Queen Latifah was born on March 18, 1970 in Newark, New Jersey.
Latifah's birth name is Dana Elaine Owens.
Queen Latifah became the first lady of Hip-Hop. From a police
family--both Latifah's father and older brother were cops, which
would later influence her rhyming style and life philosophy.
After working as the human beatbox alongside Ladies Fresh, Owens
was just 18 years old when she originally broke through in the
late 1980s.
In 1994 Latifah won a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance
for "U.N.I.T.Y." Queen Latifah has also made tremendous inroads
in movies, television, and artist management, with her management
company, Flavor Unit, alongside her business partner Shakim
Compere. The Queen takes the beats from jazz, reggae, and soul
traditions, then it's produced by DJ Mark the 45 King. Queen
Latifah had to coach her BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE co-stars Steve
Martin and Eugene Levy in hip-hop slang.
Latifah was the first female rapper to be nominated for an
Academy Award. Owens was Ranked #72 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women
of Rock N Roll Queen Latifah's debut single, WRATH OF MY MADNESS
was released in 1988.
In 1989 Queen Latifah debut long-player, ALL HAIL THE QUEEN
was released.
Queen Latifah's other notable credits include...
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (2008)
MAD MONEY (2008)
THE PERFECT HOLIDAY (2007)
STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006)
ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN (2006)
LAST HOLIDAY (2006)
BEAUTY SHOP (2005)
THE COOKOUT (2004)
BARBERSHOP 2: BACK IN BUSINESS (2004)
SCARY MOVIE 3 (2003)
CHICAGO
(2002)
THE COUNTRY BEARS (2003)
THE BONE COLLECTOR (1999)
JUNGLE FEVER (1991)
