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‘All Hail The Queen’ - 1989
Photo: Getty Images
All of Queen Latifah’s music bears a strong message but the feminist anthem "Ladies First" remains one of Latifah's signature songs to this day.
In 2016, the album was celebrated at VH1 Hip Hop Honours: All Hail The Queens at David Geffen Hall in New York City. Eve, Missy Elliott, DJ Spinderella, Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Lil Kim took the stage to preform.
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‘U.N.I.T.Y.’ - 1995
Photo: Getty Images
As one of Latifah’s biggest songs ever, “U.N.I.T.Y.” not only earned her a Grammy Award (Rap Solo Performance) but the pro-woman statement track from 1995 still resonates.
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Super Bowl - 1998
Photo: Getty Images
Latifah hit the world’s biggest stage in 1998 at Super Bowl XXXII with fellow superstars Boys II Men, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, and Martha Reeves where the Denver Broncos brought home the win against the Green Bay Packers (31 - 24).
She later took the stage in 2014 to "America the Beautiful" at Super Bowl XLVIII.
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‘Bringing Down The House’ - 2003
Photo: Touchstone Pictures/CPImages
For “Bringing Down The House” Latifah stepped into the comedy game next to heavyweights Steve Martin and Eugene Levy.
The hilarious film starred Latifah as Charlene Morton, a prisoner who meets Peter Sanderson (Martin) in an online chatroom. After escaping from prison, Charlene shows up to Peter’s house and wreaks havoc on his middle-class life. While the film only scored 34% on Rotten Tomatoes it remains a favourite for Latifah fans.
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‘Chicago’ - 2003
Photo: Miramax/CPimages
In 2003, Latifah took on the iconic role of Mama Morton, the corrupt but nurturing matron of the Cook County Jail, where Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) await trial for murder.
The beloved film is still a favourite among musical fans and even earned Latifah her first Oscar nomination.
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‘Life Support’ - 2006
Photo: HBO/CPImages
Not only did Latifah’s role in 2008’s TV movie bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic, playing Ana Wallace, a woman refusing to give up hope after being diagnosed with HIV, earned her a Golden Globe statuette.
Anna Deavere Smith, Evan Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross co-starred.
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‘Hairspray’ - 2008
Photo: New Line Cinema/CPImages
Latifah took on the iconic role of Motormouth Maybelle in the 2008 film adaptation of the beloved musical “Hairspray” which helped her, and the a-list cast, earn a SAG award for Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Even Latifah’s renditions of Motormouth’s classic tracks “I Know Where I’ve Been” earned her critical acclaim.
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'The Queen Latifah Show’ - 1999-2001 & 2013-2015
Photo: CBS/CPImages
After a few blockbuster films, Latifah hit daytime TV for a reboot of her “Queen Latifah Show” where she hosted fellow A-listers for exclusive tell-all interviews.
While the show only lasted from 1999 to 2001 before it was rebooted in 2013, she still booked stars like Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.
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‘Bessie’ - 2016
Photo: HBO/CPImages
In 2016, Latifah took on the role of Bessie Smith, the empress of blues, who died at the age of 43 after a fatal car accident in 1937. According to the actress, Bessie was a role she wanted for 20 years.
“This project came pretty early in my career as an actress. I was basically Queen Latifah, the hip-hop head, Queen Latifah, the rapper-turned-actress. It would have been kind of a life-changing, career-defining moment in my acting career at that time,” she told NPR. “It would have challenged me to do everything I've had to do [up until] now, but I would have had half the life experience that I could have brought to this project.”
Her impressive take earned critical acclaim as she was nominated for a Golden Globe, won an Emmy award and a SAG award.
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‘Girls Trip’ - 2017
Photo: Will Packer Productions/CPImages
Latifah’s appearance in 2017’s biggest comedy of the year, “Girls Trip”, not only launched her back into the comedy world but the film, co-starring Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Regina Hall, went on to earn a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Touchstone Pictures/CPImages
Photo: Miramax/CPimages
Photo: HBO/CPImages
Photo: New Line Cinema/CPImages
Photo: CBS/CPImages
Photo: HBO/CPImages
Photo: Will Packer Productions/CPImages
