Queen Latifah was the first female rapper to become a bonafide star. Her third album, Black Reign, was the first album by a female MC ever to go gold. Latifah soon appeared in movies and sitcoms and even hosted her own talk show. She still remains perhaps the most recognizable woman in hip-hop. Latifah’s debut, All Hail the Queen, was released to strong reviews, and the classic single “Ladies First” broke her to the hip-hop audience climbing into the Top Ten. Latifah then issued Black Reign, which became her most popular album; it featured her biggest hit, “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which won a Grammy. By this point, Latifah had already begun her acting career, appearing in Jungle Fever, House Party 2 as well as the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In 1993, she was tabbed to co-star in the Fox comedy Living Single; during that period, acting was her primary focus. Latifah began work on her fourth album, Order in the Court released in 1998. The same year, she appeared in the films Sphere and Living Out Loud. The Queen Latifah Show, a daytime talk show, debuted in 1999 and ran until 2001. Her performance in the movie musical Chicago, garnered her Best Supporting Actress nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes. In 2004, she released The Dana Owens Album, a diverse collection of covers and interpretations. Trav’lin’ Light followed with a similar format in 2007. In 2009, she released the star-studded Persona. Queen Latifah continues to tour the world.
