On this date in 1989, Dana Owens aka Queen Latifah dropped her first full-length studio album All Hail The Queen on the now-defunct Tommy Boy Records.
As the first artist on N.J. based Flavor Unit collective, Latifah filled a void for female emcees with her regal appearance and her commanding rhyme style, which at that time, was only rivaled by the males. Social consciousness, African awareness, and civilization were at the forefront of Latifah’s image and music, thus, the album’s title, All Hail The Queen.
The songs that led and propelled the album’s momentum include the lead single, “Wrath Of My Madness,” which was actually released the year before the album dropped and “Ladies First,” an anthem celebrating femininity within Hip Hop culture, while introducing a British accented Monie Love spitting a verse alongside Latifah.
Salute to Queen Latifah, Shakim, Mark The 45 King and the rest of the Flavor Unit for this timeless piece of Hip Hop history!
