Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, model, television and record producer, comedian, and talk show host. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album All Hail the Queen the same year, featuring the single "Ladies First". Her second album, Nature of a Sista (1991), was her final album with Tommy Boy Records.
Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the FOX sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998. Her third album, Black Reign (1993), included the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", which won a Grammy Award and charted on the Billboard Hot 100. She starred in the film Set It Off (1996) and released Order in the Court in 1998 with Motown Records. She earned mainstream acclaim for her role in Chicago (2002), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Latifah released several albums including The Dana Owens Album (2004), Trav'lin' Light (2007), and Persona (2009). She appeared in films such as Bringing Down the House (2003), Taxi (2004), Barbershop 2 (2005), Beauty Shop (2005), Last Holiday (2006), Hairspray (2007), and Joyful Noise (2012). She created The Queen Latifah Show, which aired from 2013 to 2015. Her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO’s Bessie (2015) earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. Queen Latifah received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and has won multiple awards including a Grammy, Emmy, Golden Globe, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, with record sales exceeding two million.
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