"I think it's a lame excuse for a lot of these rappers to say they only call girls bitches or hos because they act like that. It doesn't make them right. "

Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, is an American Grammy Award winning rap artist, and actress.

Her father, Lancelot Owens, was a police officer; her mother, Rita, a high school music teacher. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old. Her stage name, "Latifah," means "delicate" and "sensitive" in Arabic; it was given to her by her cousin at the age of eight.

Her rap career began in 1988 when she joined the beatboxing group Ladies Fresh. Her demo version of the the song "Princess of the Posse" helped get her signed to Tommy Boy Records, who released her first album All Hail the Queen, in 1998; she was only 18 at the time. It was critically acclaimed as one of the best hip hop albums of all time. In 1998 Latifah released another hip hop album, Order in the Court.

Latifah has a celebrated film career as well. She had a starring role on Living Single, a FOX sitcom. She has supporting roles in movies including House Party 2 and Set It Off. Her first big film role was in the film version of the musical Chicago, with her performance as "Mama" or Matron Morton. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The same year she starred in Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin. She has since has leading roles in critically aclaimed films such as Scary Movie 3, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Taxi, and Beauty Shop. Latifah is also a spokesperson for Covergirl.

Latifah's older brother Lance died in a motorbike accident in 1992; a motorbike that Latifah had just bought him. In his dedication she released the album, Black Reign, which became a hit.