Dana Elaine Owens, better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an accomplished American artist. She was born on March 18, 1970. As an actor, rapper, singer, and composer, she has established a distinct style. With the release of All Hail the Queen in 1989, which included the number-one smash single Ladies First, she made her musical debut.
Queen Latifah has won numerous awards throughout the years for her work in acting, singing, and other fields. A coveted Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award are among her numerous honors. As the first female hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she made history and cemented her reputation as a true trailblazer in the field.
Her exceptional musical talent and originality are demonstrated by Queen Latifah’s album releases, which include Nature of a Sista’ (1991), Black Reign (1993), and Order in the Court (1998). Her acting roles also demonstrate her artistic breadth and versatility. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 for her performance in the musical picture Chicago, and in 2015, she won a Primetime Emmy for her depiction of blues artist Bessie Smith in the HBO miniseries Bessie.
Early Life & Education
Her exceptional musical talent and originality are demonstrated by Queen Latifah’s album releases, which include Nature of a Sista’ (1991), Black Reign (1993), and Order in the Court (1998). Her acting roles also demonstrate her artistic breadth and versatility. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 for her performance in the musical picture Chicago, and in 2015, she won a Primetime Emmy for her depiction of blues artist Bessie Smith in the HBO miniseries Bessie.
On March 18, 1970, Queen Latifah, real name Dana Elaine Owens, was born in Newark, New Jersey. The majority of her formative years were spent in East Orange, New Jersey. Her father, Lancelot Owens Sr., was a police officer, and her mother, Rita Owens, worked as a teacher at Irvington High School, where she attended. Sadly, her father passed suddenly soon after her parents’ separation when she was ten.
The big forward for her school’s basketball team, Queen Latifah attended Catholic School in Newark before transferring to Essex Catholic Girls’ High School in Irvington. She attended coursework at the Borough of Manhattan Community College after graduating from Irvington High School.
At the tender age of eight, Queen Latifah discovered her stage name, “Latifah,” in a book of Arabic names. Latifah means “delicate” and “very kind” in Arabic. She also developed a passion of music early on, and she gave a performance of the The Wiz song Home in a grammar school production.
Lancelot Owens Jr., Queen Latifah’s older brother, tragically perished in an accident involving a motorcycle she had bought for him in 1992. Latifah persevered in the face of tragedy to carve a reputation for herself in the music business as a well-known rapper, singer, and actor.
Personal Life
As an emotional memento of her late brother Lancelot Owens Jr., Queen Latifah continued to wear the key to the bike she had purchased for him in 2006 while performing on her show Living Single. The rapper and actress, however, has also had to deal with some traumatic personal tragedies, such the 1995 carjacking incident that resulted in the shooting of her then-boyfriend, Sean Moon.
She has also encountered legal issues, including a 1996 arrest for carrying a loaded gun and marijuana, as well as a 2002 DUI charge that resulted in a three-year probationary sentence. Queen Latifah, however, has moved past these events and is now concentrating on her professional and personal lives.
Rita Owens, Queen Latifah’s mother, tragically passed away in March 2018 from heart failure, which was a terrible loss for the performer. She initially resisted acknowledging her partner Eboni Nichols and son Rebel Nichols in public, but she did so during her address at the 2021 BET Awards.
Through the program Finding Your Roots, Queen Latifah has learned fascinating things about her family history in addition to her own life. She learned that Negros, who was expressly liberated on October 1, 1792, was documented by name in a census taken prior to the US Civil War and had been freed by her family.
In addition to having partnerships with Jeanette Jenkins (2002–2011) and Monifah Carter (1997) during her career, Queen Latifah has also been in a serious relationship with Eboni Nichols since July 2010.
Career
The name Queen Latifah is widely recognized as representing hip-hop royalty. She was a pioneer in the music industry as a founding member of the Flavor Unit and the beatboxer for the hip-hop group Ladies Fresh. Her demo recording attracted Fab 5 Freddy’s attention, the Yo! Dante Ross, a worker at Tommy Boy Music, later learned about MTV Raps and signed her to the label. Ice Cube and Lil’ Kim used a sample of her song, Wrath of My Madness.
As an artist, Queen Latifah significantly impacted hip-hop by rapping about the difficulties that black women face, with her songs tackling issues like domestic violence, street harassment, and relationship issues. In 1989, when she was just 19, Fab 5 Freddy helped her sign with Tommy Boy Records, and she released her first album, All Hail the Queen, which cemented her as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Her work didn’t go unnoticed, and Queen Latifah was awarded a Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in 1992. She also made history with Monie Love as the first female rapper from two different groups to collaborate on a song titled Ladies First. Her 1993 album, Black Reign, went gold and won the Grammy for U.N.I.T.Y.
But Queen Latifah‘s talents extend beyond rapping. She has a two-octave vocal range and is considered a contralto with the ability to sing and rap. She shifted from primarily rapping in her earlier projects to singing soul and jazz music. In 2004, she released The Dana Owens Album, featuring these genres. In 2007, she performed live in front of a crowd at the Hollywood Bowl, accompanied by an orchestra and backup singers. That same year, she released Trav’lin’ Light, which included collaborations with well-known artists such as Jill Scott and Stevie Wonder. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album” category.
Queen Latifah‘s versatility is also evident in her film career. She began her acting career in 1991 and 1992 in supporting roles and made appearances on TV shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper. She starred in the FOX sitcom Living Single, which gained widespread recognition.
Queen Latifah had a prominent role in Set It Off and Living Out Loud and played Thelma in The Bone Collector with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. She also had her talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, from 1999 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2015.
The Perfect Holiday, a 2007 movie that also stars Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Charlie Murphy, Jill Marie Jones, and Faizon Love, was produced and starred in by Queen Latifah. She had an appearance in the criminal comedy Mad Money the next year alongside Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes, and Ted Danson.
In addition to her work in music and cinema, Queen Latifah hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009 and gave a speech at the 81st Academy Awards. She spoke at the Michael Jackson funeral ceremony, presided over the 2010 People’s Choice Awards, performed America the Beautiful at the 2010 Super Bowl, hosted the 2010 BET Awards, and appeared in the 2012 film Joyful Noise with Dolly Parton.
Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Queen Latifah is $70 million. She has obtained her fortune in a number of ways.
She first found fame as a rapper, singer, and songwriter; five of her songs have been included on albums that have achieved gold and platinum certification. She has additionally acted in a large number of movies, TV episodes, and advertisements.
Social Media
- Instagram handle: @Queenlatifah
- Twitter handle: @Iamqueenlatifah
Discography
- Walk The Dinosaur
- you Can’t Stop the Beat
- U.N.I.T.Y
- I Know Where I’ve Been
- Big, Blonde, & Beautiful
- Just Another Day
- He’s Everything
- Higher Medley
- Ladies First
- When You’re Good To Mama
- Come So Far
- Fix Me, Jesus
- Who Can I Turn To?
- Jersey
- Cell Block Tango
- Weekend Love
- Name Callin’
- Class
- It’s Alright
- Freedom
- Hello Stranger
- Black Hand Side
Filmography
- Joyful Noise
- Just Wright
- Taxi
- End Of The Road
- Bringing Down The House
- Beauty Shop
- Mad Money
- Last Holiday
- Girls Trip
- Barbershop
- The Dilemma
- Brown Sugar
- Artic Tale
- Set it Off
- The Cookout
- Bessie
- House Of Bodies
- Hairspray
- Valentines Day
- Chicago
- Juice
- House Party 2
- Hustle
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