Queen Latifah Biography

Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens in 1970 in Newark, New Jersey. While still in high school, Queen Latifah began beat boxing for an all girls group, which led to her joining her own group before a demo of one of her rap songs caught the attention of a producer with Tommy Boy Records. By the late 1980’s, Queen Latifah had signed her first contract and released her debut single, “Wrath of my Madness.”

Queen Latifah’s debut album, All Hail the Queen, was released in 1989, to moderate success.  Although a talented rapper with strong vocal ability to match, Queen Latifah was destined to find her success more in film than in music, at least for much of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Her first appearance was in 1991, in Jungle Fever, and the success of her performance quickly launched appearances in dozens of films to follow: House Party 2 (1991), My Life (1993), Set it Off (1996), Hoodlum (1997), Living Out Loud (1998), Sphere (1998), and the Bone Collector (1999.)

The new millennium saw Queen Latifah’s critically acclaimed performance in Chicago (2002), followed by appearances in: Brown Sugar (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Bringing Down the House (2003), Taxi (2004), Beauty Shop (2005), Last Holiday (2006), Hairspray (2007), The Perfect Holiday (2007), Mad Money (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Valentine’s Day (201), Just Wright (2010), and Joyful Noise (2012.) She also voiced the character of Ellie for the Ice Age films, and appeared in the television remake of the film Steel Magnolias in 2012.

Queen Latifah has not forgotten her roots in music, however, and after releasing Nature of a Sista (1991), Black Reign (1993), and Order in the Court (1998), Latifah delighted audiences with The Dana Owens album, in 2004, which showcased her soul/jazz vocal abilities. A few years later, she gained recognition for her headlining performance at the Hollywood Bowl’s jazz concert, during which she performed stunning arrangements of old standards. The album Trav’lin’ Light followed in 2007, and Queen Latifah earned her first Grammy nomination, for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  Around the same time, she launched the Sugar Water Festival Tour alongside Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, and then returned to her hip-hop roots with All Hail the Queen II in 2008.

Most recently, Queen Latifah released Persona in 2009, and re-entered the studio with plans for a new album. She continues to record and perform, and also has plans for future roles in film and television.