Queen Latifah

Dana Elaine Owens, better than Queen Latifah America, is a performer and actress. Her performance as a singer, music, film and TV artist has garnered her the distinction of two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Image Awards. She also was awarded a Grammy Award and six other Grammy nominations. Queen Latifah's parents were Lancelot as well as Rita Owens. They were both Police officers. Rita was a Newark New Jersey teacher, who worked the class at Irvington High School. The couple split after Latifah was 10 years old. old. Latifah was brought up in the Baptist church and she attended Catholic school within Newark New Jersey. When she was 8 Her cousin gifted her the stage name Latifah which translates to tender and gentle in Arabic. Always tall, at 5'10, Latifah was a power forward on the basketball team at her high school. She sang the song home from the musical The Wiz in a high school play. Latifah was a member of Ladies Fresh, a rap group that launched her journey into beatboxing. Latifah used to be a member of the Flavor Unit - a group of rappers who joined by the producer DJ Mark the 45 king. Mark James aka DJ Mark the 45 King recorded an unreleased version of Queen Latifah's song Princess of the Posse. He gave the recording to Yo! MTV Raps Freddy. The song got the attention of Tommy Boy Music employee Dante Ross who was signed by Latifah and in 1988 issued her first single Wrath of My Madness.