Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah (born Dana Elaine Owens) is a Grammy-winning rapper, actress, producer and entrepreneur best known for her music career, Living Single, Chicago and CBS’ The Equalizer. Queen Latifah was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby East Orange, New Jersey. She attended Catholic school before graduating from Irvington High School, where she played basketball and performed in school productions. She later attended Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Latifah began rapping in high school and joined the group Ladies Fresh before becoming part of the Flavor Unit collective. She went on to sign with Tommy Boy Records and released her debut album, All Hail the Queen, in 1989. Her 1993 album Black Reign included “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. She later expanded into acting with roles including Jungle Fever (1991) and Living Single, on which she played Khadijah James from 1993 to 1998.

Latifah earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Mama Morton in Chicago and received a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in 2007’s Life Support. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026. That same year, she joined season 30 of The Voice as a coach.

Latifah has been in a longtime relationship with dancer and choreographer Eboni Nichols, with whom she shares son Rebel (born in 2019).