Biography of Queen Latifah

The New Jersey-born Queen Latifah (born Dana Owens, Latifah is an Arabic word meaning sensitive and delicate) has almost singlehandedly opened the doors for female rappers in the '90s, belying the sexism that permeates the male side of the genre. Her versatility suggests she'll be around for a long while.Queen Latifah's moved into television as part of the cast for the hit Fox situation comedy Living Single. While there was far from universal praise for the series, even its detractors had positive things to say about her portrayal of a magazine editor. She also moved to Motown from Tommy Boy, and her CD Black Reign was her finest since All Hail the Queen. ~ John Floyd