Queen Latifah: Break Barriers By Being Yourself
Posted on March 3, 2008 10:00 AM
Considered the First Lady of Hip-Hop by many, we salute Queen Latifah for her groundbreaking success in music, film and television.
Currently the winner of a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards (as well as Emmy and Academy Award nominations), Queen Latifah has broken gender, racial and size-based barriers in entertainment by always performing to her best ability, shattering stereotypes along the way.
Queen Latifah’s Tip for Success: Be An Individual, Break The Mold
In a 1998 interview with CNN Queen Latifah said, “I've always been a person who cuts my own mold... I don't follow trends... I try to be current but I don't follow what everyone else is doing... Just because some rappers chose to sell the sex - I'm a big woman and I'm not going to embarrass myself by pulling my gut out... I can be sexy and sensual in my own way... besides, I think big chicks rule.”
When we first met Latifah in 1989 she was leading a strong charge for women to be recognized in hip-hop.
Everything about her, from her style of dress to her lyrics reminded listeners she was a Queen.Throughout her music career she continued to make strong stands against misogyny and sexism.
By 1993 Queen Latifah was helping oversee the careers of Naughty By Nature, Monica and SWV with her management company Flavor Unit Entertainment. She also made the leap to acting -- roles in 1991 films Juice, Jungle Fever and House Party 2, lead to a television sitcom “Living Single” which had a five year run on FOX.
Soon she was winning bigger parts in films like Set It Off, Living Out Loud and Brown Sugar, eventually earning an Academy Award nomination for her role in Chicago.
Author of Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman, Queen Latifah has recently taken her music in a new direction, recording Grammy-nominated jazz albums The Dana Owens Album and Trav’lin’ Light.
Most recently Queen Latifah won a Golden Globe award and Emmy nomination for her role as an HIV positive woman in HBO film Life Support.
She also produced 2007 film The Perfect Holiday.
Now that she is a household name, Queen Latifah serves as a celebrity spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics, Curvation ladies underwear, Pizza Hut and Jenny Craig.
She even has her own line of cosmetics for women of color – The Covergirl Queen Collection.
In honor of Women’s History Month, 24 Hour Grind Salutes Women in Entertainment. Check back tomorrow for a look at the career of Halle Berry.
Comments
if she was really being herself she would come out the closet shes a lesbian she should admit that b4 shes says shes being herself
Until Queen La starts lying and denying who she is, then her sexuality has absolutely nothing to do with her career.
But in general, I think that tv and advanced technology have almost replaced creative activites that at one point in time helped people to identify who they were as an individual. These days tv shows and other media outlets dictate who and what we should be. Its hard for the youngins to be themselves because they really don't know who they are.
queen latifah is a strong woman and i could bet that she would be able to put you people in your places in a minute, whether she licks carpet or sausages, its her business, worry about your own sex lives and show a sister some respect. shes done alot more than alot of people have.....respect to her.
Queen Latifah is a very strong and beautiful black woman. Her sexuality is inconsequential. P.s. TJC, why do you call pussy, carpet?
@Tjc
her career is no doubt successful but if shes saying
be yourself and there have been marijuana charges against and numerous allegations of her lesbian activity shes in the public eye
rosie odonnel came out and numerous others and are proud of who and what they are and arent hiding behind a veil she should not say shes being herself because the truth is shes a weed smoker and a lesbian ...in the public eye you open yourself to scrutiny.ellen degeneres is successful and shes real and she was accepted for who and what she is Queen is a fraud!
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