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Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in Newark, New Jersey, Latifah took her stage name, meaning "delicate" and "gentle" in Arabic, at a young age and started her career beatboxing for the rap group Ladies Fresh. After one of her demos landed at Tommy Boy Records, the indie label offered her a deal. In 1989, they released her first album, All Hail the Queen, which sold 400,000 copies. In 1991, she released her follow-up, Nature of A Sista, which did well enough to attract the attention of Motown. After signing with the Detroit Label in 1993, Latifah released her third album, Black Reign, and with her newfound clout, founded Flavor Unit Records and Management, which primarily handled rap and new-style rhythm and blues groups. "U.N.I.T.Y," the album's first single, denounced sexist attitudes and violence against women. Latifah also landed a regular spot on the highly rated television sitcom, Living Single, which lasted five seasons. In 1997 Queen Latifah was awarded the Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. She released her fourth album, Order in the Court, in 1998, as a certified superstar.



After trying her hand at talk shows and commercials, Latifah landed a role in the acclaimed movie musical, Chicago, in 2003. Her performance as Matron Mama Morton garnered her Academy Award and Golden Globe nods for Best Supporting Actress. Hoping to spread her musical wings further, in 2004, Latifah released a soul/jazz standards disc called The Dana Owens Album. She spent the next several years immersed in film work, but resurfaced in 2007, to release the album Trav'lin' Light. Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Joe Sample, George Duke, Christian McBride, and Stevie Wonder made guest appearances on it, and the disc was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" category. As for the musical future, Latifah has said she's open to anything, including a return to rap. Whatever she does, rest assured it will be big.