With her success on stage, screen, and every place in between, it was only a matter of time before the powers that be revisited and celebrated the roots of Queen Latifah. This ten-song compilation features the first queen of hip-hop where's she at her best and at home: in the recording studio. Thankfully trimming away the fat from 2002's nearly definitive She's a Queen, 20th Century Masters represents most of her well-known songs in fine sequence and form. However, the most inexplicable omissio...   [ read more ]

CD $9.45

Black Reign marked Latifah's move to Motown, and was also a return to the tough-talking, lyrically frank, frequently controversial material that established her as arguably the finest female rapper. "Coochie Bang" and "Weekend Love" were harsh and explicit attacks on would-be hit-and-run lovers, while "Just Another Day" and "I Can't Understand" examined the continuing inequities plaguing inner-city youth, and "Superstar" took a pointedly unglamorous view of her situation and the perils of hip-hop ...   [ read more ]

CD $10.43

Nature of a Sista isn't quite the outstanding album Queen Latifah is quite capable of recording. But even so, it's a decent sophomore effort that has more strengths than weaknesses. The North Jersey native tends to spend a lot of time boasting about her microphone skills...but there's no denying the fact that she has considerable technique. As on her first album, Latifah indicates that she could hold her own in a battle with just about any rapper, male or female. And the positive image she project...   [ read more ]

CD $12.33