Early Life
Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in Newark, New Jersey. She was the second child of Rita and Lance Owens. Dana Elaine Owens was interested in music from her early days. Her acting skills and gift for rhyme were her most prominent talents. The nickname Latifah came from her Muslim cousin. In Arabic, it translates to “delicate and sensitive.”
Her first live performance was at St. Anne parochial school, where she sang Home in The Wizard of Oz. During her high school days, Latifah started rapping and singing and joined the rap group, Ladies Fresh.
Career
Latifah’s career started with her mother connecting her with Mark James, popularly known as DJ Mark. He gave Latifah’s Princess of the Posse demo tape to Fred Braithwaite, who was the host of Yo! MTV Raps. Latifah’s talent was evident. She got signed by Tommy Boy Music and released her first single Wrath of My Madness in 1988.
One performance led to another, and Queen Latifah ended up releasing her debut album All Hail to the Queen, which sold over 1 million copies. Latifah stayed dedicated to her career in the following years. In 1991 she released Nature of a Sista’ followed by the GRAMMY Award-winning song U.N.I.T.Y. on the 1993 album Black Reign.
Queen Latifah dropped rap for jazz and released The Dana Owens Album in 2004. The album secured the 16th position on the Billboard 200. In 2009, she went back to rapping and released the album Persona.
Queen Latifah is a successful actress, as well. She played several roles, including those in Jungle Fever, Juice, Living Single, and Chicago, which got her nominated for an Oscar.
Queen Latifah Relationships: Who Has She Dated?
Queen Latifah was in a relationship with Kendu Isaacs from 1992 to 2001.
In 2002, she started dating Jeanette Jenkins, but the couple broke up in 2011.
In the News
Latifah made regular appearances in the news to promote her new albums and movies. But the media have been heavily interested in her sexuality as it has been subject to rumors for a decade.
In 2018, sadly, Queen Latifah confirmed the death of her beloved mother.
Stay tuned with the latest Queen Latifah news and gossip with The Shade Room!
