happy birthday queen Latifah! Here Are 10 Times She Kept Us Talking

Queen Latifah (Dana Elaine Owens) attends the 2019 MTV Video...

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All hail the Queen! Today, 3/18, an icon was born. Rapper, singer, songwriter, actress, talk show host, and producer Queen Latifah is celebrating her 50th birthday. With over 30 years in the business, we can credit her for inspiring young black girls to pursue the music industry, demand respect, and advocate for themselves in a male-dominated field. Queen Latifah paved the way for women in more ways than one. Not only did she compete with other men in the rap industry, she showed us that you didn’t have to wear a dress and heels to get your point across. She was part of the era that felt most comfortable and stylish in oversized clothes and sports gear. As she became more mainstream, Latifah learned the importance of switching it up. Marketing herself as a household brand meant occasionally throwing on a ball gown and walking the red carpet. If we learned anything from her trading in her Cross Colors gear, it was that she looked damn good in a dress too. As Queen Latifah’s career continued to evolve, so did her fashion. Eventually the topic of conversation switched from how good she was in a particular movie to how amazing she looked on the red carpet of that movie premiere. From the top of her golden hair to the hem of her couture gown, Queen Latifah has always put on for the bigger women. In honor of her 50th birthday, we’re checking out the 10 times she kept us talkin’.

1. QUEEN LATIFAH IN NEW YORK CITY, 1989

Queen Latifah was introduced to the music world in 1989. Here she is posing on the streets of New York City, giving us a glow of confidence.

2. QUEEN LATIFAH ON THE SET OF "FLY GIRL", 1991

Nothing to see here. Just Queen Latifah queenin’ on the set of a video shoot for “Fly Girl”.

3. QUEENS LATIFAH DURING A PERFORMANCE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, 1992

By 1992, Queen Latifah was booked and busy. Here she is during a performance at Madison Square Garden.

4. QUEEN LATIFAH AT THE 72ND ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS, 2000

Fast forward to the year 2000, Queen Latifah established herself as a rapper and an actress. When it was time to hit the red carpet, she switched up the baggy look for a gorgeous gown.