Sarah Waring
Topics in Hip Hop
Thomas Taylor

Cultural Analysis: Queen Latifah Queen Latifah is an African American female MC turned TV and movie actress. Her raps and or songs served different social purposes and her focus has remained unbreakable. Latifah’s values could and can be heard in her music. Latifah was skilled at her craft and was able to reach out and connect with her intended audience. It is a known fact that Queen Latifah’s music is deeply connected to the women’s empowerment movement. Latifah’s music served a plethora of social purposes. The term feminist refers to and individual that advocates for women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. “I am someone with or without
Specifically in connection to her song “ladies first”, Queen Latifah’s military dress and colors are symbolic for the African National Congress. Queen Latifah’s decision to wear African attire presented a message that women can dress in a way that exemplifies and shows pride in one’s culture and be dressed nicely showing off their femininity without nakedness or inappropriate exposure. Lastly Queen Latifah‘s African-American values a seen in her name itself. Queen Latifah’s name, meaning delicate and sensitive in Arabic, emphasizes traditional African culture. Queen Latifah simply desired to promote women as a whole while still staying true to her African origin and beliefs. As previously stated, Queen Latifah’s music was closely linked to the women’s empowerment movement. She was able to connect with her intended audience (it is evident that her intended audience is women, specifically African-American women) as women could relate and or connect to her rap lyrics. The audience was able to relate with and enjoy her music better thanks to the imagery filled lyrics as they allowed for full visualization. A wise (Antoinette) stated, “That’s how you get into the groove of it and also it helps the song because when a person sees your video, they get a picture of what’s going on…” Having music videos gave female rappers the opportunity to solidify what