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Dana Elaine "Queen Latifah" Owens (born March 18 , 1970 ) is an American Grammy Award -winning Rap artist and singer, and an Academy Award -nominated Actress . BIOGRAPHY Early life Latifah was born in Newark , New Jersey to African-American parents Lancelot Owens (a police officer) and Rita (a high-school art teacher); they divorced when she was eight years old. After singing in the choir of her local Baptist church,1 she performed the number "Home" from the musical, '' The Wiz '', in a high school play. Her stage name, ''Latifah''(لطيفة), means "delicate" and "sensitive" in Arabic . It was given to her when she was eight by her cousin. While in high school, she was a power forward on her basketball team. Her father also gave her lessons in karate and firearms use. Music career Latifah started her career Beatboxing for the rap group ''Ladies Fresh''. In 1988, local DJ Mark The 45 King heard a demo version of Latifah's single, "Princess of the Posse", and gave the demo to Fab Five Freddy (who at the time hosted '' Yo! MTV Raps ''). Freddy helped Latifah sign with Tommy Boy Records . They released Latifah's first album, '' All Hail The Queen '', in (1989); at the time, she was 18. This debut managed to be both a critical and commercial success and was followed by the albums ''Nature of a Sista'' and '' Black Reign '', which contained the hit single, '' U.N.I.T.Y. '', for which she won a Grammy. After releasing four rap albums (the fourth being Order in the Court, released in 1998), she released a Soul / Jazz Standards album in 2004 called ''The Dana Owens Album''. Acting career From 1993 to 1998 , Latifah had a starring role on '' Living Single '', a FOX Sitcom ; she also wrote and performed its theme music. She began her film career as a supporting actress in movies like '' House Party 2 '' ( 1991 ), '' Juice '' and '' Set It Off '' ( 1996 ). Latifah first attracted notice for her role as a '', '' Taxi '', and '' Beauty Shop ''. Her latest film, released in early '' (her first voice appearance in an animated film), and will soon appear in the drama '' Stranger Than Fiction '', the action film '' Bad Girls '', which also stars Jada Pinkett Smith , and a remake of '' Hairspray '', playing Motormouth Maybelle opposite John Travolta ; filming on ''Hairspray'' will begin in the fall of 2006, for a summer 2007 release.3 Other work Latifah is a celebrity spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics; she has starred in several commercials for the line, as well as a commercial with fellow spokeswoman and singer, Faith Hill . She has also had her own talk show, ''The Queen Latifah Show'', from 1999 to 2001 . On January 4, 2006, Latifah received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame . She is the first Hip Hop artist to be given this honor. Personal life Latifah's older brother Lance was killed in 1992, in a biking accident involving the motorbike that Latifah had just bought him. She still wears the key to the motorbike around her neck and dedicated ''Black Reign'' to him. In 1993, she was the victim of a Carjacking , in which a friend of hers was shot. In 1996, she was arrested due to possession of a small amount of Marijuana and a hand gun; she was fined and sentenced to two years probation. In her 1999 Autobiography , ''Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman'', Latifah discussed how her brother's death lead to a bout of depression and drug abuse from which she later recovered. Because of her portrayal of a lesbian in ''Set It Off'' and her avoidance of discussing her romantic life, Tabloid media sometimes speculate that she is a Lesbian . Latifah responded to these rumors in her autobiography by saying: "It's insulting when someone asks, `Are you gay?' A woman cannot be strong, outspoken, competent at running her own business, handle herself physically, play a very convincing role in a movie, know what she wants--and go for it--without being gay? Come on." In early 2003, Latifah had breast reduction surgery to relieve back pain. She also works out with a trainer and Kickboxes .4 In March 2006, she announced that she is in the early stages of adopting a child, and will possibly have a baby by the beginning of 2007.5 DISCOGRAPHY
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY AWARDS
REFERENCES Footnotes Interviews
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