Queen Latifah

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

Queen Latifah
Latifah in 2023
Born
Dana Elaine Owens

(1970-03-18) March 18, 1970 (age 54)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • film producer
  • talk show host
Years active1988–present
Children1[1]
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Origin
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Labels
Websitequeenlatifah.com Edit this at Wikidata

Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2006, she became the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

At age 19, Latifah released her debut album All Hail the Queen (1989), featuring the hit single "Ladies First". Her second album Nature of a Sista' (1991), was produced by Tommy Boy Records. Her third album, Black Reign (1993), became the first album by a solo female rapper to receive a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[3] and spawned the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", which was influential in raising awareness of violence against women and the objectification of Black female sexuality.[4] The track reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won a Grammy Award. Her fourth album Order in the Court (1998), was released with Motown Records. She has since released the albums The Dana Owens Album (2004), Trav'lin' Light (2007), and Persona (2009).

Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the Fox sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998 and landed a leading role in the action film Set It Off (1996). She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show, which ran from 1999 to 2001, and again from 2013 to 2015, in syndication. Her portrayal of Matron "Mama" Morton in the musical film Chicago (2002) received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has also starred or co-starred in the 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), and Girls Trip (2017); and provided voice work in the Ice Age film series.[5]

Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. From 2016 to 2019, she starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical drama series Star. In 2020, she portrayed Hattie McDaniel in the miniseries Hollywood. Since 2021, she has held the lead role on CBS's revival of the action drama The Equalizer.

  1. ^ "Queen Latifah's Son: Everything She's Said About Parenting". People. December 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (December 23, 2011). "Q&A: Local artists pay tribute to Native Tongues rap acts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference all music was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Chearis, Katherine (2005). "Women, Feminism, & Hip Hop". Socialism.com.
  5. ^ "Queen Latifah Talks Ice Age: The Meltdown". Movieweb. March 29, 2006.