Many of us know Queen Latifah as the bold woman who addressed what it meant to be called out of your name in "U-N-I-T-Y" or the female who started one of Hip Hop's first management companies, Flavor Unit Management. Whatever you know Queen Latifah as, know that her prolific journey can be attributed to her upbringing and her family. In the Essence article, Jeannine touches on Latifah's mother's devotion to the arts, her older brother's impact and her father's courage - all factors that played an essential role in the molding of the singer, actress, rapper, fashion designer and spokesperson that we know of.
Professor and Hip Hop Scholar, Cheryl Keyes breaks down the female black identity within Hip Hop culture in her essay, "Empowering Self, Making Choices, Creating Spaces: Black Female Identity via Rap Music Performance". Queen Latifah has successfully embody the 'Queen Mother' attribute that Keyes discusses in the essay. Although, Queen Latifah denotes this motherly image by always re-affirming herself as a down-to-earth female, it is without a doubt that Queen Latifah holds a regal, self-assured demeanor while making strides to build the community. The very same attributes of a 'Queen Mother'.
Queen Latifah said, "From the time I decided to become a rapper and get a record deal and have a management company, there have been doubters, people who didn't get it. If we had listened to them, we never would've tried half the things we did. But we didn't listen, so here we are 20 years later. You believe in yourself and put your mind and your soul into it. I've been around that kind of fearlessness all my life". Dana 'Queen Latifah' Owens ambitiously set forth on a path to greatness and didn't allow the naysayers to block her. She has contributed much to rap music and the female MC persona, fought social norms to stand as a symbol of beauty, won several awards and stands as a mogul and Queen in her own right.
Check out behind the scene footage of Queen Latifah's photo shoot on Essence.com.
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