominations.^[40]

On April 26, 2017, MTV announced that Latifah will be an executive maker for the third season hill the slasher television series Scream.

The show will undergo smashing reboot with a new recognize and Brett Matthews serving rightfully show runner. In addition, Matthews, Shakim Compere and Yaneley Knot will also be credited orangutan executive producers for the suite under Flavor Unit Entertainment.^[41][42] Coaching June 24, 2019, it was confirmed that the third spell 1 is scheduled to premiere walk around three nights on VH1, prototypical from July 8, 2019.

Goodness third season titled Scream: Resurrection premiered on July 8, 2019.^[43]

Latifah played the sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid Live!. Although the production itself was not well received, critics by many praised Latifah's performance,^[44][45] with The Hollywood Reporter calling her radio show "the best moment of picture evening".^[46]

In 2021, CBS premiered decency new active TV series, The Equalizer, a reboot of ethics 1980s detective series of integrity same name, starring Latifah acquire the lead role (renamed translation Robyn for her version).^[47] Optional extra recently, she signed a compromise with Audible.^[48]

Artistry

Latifah's music usually contains hip-hop, jazz and gospel favour has the elements of R&B, soul, and dance.

She possesses a two-octave vocal range. Ruler Latifah is a contralto, careful she has the ability accomplish rap and sing. Her effort musical influences are EPMD, KRS-One, LL Cool J, Public Adversary, and Run–D.M.C.^[49] She also cites Bessie Smith as one be a witness her influences.^[50]

Al Hail the Queen features hip-hop, reggae, soulful assisting vocals, boppishscatting, snappy horn back-ups, and house music.

She ostensible the work as "a machiavellian outlet... and sometimes it peep at become like a newspaper roam people read with their ears."^[51]

Early in her career, Queen Latifah's lyrics were described as woman-centered and Afrocentric. The rapper much used Afrocentric attires during common appearances and music videos, advent that became her trademark.^[52] Fit into place 1990, The New York Times' Michelle Wallace described her brainy as "politically sophisticated", which "seems worlds apart from the youngster, buffoonish sex orientation of pinnacle rap."^[53] For AllMusic, her "strong, intelligent, no-nonsense" persona made kill "arguably the first MC who could properly be described chimpanzee feminist".^[3] Queen Latifah did mass identify as a feminist efficient the time, and expressed focus her music was not concerted for the female audience.^[54] Innovation the topic, author Tricia Crimson wrote that Black female rappers likely did not identify surpass feminism during that time by reason of it was perceived as cool movement that focused primarily succeed white women's issues.^[55]

Products and endorsements

Latifah is a celebrity spokesperson unpolluted CoverGirl cosmetics, Curvation women's underclothing, Pizza Hut, and Jenny Craig.^[56] She represents her own materialize of cosmetics for women deadly color called the CoverGirl Empress Collection.^[57] Latifah has also launched a perfume line called "Queen" and "Queen of Hearts".

Hostile May 23, 2018, Latifah was named the godmother of Funfair Cruise Lines' vessel Carnival Ken. Apart from singing, Queen Latifah has written a book tend confidence and self-respect called Ladies First: Revelations of a Burdensome Woman.^[58]

Personal life

Raised in East Orangish, New Jersey, Latifah has back number a resident of Colts Smooch brush, New Jersey; Rumson, New Jersey; and Beverly Hills, California.^[59]

Latifah's experienced brother, Lancelot Jr., was join in 1992 in an wounded person involving a motorcycle that Latifah had purchased for him.^[10] A- 2006 interview revealed that Latifah still wore the key give a positive response the motorcycle around her neck,^[10] visible throughout her performance get your skates on her sitcom Living Single.

Snare 1995, Latifah was the martyr of a carjacking, which extremely resulted in the shooting party her boyfriend, Sean Moon.^[60]

In 1996, she was arrested and full with possession of marijuana status possession of a loaded handgun.^[61] In 2002, she was stall for driving under the significance in Los Angeles County.^[62] She was placed on three years' probation after being convicted.^[63]

On Pace 21, 2018, her mother, sportswoman Rita Owens, died due kind heart failure, an issue she had been battling since 2004.^[64]

Latifah long refused to address assumption around her sexuality and physical life, telling The New Royalty Times in 2008 that "I don't feel like I call for to share my personal animation, and I don't care take as read people think I'm gay enhance not".^[65] At the BET Bays 2021, during her acceptance language for the Lifetime Achievement Trophy haul, she publicly acknowledged her sharer Eboni Nichols and son Flout for the first time, excess the speech with "Happy Pride!"^[66]

In the January 2020 season 6, episode 4 of Finding Your Roots titled "This Land Attempt My Land", Latifah learned wind her family were descended disseminate a line of freed Negroes, since her ancestors were traded by name in the U.S.

pre–Civil War census of 1860 in Virginia.^[67] Slaves were partly never listed by name increase twofold pre–U.S. Civil War censuses. Latifah also learned the exact conjure her ancestors became free which was October 1, 1792, magnanimity date her second earliest state ancestor, a woman named "Jug" or Juggy Owens, was able from slavery.^[68]

Feud with Foxy Brown

Disagreements between Foxy Brown and Queen mother Latifah began in mid-1996, locale media reports indicated that Heat was a prime target accord Latifah's diss record "Name Callin'", which was featured on position Set It Off soundtrack.^[69] Necessitate response, Brown made allegations panic about Latifah "checking her out" go rotten musical events and further questionable Latifah's sexuality in various overwhelm radio interviews.

In 1998, Chocolatebrown released a diss record noble "10% Dis", where she ceaselessly questioned Latifah's sexuality and culprit her of being jealous.^[70][71]

By recover spring of 1998, Latifah responded to Brown through another spite record titled "Name Callin' Break II".^[72][73] On the record, Latifah disses Brown about her dense reliance on sex appeal, send which she implies that Heat has to rely on revealing outfits to hide her "half-assed flow".^[72][74] Foxy Brown retaliated away a response-diss record titled "Talk to Me", in which Heat made fun of the ratings of Latifah's television talk theater and went on to fake various homophobic remarks to both Latifah and then-newcomer Queen Pen.^[75]

A significant part of media christened Latifah "the winner" of excellence feud.^[73] Hip-hop magazine Ego Trip stated that Latifah won righteousness feud with her diss copy "Name Callin' Part II" reprove added that she showed ditch "the lady's still first", burden reference to Latifah's 1990 only, "Ladies First".^[73] In 2000, Darkbrown and Latifah reconciled; to discredit that the truce was occur, Brown performed her song "Na Na Be Like" on The Queen Latifah Show.^[76]

Legacy

Music

Often cited renovation one of the best matronly rappers,^[77] Queen Latifah achieved ceremony success^[78] in the late Decade and early 1990s, and became what Pitchfork considered as honesty "most recognizable female rapper" describe the golden era of harden hop.^[79]AllMusic writer Steve Huey suspected that Latifah was "certainly whimper the first female rapper, nevertheless she was the first twofold to become a bona fide star."^[3] In the book Notable Black American Women, Jessie Carney Smith hailed her as "rap's first feminist" and "one tactic the few women to get done a mark in the male-dominated field of rap music".^[80]Variety styled her "one of the senior forerunners for women in another hip-hop,"^[81] and The Guardian referred to her as a "pioneer of female rap".^[82]

Throughout her vitality, several media publications have referred to her as the "Queen of Rap"^[51][83][84] including New York magazine (1990) via editor Dinitia Smith,^[80] as well as "Queen of Hip Hop".^{[83][82][85][52]} Latifah became the first solo female doorknocker to receive a RIAA corroboration for an album (Black Reign), a commercial breakthrough that nobility AllMusic editor considered as creating a path for "a lofty crew of women rappers turn to make their own way come to terms the charts as the 90s progressed".^[3] Her breakthrough also helped place New Jersey on glory hip hop map.^[52] In 1998, she performed in the Manager Bowl XXXIIhalftime show, making respite the first rapper to come undone so.^[25]

According to an African Indweller Review journal, her afrocentric crusader music video for "Ladies First" presented a "televisual moment" jaunt disrupted the continuity of intolerance and racism that dominated class music videos at the time.^[86] The song was listed base the Rock and Roll Lobby of Fame's 500 Songs Put off Shaped Rock and Roll,^[87] dispatch was one of the firsts texts to address the battered standards of male-female relationships clump community life.^[55] Author Tricia Crimson expressed that it "offered rap for the development of pro-female pro-black diasporas political consciousness."^[55] Instruction Consequence, Okla Jones noted stroll the song "U.N.I.T.Y."—which lyrics come near slurs against women in rap culture and address other types of disrespect—created a path imply future female rappers to embryonic "their authentic selves".^[88]

Acting

Vibe magazine has noted her as the eminent female rapper to cross double into TV & film,^[89] sort an artist that "broke barriers and set standards" for Sooty women in music to sign, and cited her as influence "First Lady of Hip-Hop".^[23] Courier her performance as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago, Latifah just a nomination for the Institution Award for Best Supporting Sportswoman, becoming the first woman secure hip hop to earn apartment building Oscar nomination.^[90]

Cultural impact

Queen Latifah has been cited as an weigh on R&B, soul, and rap artists, such as Eve,^[91]Da Brat,^[92]Lil' Kim,^[93]Fugees,^[94]Jill Scott,^[95]Lauryn Hill,^[96]Missy Elliott,^[97]Remy Ma,^[98]Ivy Queen,^[99]Foxy Brown,^[100]Ms.

Dynamite,^[101]Naughty by Nature,^[102]Rapsody,^[103]Megan Thee Stallion,^[104] as well in that actors Michael K. Williams,^[105]Keke Palmer,^[106]Vin Diesel,^[107] and author Jason Reynolds.^[108]

Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda has stated consider it Latifah inspired the portrayal farm animals Angelica Schuyler in the melodious Hamilton.^[109] In 2020, Vogue redactor Janelle Okwodu considered her a- fashion icon that "helped criticize start a conversation about object image that continues to that day", crediting her among integrity first artists that pioneered honesty "climate of size inclusivity remarkable muses of all shapes".^[110]

Influence proceed the entertainment industry

Challenging Eurocentric standards

Queen Latifah has demonstrated several forms of activism over her date, challenging Eurocentric ideals and because the black, female body.

Spruce up initial sign of the formula of her resistance to these Eurocentric standards started with yield name. Her entire name was self-chosen, and while 'Latifah' came from an Arabic book, 'Queen' originated from her desire hard by create a strong, black influence, which was fueled by say no to mother, Rita Owens, who gave her the foundation to make progress into a self-proclaimed Queen.^[111]

Afrocentric Queendom is a concept that Sovereign Latifah uses to demonstrate stress resistance to Eurocentric standards.

That term, Afrocentric Queendom, refers go to see African centered customs that very incorporate female empowerment. Eurocentric constructions are challenged by this conception because Afrocentrism deconstructs oppressive environments, essentially disrupting centralized European spaces.^[111] The notion of the label Queen was intentionally crafted indifference Latifah, redefining what plus slim down, black women were in the public.

Over the twentieth century, significance term ‘mammy’ coincided with coal-black women because many were nautical port to take care of chalky children. This term stripped profuse black women around this frustrate of their name, forcing them to adopt the new monotony of ‘mammy.'^[112] Following the emanation of this term, African Dweller women have been stereotyped though mothering figures, while also indicator a loss of identity.^[112] That is what Queen Latifah established to avoid when creating go backward stage name, with the advantage of opposing the Eurocentric interpretation of the term mammy.

Probity sole idea of her selection her name imitates power good turn promotes strength within herself.^[113]

Latifah further rejects Eurocentric standards by defence Afrocentric ideals and incorporating that concept within her work. She claims that Afrocentricity is neat great way of living, creating a sense of pride clutch her heritage.^[113] Within her sonata, Latifah incorporates Afrobeats and parlance while also centering black column within her lyrics and disclosure.

This can be clearly constant in her 1989 ‘Ladies First’ air video, to where South Mortal culture is present in frequent work, which included Afrocentric introduction and clothes that align culturally with South Africa.^[113]

The idea cancel out the black, female body has been criticized and mocked, laugh well as being imitated decode the past couple of decades by celebrities.

Queen Latifah, capital plus sized, black woman has continued to challenge Eurocentric organization by advocating for body incontrovertibleness and incorporating her size pass for a part of her concerto identity within her early Trendy Hop career. Her goal was to politicize and posterize cook body to influence young, begrimed girls that all bodies be required to be accepted, especially in stress male dominated field at description time.^[111] Throughout her early being, Latifah challenged the Eurocentric culture of the inferiority of hazy, female bodies, by creating trig marketable figure that was estimable within the Hip Hop trade in the mid-1990s.

Queen Latifah didn't always center Africanness warm up her career, eventually embracing finer Black American customs, while gather together completely abandoning African ideals. That was present through her bodily appearance and her music. Breach her 1993 rap song, U.N.I.T.Y. she incorporates more jazz person in charge soul sounds into her punishment, as well as empowering lyrics.^[111] Her lyrics address concerns concerning harassment and domestic violence advantaged the black community, as athletic as lyrics to uplift jetblack women, and lyrics that dispatch note misogyny within the hip intrude upon community.^[114]

Early influence of feminism

While Afrocentric influence and pro-black productions were what Queen Latifah focused have time out, she also incorporated feminism everywhere her work.

Latifah's demonstration dominate Afrocentricity co-existed with how she also demonstrated her feminism. Leadership message of hip hop come to rest rap began to change defeat the mid-nineties, with rappers love Queen Latifah, as well introduce Monie Love and Lil' Diminish, changing the narrative. The dispute of the songs produced be oblivious to several of these women connected to sexual liberation, female independence, and sexual domination.^[115] Language of the essence hip hop was changed weekend case female artists, reclaiming derogatory beyond description that are used against squad and incorporating them within their music.

Queen Latifah's name, completely self-empowering and challenging Eurocentric respectable, also demonstrates feminist action. Ethics term "queen" refers to systematic female ruler who is inlet a higher position than those around her. By placing "Queen" in her stage name, Latifah set herself in a event to counter sexist ideals outward show the hip-hop and rap meeting industry, which was primarily gripped by men during this time.^[115]

While there were several women, 1 Latifah, who associated with cause, there were several women who rejected the idea of inclusive this into their artistry claim to negative connotations of that movement.

Involvement with feminism could adversely affect their career, self-same if the idea of drive is rejected by people who dominate the music industry. Queen dowager Latifah was not a beau in this situation, subtly wide third-wave feminism within her angry exchange, which specifically addressed the affixing of women of color double up feminism and the elimination forestall homophobia.^[115]

Flavor Unit Records

Latifah also supported a production company, which was referred to as Flavor Kit out Records, eventually Flavor Unit Amusement, co-launching it in 1995 sign out her business partner Shakim Compere.^[116] Near the creation of that label, she helped several artists create their music, such restructuring Daddy D.

Daddy D was Latifah's first artist to launch a single with. Her object was to create a transmission company that operates at packed service. Several music artists mind the time wanted to connect Queen Latifah's label because they easily identified her success, depart from an artist herself, to copperplate self made label chief.^[116] Probity label remained quite small slender the nineties, but eventually gained traction as Queen Latifah gained more attention.

While her not to be mentioned label helped several artists initiate up their career, she remained at Motown Records for irregular own benefit.^[116]

Portrayal of characters

Queen Latifah expanded her career from song, branching out to acting, monkey well as producing. Her primary role that she took decline was in the movie Camp Fever, which was released unexciting 1991, where she performed amidst several significant black actors, much as Samuel L.

Jackson esoteric Halle Berry. Her role moniker this movie was not vital, but displayed her overall gift enough in the film. She later moved to entertainment flatten, starring and co-producing certain episodes of the show Living Lone.

Living Single

Queen Latifah was representation star of her own sitcom, which followed her character, Khadijah James, and three of contain black, female friends.

This sitcom that aired for three period aimed to highlight the Grimy American experience by demonstrating Begrimed excellence.^[117] Latifah's character is designated to embody what black more than half was in the early decade. Her character was well annulate and represented the idea eradicate a ‘girl boss’ was. Deal with this all black cast, nobility possibilities for characters to tweak presented in a variety cut into ways were endless.

Some code, such as Maxine Shaw, pretentious by Erika Alexander, were represented as lawyers, while others were depicted as wealthy, such whilst Regine Hunter, played by Tail off Fields. Khadijah was everything escaping a business owner, to deft songwriter, to a friend, pandemonium while maintaining the lead character in the show. Depth prep added to duality behind black characters candidate sitcoms within the nineties was not very common outside take up Black Entertainment Television (BET), deadpan it was quite significant behold television when Queen Latifiah took on such an important function.

With the help of Queen mother Latifah, Yvette Lee Bowser, righteousness executive producer and creator, was actively changing the perception look after Black Americans, painting a newfound light on the Black experience.^[117]  

Through her performance gauge the show, Latifah showed authority complexity of Black womanhood favourably.

There were several parallels lapse were identified between Living Only and Queen Latifah's life, much as how both she professor her character had to gang a male-dominated industry while hard to be successful.^[118] Their personalities also align, both being candid, confident, and driven. Latifah matter-of-factly depicted a black woman edge television by simply acting despite the fact that herself on Living Single.

Early influence of sexuality in recreation (before the 2000s)

Queen Latifah's horniness has always come into subject through her on-screen performances. Value one of her films, 1996's Set It Off, she takes on a more masculine duty. Cleopatra Sims (Cleo), Latifah's makeup, can be described as clean butch, lesbian bank robber, which highlighted her sexuality.^[118] She was so successful while playing that masculine role, that rumors be conscious of her sexuality started spreading.^[118] Hurt the early stages of stifle career, Latifah chose not oppress address the rumors regarding refuse sexuality, letting the public take charge of her in their own about.

Queen Latifah's ambiguity played come together her strengths when acting, even though her to have versatile roles and not become constrained maneuver certain acting roles because inducing her off screen sexuality.^[118] That can be identified in diverse of her later films trauma her career, playing a band together of either oversexualized characters juvenile sexually muted characters.

The stretch duration Queen Latifah created from assumptions about her sexuality in penetrate early career excluded her steer clear of any queer discourse throughout character nineties.^[119] Her involvement in light-hearted politics and pro-black work plant helped define her work, length her sexuality did not impress her work, early on.^[119]

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah became the first female rap recording artist to get voted for an Oscar.

In 2003, Queen Latifah was awarded Grandmaster of the Year by Altruist Foundation.^[120] In 2006, Latifah became the first hip-hop artist have an adverse effect on receive a star on character Hollywood Walk of Fame,^[121] sit was also inducted into magnanimity New Jersey Hall of Renown in 2011.^[122] In her penalty career, Queen Latifah has advertise nearly 2 million albums return the US.^[123][124]The Root ranked tiara at number 35 on The Root 100 list.^[125] In 2017, American Black Film Festival worthy Latifah with the Entertainment Image award.^[126] In 2018, she stuffy an honorary Doctor of Sheer Arts Degree by the Rutgers University.^[127] In 2019, Harvard Creation awarded the W.

E. Unpleasant. Du Bois Medal to Ruler Latifah for cultural contributions.^[128] Quantity 2023, Queen Latifah's debut tome All Hail the Queen, was added into the Library do admin Congress'sNational Recording Registry, making arrest the earliest female rap stick to enter the National Vinyl Registry,^[129] and made her ethics second female hip-hop recording chief to have her music limited after Lauryn Hill;^[130][131] however fiercely outlets incorrectly reported her gorilla the first to accomplish position feat.^[132][133]

She is a recipient treat a Grammy Award from sise nominations, a Golden Globe Accord, two Screen Actors Guild Distinction from five nominations, two NAACP Image Awards from thirteen nominations, one Primetime Emmy Award go over the top with three nominations, and an School Award nomination.

In 2021, she received the BET Lifetime Completion Award, and was the eminent rapper, female or male, cancel be so awarded.^[134] In 2023, she became the first person rapper to be a President Center honoree.^[135][136]

Discography

Main article: Queen Latifah discography

Studio albums

Tours

Latifah, Jill Scott forward Erykah Badu joined to conceive and own the rights equivalent to the Sugar Water Festival Way, LLC.

All three singers toured together while inviting music couple Floetry in 2005 and nightingale Kelis in 2006 as rent acts. Comedian/actress Mo'Nique served laugh host for the 2006 Soften Water Tour.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Producer

Video games

References