Queen Latifah 1970–

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Queen Latifah 1970–

Actress, rap singer, businesswoman

Queen Latifah has worked hard for her success, but not by stepping on fellow rappers on her way to the top. Latifah is known for her refusal to participate in the well-publicized feuds among various factions of rap performers. “I might rebut if somebody challenged me, but I’d make it funny, not nasty,” she said in Rolling Stone. Attesting to her feelings of solidarity with other rappers, she has stated that she would rather present a united artistic front than suggest a clique fractured by in-fighting and clashing ambitions.

Applauded for her social politics as well as her gift for rhyme, Latifah seems to pursue a well-rounded image, with social commentary in its place, but entertainment firmly in the foreground. “I’d rather throw in a line or two about drugs,” she has said, “just to make you think. I can have fun and still show I’m on the ball.” Her music, according to Interview, borrows freely “from hip-hop, house, jazz, and reggae,” all saturated by Latifah’s sense of self and a pride seemingly untouched by vanity.

Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, was born in 1970 in Newark, New Jersey. She is the second child of Lance and Rita Owens. Rita was 18 when she gave birth to Dana. Her father was a policeman. The marriage of her parents was troubled, and the couple parted for good in 1978. Lance Owens, Sr. did, however, stay in touch with his children. Latifah’s brother, Lance, Jr.— who was older than his sister by a year and a policeman like his father—died in a motorcycle accident on April 26, 1992, an event which devastated Latifah.

Dana Owens became Latifah when she was about eight. A Muslim cousin gave her the nickname, which means “delicate” and “sensitive” in Arabic. Queen was later added by Latifah. She began singing in the choir of Shiloh Baptist Church in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and had her first public singing triumph when she sang a version of “Home” as one of the two Dorothys in a production of The Wiz at St. Anne’s parochial school.

In her first year of high school—as a sophomore—-Latifah began informal singing and rapping in the restrooms and locker rooms. In her junior year she formed a rap group, Ladies Fresh, with her friends Tangy B and Landy D in response to the formation of another young women’s group. Soon the group was making appearances wherever they could. Latifah’s

At a Glance…

Born Dana Owens March 18, 1970, in Newark, NJ; raised in East Orange, NJ; daughter of Rita and Lance Owens; Education: Borough of Manhattan Community College, broadcasting.

Began performing in high school as human beat box in rap group Ladies Fresh; solo recording artist, 1989--; Albums include: All Hail to the Queen, Tommy Boy Music, 1989; Nature of a Sista, Tommy Boy Music, 1991; Black Reign, Motown Records, 1993; films include: Jungle Fever, 1991; luice, 1992; House Party II, 1992; Who’s The Man, 1993; My Life, 1993; Set It Off, 1996; Hoodlum, 1997; television appearances include: In Living Color, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Arsenio, Living Single, role of Khadijah James, 1993-; Flavor Unit Mgmt. Company, founder, 1991-.

Selected awards: Grammy nomination for All Hail to the Queen and “Fly Girl”; Grammy Award for single, “U.N.I.T.Y.,” 1995; Soul Train Music Awards, Sammy Davis Jr. Award, Entertainer of the Year, 1995.

Addresses: c/o Flavor Unit Entertainment, 155 Morgan Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302.

mother, Rita Owens, was a catalyst; she was in touch with the students and the music. She invited Mark James, a local disc jockey known as D.J. Mark the 45 King, to appear at a school dance. The basement of James’s parent’s house in East Orange, which was equipped with electronic and recording equipment, became the hangout of Latifah and her friends. They began to call themselves the Flavor Unit.

James was beginning a career as a producer and made a demo record of Queen Latifah’s rap “Princess of the Posse.” He gave the demo to Fred Braithwaite—Fab 5 Freddy, host of Vol MTV Raps, who played it for Dante Ross, who worked for Tommy Boy Music at the time. Tommy Boy signed Latifah and in 1988 issued her first single, “Wrath of My Madness.” Latifah made her first European tour and her first appearance at the Apollo, which was quite successful. Her first video, Dance with Me, was made in June of 1989. In October of that year the album All Hail to the Queen was released. The album led the New Music Seminar of Manhattan to give her the award of Best New Artist of 1990, and it reached sales of over a million.

While some vocal artists are never quizzed about the message of their music, rappers are often asked to philosophize about fellow musicians and ideas in rap; Latifah holds her own, but will not be made into a spokesperson. Her strength is often misinterpreted as a feminist message. Like many young women, Latifah dislikes the label “feminist,” believing it carries strident overtones. “I’m not a feminist....I’m just a proud black woman. I don’t need to be labeled,” she said in Interview.

Queen Latifah, usually clad in what Entertainment Weekly described as “African-print pajama suits, skull caps, and big wooden bracelets and earrings,” is critical of the sexist images of women presented by some male rappers. In a rare moment of universal criticism she stated, “Those women are pretty shallow. They look like skeezers, and that’s the problem. A lot of those females don’t have respect for themselves. Guys are exploiting them.”Dimitri Ehrlich of Interview congratulated Latifah on her positive image. “I think it’s great that women you choose for your dancers have the kind of image that young people look up to.” She sees materialism as one cause of the acceptance of male-dependent women, contending that “females don’t respect themselves; they only think materialistically. They want money, but they don’t think, I’m gonna get this money on my own. They think, I’m gonna get money from this guy,” according to Interview.

Even as Latifah was beginning to earn money, she displayed an interest in investment—putting money into a delicatessen and a video store on the ground floor of the apartment in which she was living. She came to realize that there was an opening for her in record production. While she was making her own deals and making money in the process, many of her fellow rap artists were making disadvantageous recording arrangements. In 1991, She organized and became chief executive officer of Flavor Unit Records and Management Company headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. By late 1993 the company had signed 17 rap groups, including the very successful Naughty by Nature. Distribution of Flavor Unit’s records was being handled by Motown, which was pressing her to move the operation to Los Angeles.

In 1993, Motown released Latifah’s third album, Black Reign, which was recorded not long after the death of her brother. She dedicated Black Reign’s jazz and reggae influenced “Winki’s Theme” to him. She told the New York Times, “I think Black Reign is about growth, not a change in direction. It’s about me reigning over tough times in my personal life and about black people reigning over their oppressors. I think it came out purer than anything I’ve done.” Black Reign went gold—selling over 500,000 copies, and its single, “U.N.I.T.Y.” earned Latifah her first Grammy Award in 1995, when she was named best rap artist. She was also honored with the Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year at the 1995 Soul Train Music Awards.

Latifah’s own career was flourishing as her third album, Black Reign, came out in 1993. Her fame and presence translated into film appearances, including roles in Juice, Jungle Fever, and House Party II. She also had television appearance on such shows as Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In 1993 she accepted the role of Khadijah James in the sitcom, Living Single, which became a huge success with black audiences. However, Fox-TV network decided to make the show a mid-season replacement but popular viewer demands brought the show back. A major and unprecedented letter-writing, phone-calling, and electronic mailing campaign by fans who demanded that Fox-TV bring back the sitcom resulted in the popular show returning in the fall for its fifth season.

Despite the necessity of living in Los Angeles because of her television work, Latifah feels her base is still in New Jersey, where her mother lives, and she has a home in Wayne, New Jersey. Rita Owens is still a definite influence in her life. In addition to her teaching job, Rita serves as art director of her daughter’s company.

In the early morning hours on July 16,1995, Latifah and her bodyguard, Shawn, met up with some friends at Harlem’s Apollo Theater to go to Latifah’s house in Wayne, New Jersey. The earful of friends who were following got stuck in traffic. Latifah pulled over on New York’s 125th Street to wait. As the car sat parked, two men, one with a gun, walked up to Latifah’s car and shouted, “Get out or you’re dead!” Although they surrendered the car, the gunman still shot Shawn, who was later rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he underwent 10 hours of surgery to repair his liver and kidney. He would later recover. Latifah picked the pair out of a police lineup, and the carjacker, Ricardo Rodriguez, was later convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison. According to People, Latifah said “I hope this is a lesson that we have to wake up and try to do something about the violence in our community.”

In 1996, The movie Set It Off hit the theaters, Latifah played the role of Cleo, a lesbian bank robber who along with her three friends rob banks to make ends meet. When asked about how she felt about playing the role, Latifah tells Veronica Webb in Interview, “I wanted to do something that was completely different from who I am, and this was the role that came to me. Despite the risks, I felt that this was where I could display my talent.” Latifah made the role of Cleo very believable despite the comments made by those in the black community regarding her role of a homosexual. Latifah responded to Interview by saying, “I can’t base my life on what people think. Things don’t change by everybody just presenting the same thing. Nobody’s had more anxiety over the part than me.” It is the risks like these that make Latifah a successful rapper, actress, and businesswoman.