From the drop of her debut album, All Hail the Queen, in 1989, it was clear that Queen Latifah would be a nonstop force in hip hop and beyond. The rapper, actress, producer and activist has received numerous awards and has become the “the first of” on numerous occasions. She won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1995 for her single "U.N.I.T.Y.," which raised awareness of violence against women and the objectification of Black female sexuality. Its album, Black Reign, became the first album by a solo female rapper to receive a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. She was the first female hip hop artist to be nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film Chicago in 2003. Coming full circle, this past April, she became the first female hip hop artist to have her first album, All Hail The Queen, inducted into the National Recording Registry.

Now as the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip hop, Latifah joins EBONY to look back on the people she’s worked with and the lessons she learned at the onset of her illustrious career. Her musical journey is one of a pioneer who broke barriers and opened up opportunities for others to follow in her regal footsteps.

READ THE STORY AT EBONY