Queen Latifah Analysis

As one of the first Black feminists who made it big on the rap and hip hop scene, Queen Latifah exposed the issues of domestic violence, disrespect of women, and the objectification of Black female sexuality in her biggest hit single “U.N.I.T.Y.” recorded in 1993. Following the release of the single, the song’s immediate popularity raised awareness, especially within the African American community, for sexist violence and assault against women. In summary, Latifah addresses the issues of violence and harassment against women of all races, supposedly. However, in the first verse of the song, Latifah demands that a black women be loved from “infinity to infinity (4)” and a black man to be loved from “infinity to infinity (6)” as well. This narrows down Latifah’s intended audience from oppressed women around the world to a smaller category—women from the African American community. That one verse captures the essence of feminism—Queen Latifah is asking for black women to be treated with all respects that are due to black men. The rest of the song contains strong

All of these different representational intersections of race, gender, and occupations have influenced her morals and philosophies, and, in turn, her singing style and song lyrics. Latifah has the ability to spread her message on the treatment of African American women and domestic violence to a broad audience as a popular singer and actress. “U.N.I.T.Y” reached the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Everyone who tuned in to the radio stations and the thousands of people who watched the Grammy Awards that year were all exposed to the message Latifah was trying to convey. As a well-known celebrity, Latifah is able to push her stance on female empowerment and Black female sexuality into the