Close friends and fans of Queen took to social media to send their love and best wishes. “Thank you for all the love and birthday wishes!!” the New Jersey icon graciously thanked her 7 million followers on Twitter. “These are strange times and even though we can’t see each other in person, I’m so grateful to have you all in my life.”

But, the most heartwarming birthday message to Queen Latifah came from perhaps her closest friend on Thursday (March 19). Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Common published a touching poem he wrote in honor of his dear friend’s milestone. 

Instead of simply wishing her a happy birthday, the Chicago MC used the moment to pay tribute to their close bond, starting with the day they crossed paths when he was still “an unsigned artist seeking a dream.”

“My first time ever in NYC as an unsigned artist seeking a dream / Me and my guys ran into a Queen / A Queen named Latifah who we knew was from New Jersey / And though we were unknown, she treated us like we were worthy,” Common’s note read. He continued, “Years later as an artist I would get to meet her / And get to know her as Dana and I was still inspired by Latifah. Because she was doing movies, TV shows, rapping and could sing. But it was the unstoppable light inside her that made her The Queen.”

Further into the piece, Common shared that their friendship was formed while they were filming Just Wright together in 2010. It was on the set of the romcom where they built a “bond that would be forever.”

In closing, Common reiterated his deep love for his sister-in-rhyme and called her “one of the greatest human beings” he’s ever met. 

In response, Queen Latifah had a message of her own to share with Common. 

“This is how I feel every time I see you!” she wrote on Instagram along with a photo of herself smiling. “You warm my heart. And as God has blessed you with another year may you continue as you have, to be a blessing to others. Keep smiling MVP.” 

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Read Common’s poem to Queen Latifah and see some of the other birthday messages that came her way below: