Submitted by batkins on
"Ladies first, there’s no time to rehearse
I’m divine and my mind expands throughout the universe
A female rapper with the message to send the
Queen Latifah is a perfect specimen"
Queen Latifah released her debut album All Hail the Queen on Tommy Boy Records in 1989. Five years later, the Queen had only extended her reign. In her cover story for The Source Magazine’s May 1994 issue, titled “Original Flavor,” Bönz Malone explains:
“Now the overachieving schoolgirl is a 23-year-old Black Female Icon seen in movies such as Juice, Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever and House Party 2. Still crashin’ clubs on her bike, ridin’ around with a Black Mob – 60 deep. She’s doing talk shows, radio, interviews for dozens of fanzines, touring all over the world, plus rehearsing lines for the TV show, running a video store, and becoming Khadijah every Sunday night at 8:30. And she still finds time to drop a dope album?!”
Due to her growing success, Queen Latifah’s anonymity had been replaced by fame but her humility and hunger remained intact. The reign would continue with no signs of slowing down.
Check out the full cover story below.
*Photography by Chi Modu/C2 from an original copy of The Source (05/1994) in the HARI Collection
#StandUp: Every day in hiphop is a day we celebrate women. The month of March is when we take our daily celebration to the next level. The 2018 HARI’s Women’s History Month Series, will establish a knowledge base, highlight key woman figures in and around hiphop and explore the significance of women in the development of the genre and its sound. The series will also celebrate the centrality of women in continually and creatively shaping and changing the world. Learn more HERE.
