Retro Spins: Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen

Queen Latifah wasn't on my want list, but still was someone I looked at frequently. While I don't know any songs from her, or at least I don't think I do, her album, All Hail The Queen checked several boxes for me:

• It's an 80's album
• It serves as her debut
• It's her only album from the decade
• It was relatively cheap

Still, even with all of those aspects, it took me quite some time to commit to buying it. I literally only did it in anticipation of this post following my series of late 80's rap artists that I've been listening to these past few days. Some have fared better than others, and I'm curious to see which side of the fence Latifah will land on.

The queen began beatboxing in 1988 with the group Ladies Fresh, which was part of the group that stuck close to DJ King Gemini. He'd make a demo of her song, Princess Of The Posse, and put it in the hands of Yo! MTV Raps host, Fab 5 Freddy. This would end up getting the attention of Tommy Boy Music employee Dante Ross, who signed Latifah and in 1989, and released her debut that same year.

Upon its release, critics praised it for topic relatable to woman listeners, which included domestic violence, street harassment, and troubled relationships. It would later go on to be named on several noteworthy lists, such as The Source's 100 Best Albums, and Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The song, Ladies First would also garner attention of VH1, who ranked it number thirty-five on their 100 Greatest Songs Of Hip Hop.

Further, its success would push it up the rap charts, where the album as a whole would peak at number six in the USA. Though it wouldn't fare as well, it would also land on the Billboard 200, reaching number one hundred twenty-four.

While the cassette and LP released with twelve tracks, the CD release would be maximized for the available runtime by adding three additional bonus tracks. However, these were simply remixes of other songs already included. As such, unless you were a mega fan, there's not much reason for these to be included.

Honestly, I had no expectations with this one. Like I said above, I don't know any songs from it, or rather, didn't until today. Overall, it was a pretty solid record, and I have to mirror sentiments of The New York Times, which noted, "the backup tracks are sometimes rich enough to carry the album on their own, but they don't have to; some songs have vocal choruses, while in others Queen Latifah's rising and falling speech provides melody enough."

That pretty much sums up the album perfectly. It was an enjoyable album to play through, and I will note standout tracks, Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children, Wrath Of Madness, The Pros, and Evil That Men Do. However, with that said, I would be lying if I said I was ever going to play this album again. As I've noted before, good music doesn't necessarily equate to memorable, and I don't suspect I'll remember any of these after today.

Following her debut, Queen Latifah's career took off. She's enjoyed a lucrative rap career which she released albums for through 2009. However, probably more so what she's known for these days is acting since her successful transition to film with 1991's Jungle Fever. Though she took a brief hiatus between 2023 and 2026, she's set to reprise the role of Ellie in the forthcoming Ice Age: Boiling Point.

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