A musician, critically acclaimed television and film actress, record label president, author, and entrepreneur, Latifah has crushed it in every realm she’s stepped into--and made us proud AF when she became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

This year, she’ll take home the top trophy with the ultimate imprimatur of Black authenticity. We’re guessing she’s got some sturdy shelves, because Latifah’s already got a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance, a Golden Globe win, and a SAG Award win for her role in the HBO film Life Support. And she did it all without ever compromising on her values or selling out. 

A lot of rappers-turned-actors seem to play some version of themselves. Not Latifah. Her list of credits is way too long to list here but the range of work is staggering: she’s done comedy (Girls Trip, alongside Tiffany Haddish) a faith-based movie (Miracles from Heaven) animation (she’s the voice of wooly mammoth “Ellie” in Ice Age: Collision Course).  Right now she has the title role in a new iteration of The Equalizer,  a TV series about a retired C.I.A. agent turned modern day Robin Hood vigilante (played by Denzel Washington in the film version.) 

Sure, she lives in LA, now, but you can never take the New Jersey out of Dana Owens. She grew up in Brick City (Newark, NJ), and she’s still got that humble but dignified underdog swag. And she’s back again, shooting scenes for The Equalizer (see above) on the same streets where she grew up. In fact, her NJ roots are so strong, she’s taken on a new role: real estate developer.

It’s one thing to be a successful actor or musician. But when it comes to making bank, it’s a whole different level when you own the production company. Latifah gets money like that because she was clued in from day one. Her company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, was behind the hit comedies Bringing Down the House, Beauty Shop, and The Perfect Holiday just to name a few. Since co-founding the company in 1995, she’s done major deals with Netflix and MTV, and in 2014, struck a landmark agreement with Centric to re-brand the cable television channel as the first network designed for Black women. So she’s been uplifting the culture and making bank at the same time.

Despite having her plate full, Latifah makes time to uplift those in need, and she puts her heart and mind into making a difference. The list of charities she has supported is long--and ranges from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Citymeals On Wheels, GLAAD, and Keep A Child Alive--among many others. Recently, Latifah hosted a two-hour livestream benefit to raise money for the American Lung Association’s COVID-19 Action Initiative, which works to reduce racial disparities in COVID-19 testing.

Once Latifah got to the top of her game, she extended a ladder down to help uplift other women. "Ladies First,” has been a lot more than a hit track for her. In 2018 she formed the Queen Collective to give unknown and diverse female filmmakers a platform to tell their stories. For the same reason, she founded We Do It Together, a nonprofit production company focused on film, TV, and other media. Afterall, she gave us the indelible 1993 anthem, “U.N.I.T.Y,” and has lived up to her Queen status by uplifting generations of other women.