BHM Spotlight: Queen Latifah

Photo: Sandrarose.com

February is the special month in which we honor and celebrate African-Americans, past and present, for all their accomplishments in a variety of fields: music, television, film, fashion, business and so much more. Here at Glambergirlblog we want to do things a little bit different. Everyday throughout this month we will spotlight some of the glamberous African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

You know you have a royal attitude and has what it takes to sustain a career in the entertainment industry when your name is Queen Latifah. The writer, producer, actress, singer and Covergirl that Queen is only shows a fraction of her gifts to the world.

Newark, New Jersey native Dana Elaine Owens always had music in her life. She sung in her church’s choir and had her first performance during a production of “The Wizard of Oz” in a school play; she sang a version of Home. In high school her music career really picked off. Known for rapping in the bathrooms, Queen quickly made a name for herself and formed a girls group, “Flavor Unit.” But Queen went solo and had a demo submitted on her behalf to Yo! MTV Raps. She became a success and released her first album All Hail to the Queen in 1989, which sold 1 million records. Her music hits include “U.N.I.T.Y,”  which earned her a Grammy Award.

Outside of music, Queen developed a knack for acting. In 1991, she landed her first role as the waitress with an attitude in Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever,” but got much more notoriety when she landed a starring role as Cleo in “Set It Off.” Queen went on to have musical roles, like “Chicago,” and “Hairspray,” and comedic roles, like “Bringing Down The House” and “Taxi.” You may also remember Queen from her hit television show Living Single. Currently Queen is set to host a daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show debuting this fall on BET. Is there nothing she can’t do?

Check out this mini bio on Queen Latifah and really get to know her story.

Fun Fact About Queen Latifah: Latifah was a nickname Queen received from a Muslim cousin at the age of eight. Latifah means “delicate and sensitive” in Arabic.