“If you don’t believe, well here, listen to this rhyme
Ladies first, there’s no time to rehearse
I’m divine and my mind expands throughout the universe”
The year was 1989 and the pro-black era of hip hop was in full effect. The lyrics are from a song by rapper and actress Queen Latifah called “Ladies First” with fellow female rapper and friend Monie Love off of Latifah’s debut album All Hail the Queen. From my perspective, the song expresses the need for respect for black women, specifically black female rappers in a male dominant industry such as hip-hop.
It’s been thirty years since the song’s release and because of the cultural impact to the progression of women in hip hop, Queen Latifah has been widely recognized for her efforts and honored as one of the greatest female hip hop artists of all time from publications such as The Root 100 list, as well as the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
As much as Ms. Latifah has contributed a lot to the hip hop community, she is also known for her phenomenal role in movies such as Juice, Set it Off and Bessie.
However, as of recently, Ms. Latifah is scheduled to be awarded the W.E Dubois Medal along with six other recipients at Harvard University for their contributions to black culture.
Latifah, who has also been awarded twice at the NAACP Image Awards, is known for her philanthropy work in her fight against bullying, cancer, education reform, etc.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited for Queen Latifah as she receives the award for her phenomenal work to black culture? We value your thoughts, opinions, comments, and concerns.
Once again, congratulations Ms. Latifah on the award and we always love to see a black queen shine! #TRU
