Queen Latifah studied at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Career
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1989
Indiana, USA
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah performs at the Genesis Center in Gary, Indiana in January 1989.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1989
A group of artists signed to the American independent record label, Tommy Boy Records, circa 1989. They include (back, left to right) Vincent Mason and Kelvin Mercer of De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Freshco (Shawn Conrad).
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1989
New York City, New York, USA
Queen Latifah (Dana Owens) appears in a portrait taken on October 6, 1989 in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1990
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1990
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1990
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah performs at the U.I.C. Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois in January 1990.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
1996
Los Angeles, California, USA
Headshot portrait of American actress and rapper Queen Latifah, Los Angeles, California, 1996. The photo was taken on the set of the Barry Levinson-directed film 'Sphere.'
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2014
Los Angeles, California, USA
Actress Queen Latifah attends The 40th Annual People's Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on January 8, 2014, in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2014
3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA
Recording artist/actress Queen Latifah performs onstage during the 18th annual Keep Memory Alive "Power of Love Gala" benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health honoring Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 26, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2015
West Hollywood, California, USA
Actress Queen Latifa attends VH1 Big In 2015 With Entertainment Weekly Awards at Pacific Design Center on November 15, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
Los Angeles, California, USA
Actress Queen Latifah, winner of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries, for 'Bessie,' poses in the press room during the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016, in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
Hollywood, California, USA
Actress Queen Latifah arrives at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "Miracles From Heaven" at ArcLight Hollywood on March 9, 2016, in Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
Cloth Fair, Barbican, London EC1A 7JQ, UK
Singer Queen Latifah and her mother Rita Owens attends the VH1's "Dear Mama" taping at St. Bartholomew's Church on May 2, 2016, in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
Cloth Fair, Barbican, London EC1A 7JQ, UK
Singer Queen Latifah and her mother Rita Owens attends the VH1's "Dear Mama" taping at St. Bartholomew's Church on May 2, 2016, in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, USA
Queen Latifah attends the VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail The Queens at David Geffen Hall on July 11, 2016, in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2016
25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, USA
Queen Latifah attends the 2016 Princess Grace Awards Gala with presenting sponsor Christian Dior Couture at Cipriani 25 Broadway on October 24, 2016 in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2017
1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA
Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall and Queen Latifah attend the Premiere Of Universal Pictures' "Girls Trip" at Regal LA Live Stadium 14 on July 13, 2017, in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2017
Actress Queen Latifah during an interview on July 19, 2017.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2017
Actress Queen Latifah during an interview on July 19, 2017.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2018
New York City, New York, USA
Queen Latifah attends Carnival Horizon naming ceremony event at Pier 88 on May 23, 2018, in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2018
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Queen Latifah attends the 2018 Essence Festival presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 6, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2018
1 Center St, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Actress/singer and 2018 Black Girls Rock! host Queen Latifah speaks on stage during the 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018, in Newark, New Jersey.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2018
1 Center St, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Actress/singer and 2018 Black Girls Rock! host Queen Latifah speaks on stage during the 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018, in Newark, New Jersey.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
Hollywood, California, USA
Queen Latifah attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
Hollywood, California, USA
Queen Latifah attends the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
New York City, New York, USA
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
New York City, New York, USA
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
New York City, New York, USA
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Queen Latifah attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2019
Flushing Meadow - Corona Park, Flushing, NY 11368, USA
Queen Latifah (R) attends the Men's Singles second round match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina on day three of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2019 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Photo of Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, USA
Actress Queen Latifah attends the 5th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 31, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California.
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Rapper and actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
Actress Queen Latifah
Gallery of Queen Latifah
2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, USA
Actress, Dancer and Choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, Singer-Songwriter and Actress Gloria Estefan, Hip Hop Artist LL COOL J, Television Writer, and Producer Norman Lear and Renowned Musician and Record Producer Lionel Richie are recognized for their achievements in the arts during a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage.
A group of artists signed to the American independent record label, Tommy Boy Records, circa 1989. They include (back, left to right) Vincent Mason and Kelvin Mercer of De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Freshco (Shawn Conrad).
Headshot portrait of American actress and rapper Queen Latifah, Los Angeles, California, 1996. The photo was taken on the set of the Barry Levinson-directed film 'Sphere.'
Recording artist/actress Queen Latifah performs onstage during the 18th annual Keep Memory Alive "Power of Love Gala" benefit for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health honoring Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 26, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Actress Queen Latifa attends VH1 Big In 2015 With Entertainment Weekly Awards at Pacific Design Center on November 15, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.
Actress Queen Latifah, winner of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries, for 'Bessie,' poses in the press room during the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016, in Los Angeles, California.
Actress Queen Latifah arrives at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "Miracles From Heaven" at ArcLight Hollywood on March 9, 2016, in Hollywood, California.
Queen Latifah attends the 2016 Princess Grace Awards Gala with presenting sponsor Christian Dior Couture at Cipriani 25 Broadway on October 24, 2016 in New York City.
Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall and Queen Latifah attend the Premiere Of Universal Pictures' "Girls Trip" at Regal LA Live Stadium 14 on July 13, 2017, in Los Angeles, California.
Queen Latifah attends the 2018 Essence Festival presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 6, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Actress/singer and 2018 Black Girls Rock! host Queen Latifah speaks on stage during the 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018, in Newark, New Jersey.
Actress/singer and 2018 Black Girls Rock! host Queen Latifah speaks on stage during the 2018 Black Girls Rock! at New Jersey Performing Arts Center on August 26, 2018, in Newark, New Jersey.
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Queen Latifah attends Tribeca Talks and the Premiere of The Queen Collective Shorts - 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studio on April 26, 2019 in New York City.
Flushing Meadow - Corona Park, Flushing, NY 11368, USA
Queen Latifah (R) attends the Men's Singles second round match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina on day three of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2019 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Actress Queen Latifah attends the 5th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 31, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California.
Actress, Dancer and Choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, Singer-Songwriter and Actress Gloria Estefan, Hip Hop Artist LL COOL J, Television Writer, and Producer Norman Lear and Renowned Musician and Record Producer Lionel Richie are recognized for their achievements in the arts during a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage.
The woman behind the moniker is Dana Owens, who was born on March 18th, 1970, in East Orange, New Jersey. She came from a police family--both her father and older brother were cops, which would later influence her rhyming style and life philosophy. Owens witnessed both sides of Black urban life in the USA while growing up. After a brief stint as a Burger King employee, she soon found herself making waves in the hip-hop music scene.
After working as the human beat box alongside Ladies Fresh, she was just 18 years old when she originally broke through in the late 1980s with a style that picked selectively from jazz, reggae, and soul traditions, from beats produced by 'D.J. Mark the 45 King'. Her debut single, "Wrath of My Madness," was released in 1988. A year later, her debut long-player, "All Hail the Queen," enjoyed favored reviews: an old, wise head was evident on the top of her young shoulders. The former Burger King employee maintained her early commitment to answer the misogynist armory of some of her male counterparts and, at the same time, imparted musical good times to all genders. Her name means "delicate and sensitive" in Arabic, but she has often been anything but in her rhymes and the messages she sends out through them. One of the most prominent female hip-hop artists on the scene for over a decade, Queen Latifah has also made tremendous inroads in movies, television, and artist management, with her management company, Flavor Unit, alongside her business partner Shakim Compere. A role model who takes the responsibility to heart, Latifah carefully constructed a fine career for herself--one that is constantly moving upward.
New Music Seminar, 1990, Best Female Rapper, Rolling Stone Readers' Poll, 1990, Woman of the Year Glamour magazine, 2006
New Music Seminar, 1990, Best Female Rapper, Rolling Stone Readers' Poll, 1990, Woman of the Year Glamour magazine, 2006
named one of 50 Most Influential African-Americans
Ebony magazine 2004, named to Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2005, Power 150, Ebony magazine 2008.
Ebony magazine 2004, named to Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2005, Power 150, Ebony magazine 2008.
recipient Soul Train Music award
1995, Sammy Davis Junior award, 1995, Entertainer of Year award, 1995, Grammy award for best rap solo performance, 1995, Arist of the Year award, Harvard Foundation, 2003, Lifetime Achievement award, Black Entertainment Television Awards, 2010
1995, Sammy Davis Junior award, 1995, Entertainer of Year award, 1995, Grammy award for best rap solo performance, 1995, Arist of the Year award, Harvard Foundation, 2003, Lifetime Achievement award, Black Entertainment Television Awards, 2010