"I'm Gonna Live Til I Die"

by Honeymag.com

Queen Latifah does jazz and so much more [...]

On September 25th, 2007 Queen Latifah released her new album titled Trav’lin’ Light. Co-produced by three time Grammy winner, Tommy LiPuma, this album is the long awaited follow up to Queen Latifah’s highly received and Grammy nominated The Dana Owens Album. The platinum-selling album was a collection of timeless classics chosen and covered by the Queen herself. As Latifah demonstrated both in Living Out Loud (1998) and her Oscar-nominated performance in Chicago (2002), her vocal talent is as impressive as her acting.

Queen Latifah is also one of music’s most well respected rappers. From her ground breaking 1989 debut All Hail the Queen, which set the visual and contextual standard for female rappers, to her bold foray into R&B, Latifah continues to define what a woman in the music industry should be. She has earned four Grammy nominations as well as a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1994.

Latifah has simply continued to impress. She has had amazing success in Hollywood in recent years, and recently became the first Hip Hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 4, 2006. She received rave reviews, an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her portrayal as Mama Morton in Miramax's Chicago.

Way back when, Latifah got her start on the small screen. Her first television series, Living Single, was a huge success and is currently in syndication. From the small screen, Latifah made a leap to film. She had her screen debut in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever, and from there her film career took off. She starred in Set it Off, which earned her a nomination for a Spirit Award in the Best Actress category, and she co-starred with Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito in the critically acclaimed Living Out Loud. In 1999, she was seen in Universal's The Bone Collector starring Denzel Washington. Following Chicago, Latifah starred in Disney's box office hit Bringing Down the House, on which she also acted as executive producer. In early 2007, Latifah both starred in and executive produced the film Life Support, a true-life drama in which she plays a mother who overcomes an addiction to crack and becomes a positive role model and an AIDS activist in the black community. This film aired on HBO and Latifah received rave reviews for the project. This summer she starred in Neil Meron and Craig Zadan's Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle. This summer she filmed Mad Money which she stars alongside Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes.

And then there's Flavor Unit Entertainment, a production company owned and operated by Queen Latifah and her partner, Shakim Compere. The company, based in New Jersey, is quickly establishing itself as one of the most important production companies in the film industry. They began by executive producing the box office hit Bringing Down the House and then continued with Beauty Shop for MGM. They are currently co-producing the action-comedy Bad Girls at Paramount with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Overbrook. They also produced The Cookout with Lion's Gate.

In addition to music, film and television, Queen Latifah somehow found the time to write a book on self-esteem entitled Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman.

Queen Latifah is diligent in her pursuit of excellence, as is evident by the awards she has received for her work in film and music. Her sincere concern for others is revealed by the generous amount of time and money that she donates to worthwhile charitable organizations. Every year, Queen Latifah serves as co-chairman for the Lancelot H. Owens Scholarship Foundation, Inc. Established by her mother, Rita Owens, to perpetuate the memory of a loving son and brother, the foundations provides scholarships to students who excel scholastically, but are limited in financial resources.

How can we not be inspired by Queen Latifah, who never stops extending herself, her talent, her voice and spirit? We feel like we should be getting up and out right now! Her road to success has been long but celebrated in all she does. We didn't even get into her big girl bra line “Curvation” and Cover Girl "Queen's Collection" especially for brown skin. What’s next? We’ll just say “To be continued….”

Queen Latifah October 2007 Tour Dates