Dana Elaine Owens, better known as Queen Latifah, was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1970. The opening of Latifah’s brilliant career took place in 1998; with time she became the first successful female rap singer. The first album All Hail the Queen was released in 1989, when Latifah was only 19. Her third album won a Grammy Award in 1994. In 2004, Latifah produced The Dana Owens, a jazz album that earned her a Grammy nomination. Latifah became the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Queen Latifah is also famous as a film actress. She debuted in a supporting role in the movie Jungle Fever (1991). This summer the film Hairspray where she acts, sings and dances, has brought Latifah tremendous success. She received an Emmy nomination for her work on the TV movie Life Support in 2007.
Now Queen Latifah is preparing an U.S. tour starting in Dallas on Sept. 29 and continuing through the end of the fall to promote her new album titled Trav'lin' Light. New album is the follow-up to 2004's The Dana Owens Album, which has sold 701,000 copies in the United States. Grammy-winner Tommy LiPuma and Geffen Records Chairman Ron Fair are the producers of the latest non-rap Latifah’s project, collecting American pop, jazz, and blues standards for the jazz label Verve. The musicians backing Latifah on the album include keyboardists George Duke and Joe Sample, bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Anthony Wilson.
Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott are among the guests at the release of the new album scheduled for Sept. 25 on Verve Records.
