A powerhouse multi-hyphenate, Queen Latifah is a Grammy-winning musician, award-winning actress, producer, record label president, author, and style icon. Though not the first woman rapper, Latifah is the original female superstar from hip-hop’s golden age – a pioneering artist who was the genre’s “first feminist” and has spent her career breaking down barriers for women in the entertainment industry.

Born Dana Owens in Newark, New Jersey, in 1970, Queen Latifah grew up in a music-loving household and loved writing poetry. Inspired by freestyle rap battles in her high school’s restroom, Latifah joined the Ladies Fresh crew, learned to beatbox, and wrote her first rhymes. In 1988, Queen Latifah recorded a demo tape that showcased her assured, commanding flow, resulting in her signing to Tommy Boy Records. Her debut album, All Hail the Queen (1989), featured the feminist anthem “Ladies First.” A sharp contrast to the rampant sexism and racism in the industry, the song’s empowering lyrics and Afrocentric music video delivered a potent message about self-respect. Latifah’s third album, Black Reign (1993), became the first album by a solo female rapper to be certified Gold by the RIAA and boasted the Grammy-winning hit “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which called out domestic violence, misogyny, and the objectification of Black women.

Queen Latifah launched a successful acting career in the 1990s, including roles on the sitcom Living Single and in the feature film Set It Off (1996). Latifah’s performance as Matron “Mama” Morton in the musical film Chicago (2002) garnered her an Academy Award nomination, a first for female hip-hop artists. With characteristic versatility, Latifah switched her musical focus to soul and jazz standards with the release of The Dana Owens Album (2004). In 2009, the Number Three hit Persona marked Latifah’s return to hip-hop.

Adding to her list of “firsts,” Queen Latifah was the first hip-hop artist to be awarded the BET Lifetime Achievement Award (2021) and the first female rapper to be inducted into the National Recording Registry (2023). Her success blazed a trail for women in hip-hop and helped redefine the traditionally male genre. Her multifaceted legacy comprises hip-hop artists, as well as R&B and soul musicians, including Lizzo, Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Naughty by Nature.