Dana “Queen Latifah” Owens has added another history-making moment to her extensive list of accomplishments in the entertainment business.
Queen Latifah’s All Hail the Queen is the first album by a female rapper to join the National Recording Registry organized by the United States Library of Congress.
All Hail the Queen is part of a 2023 Class of National Recording Registry inductees. The 25 picks include recordings by Madonna (“Like A Virgin”), John Lennon (“Imagine”), Led Zeppelin (“Stairway to Heaven”), and Mariah Carey (“All I Want for Christmas is You”).
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” states Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Only 625 selections have been added to the National Recording Registry since its inception.
Carla Hayden adds, “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts, or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
Queen Latifah Conquered Music, TV & Film
A 19-year-old Queen Latifah dropped her debut studio LP, All Hail the Queen, in 1989 via Tommy Boy Records. The 12-track project hosts the female empowerment anthem “Ladies First” with British rapper Monie Love.
All Hail the Queen also features guest appearances by De La Soul, Daddy-O, 45 King, and KRS-One. Queen Latifah followed that body of work with other rap releases. For example, Nature of a Sista came out in 1991. The Gold-certified Black Reign landed two years later.
Queen Latifah expanded her career beyond just music. She played a main character in the Living Single sitcom and The Equalizer crime drama. Plus, Owens hosted the syndicated The Queen Latifah Show. The New Jersey native also starred in numerous movies like Juice, Set It Off, Bringing Down the House, Hairspray, and Girls Trip.
Her performance in the motion picture musical Chicago earned Queen Latifah an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards. She also earned a Primetime Emmy Award for producing the HBO television film Bessie.