“I learned early that I had to work harder than the white kids and harder than the boys,” Queen Latifah told The New York Times. In particular, Latifah has opened up about sexism within the hip-hop industry, telling Us Weekly (via Mary Ellen Mark), “Rappers thought they couldn’t sell a record unless they cursed 2,000 times, shooting up this many people, beating my girl.”
During a talk at the Tribeca Film Festival (via Variety), Latifah described the hip-hop industry as “misogynistic.” Despite this, she was able to make a name for herself in the biz and subsequently earned praise from male detractors. “It’s about women feeling good about themselves from the inside out. … When these gangster rappers praised my work, it drove home the fact that you can make a difference,” she reflected. As ABC News highlights, Latifah’s music had always been pivotal in challenging misogyny and standing up for Black lives.
Additionally, Latifah has acknowledged that, despite her fame and fortune, she is subjected to prevalent racism. “I experience racism every day,” she told The New York Times. At VH1’s Hip Hop Honors, she elaborated on this. “I don’t care how much or things I have, or Puff has, or Missy has. If I go outside and try to hail a cab and he passes me for the white woman standing right there, that racism is still alive and kicking. And we have to change that,” she said (via BBC).
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