All Hail the Queen

A classic debut containing a bonafide anthem in Ladies First. Some say this was the pinnacle of Latifah's career. Those people have obviously not seen Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade.

I think a lot of folks get down on this album for being dated, which it is, but so is a lot of the music on this list. I don't think that dated hip-hop is any worse inherently than dated rock or dated jazz. What's more, this album comes from a singular moment in hip-hop when sampling was wide open and DJs had the equipment to take large samples from popular music. Not all of the rapping on this album has aged well, but Queen Latifah has unquestionable skill on the mike, and its on full display here. The early synthesis of rap with house music is also really cool. This is certainly not the best rap album I've gotten on this list, but it has a case as the most underrated rap album that I've gotten. 4/5

No album is more 1989. It's frozen in a block of 100% pure 1989. It's produced by George H.W. Bush on the deck of the Exxon Valdez. So yes, it's all dated to buggery, but that is not that bad in itself; listening to this has some of the joys of archaeology. However, it's also very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very repetitititititititititititive. All the house beats sound exactly the same. All the raps sound the same, with the sole theme that of Queen Latifah being a good rapper. That makes one good song, but this is meant to be a bloody album. A second listen proves more appealing than the first, but it's still one fine song done 12 times. Yes, one fine song done 12 times. Indeed, one fine song done 12 times. Truly, one fine song done 12 times. In frankness, one fine song done...

I really wanted to like this more than I did.

What's that? You're all out of Neneh Cherry? How am I going to relive the salad days of 1989? Oh, you have some Queen Latifah? Well that will substitute nicely.

Shit

When she's on, she's on, but there are too many tracks that don't work. This did not age well at all. Best track: Dance for Me

So I’m guessing this is on the 1,001 list related to Queen Latifah being one of the first female rappers – so I get that, and I also think it’s impressive for a 19-year old female in the male dominated hip hop world… That said, just how many songs do you need to have on an album where you reference how “dope” your rhymes are, talk about how you can out-rap anyone, and mention your name – along with DJ Mark The 45 King? A couple of songs? Perhaps half the album? Nope – apparently EVERY SINGLE God-damn track needs to make some reference to the “Queen & King”… Absolutely wore me out… Additionally, the sound on this album seems incredibly dated to me (i.e. and it didn’t age well either…) – as I guess a lot of hip-hop back then tended to sound like this – and then of course the lyrical content of 80%+ of the songs was about what a great rhymer she was, and how she could take on anybody… Sure, 1 or 2 songs like that would have been fine – but just about every song on the album – well shit got pretty dull, pretty quickly IMO – but I guess when it came out, it sounded different… The only lyrical content that was along the lines of what I expected was “Evil That Men Do” – after of course the obligatory first few minutes of rapping about what a great rhymer she was – the rest of it was interesting, and would have preferred more of her perspectives like that… Also liked the reggae feel of “Princess Of The Posse” – just had to put up with all the lyrics about how great she was – though the chorus by the back-up singers was fine… Giving this a 2 for historical significance, and the inaugural work of a 19-year old female in a male dominated genre, but at the end of the day – the quality of the songs throughout an album HAVE to mean something, and the endless repetition on this one was just insufferable…

19 years old when she released this, but 1989 hip hop doesn't age well.

09/15/2022 I’ll probably say this hundreds of times throughout this project, but I am not an 80s girl, and late 80s/early 90s dance hall/house music is one of the genres that I hate the MOST, so this album was really tough to get through. So much so that I didn’t even do it. No disrespect or anything, but this album is not for me whatsoever. — Today sucked fat ass, I cried on the phone to Luke about how I hate school and I want to quit 🤣🤣🤣 I’m trying to force myself to stick with it and not give up so easily, but holy fuck is it easy to get discouraged. I fucking hate computers, ever since I was a child I’ve longed for a time other than this one, yet I have to be stuck in this hellhole of a world that just keeps driving itself further and further toward a bottomless pit of despair. I find it really hard to find a will to live sometimes.

After NWA’s misogynistic lyrics two days ago, this felt good!

No no god no. Put it back in the ark of the covenant and open it again in 30 years. Let the future deal with it. Just get it out of my sight.

It was awful.

i mean i see the appeal but felt a little cringe at times, i don’t feel as though i need to revisit low 2.5

Une couverture piégeuse… Si j'avais voulu un album d'Ice Cube dissimulé sous une perruque et un turban, j'aurais directement demandé à Robert (je le connais personnellement). Non, non et non.

Listen I’m not going to pretend I knew what was going on in 89 but it sounds like it was a lot of fun. Absolutely obsessed with your stage name being queen, naming your album all hail the queen, and then using queen again in two song titles and princess in one more. Anyway great album

This is the 38th album I’m rating. I don’t who she is or what this is. However, I’m expecting Hip Hop. Adding to my Playlist - Dance for Me, Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children, Come into my House, Latifah’s Law, Wrath of my Madness, The Pros, Ladies First, A King and Queen Creation, Queen of Royal Badness, Evil That Men Do, Princess of the Posse, and Inside Out. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 12/12 of the songs. It was kinda boring but in a good way. Sounds like A Tribe Called Quest but worse.

All hail the queen is right!

It has been a very long time since I last listened to this album. The hip-hop of the late 80s feels good to me!

Wow! This was a great weekend of music. Just as with yesterday's PJ Harvey, as soon as I finished All Hail the Queen I just started it over again. Fantastic!

didn't think I was a fan of Queen latifah - until listening to this! boppin, funky, she is a great lyricist / rapper.

you wouldn't have Beyonce without Queen Latifah. and this debut is jazzy, funky, groovy, and with a flow that is sterling. Ladies First is a killer song.

I just snagged the vinyl last week to finally bring this album in to my collection, so this gave me a perfect excuse to break it in. Start to finish a banger, and an absolute classic.

A perfect album a seriously enjoyable listen les go

Beautiful and soulful throughout. Really easy to just listen and vibe to.

favourite songs: mama gave birth to the soul children, the pros, evil that men do, inside out no least favourites, absolutely loved this and knew that i would as soon as de la soul appeared. fantastic album. started listening again as soon as it was done.

i loved this shit

stupid good. 5 stars.

Ha, nice. This came up immediately after De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising on my list. Just like that one, I thought that this was an excellent product of the hip-hop golden age. This had a bit of everything - reggae, dub, house, jazz, soul. Overall it was just a fun, energetic album with excellent flow, a lot of great collabs, and several genres being channeled brilliantly. Favourite: Come into My House

like it

I knew Queen Latifah was a rapper, but not sure I'd heard anything really and knew her mainly for film roles. This was quality! Proper hip hop, there was also a bit of dub and reggae sounding stuff in there too. Much better than I expected. Becoming clear to me that I definitely prefer the east coast sound. Some of this sounded like DJ format, or rather format sounds like this. Particularly the track with de la soul and wrath of my madness. Thought the guest artist songs kept it interesting too and it flew by. Listened a second time and it has to be a 5. I'll be back!

wow this album is a masterpiece. flows and rhymes are absolutely impeccable and the beats are so catchy and creative. love the hook on wrath of my madness especially. the voice change rap was cute haha. saxophone on ladie’s first was cool af. track for track such a great album.

What a talent

Punk fucking rock

4.5/5. Essential early hip hop. Nothing else to say.

Yes.

Absolutely mint, no idea she was this good. Better than, or at least as good as, a lot of the greatsnfrom this era, Tribe, De La Soul, etc. Easy a 4 maybe a 5

Wow this is great. I really like this era of hip hop, especially the faster ones. I think she’s an amazing lyricist and great flows, especially over different kinds of beats like the more dance one with the 4 on the floor kick, which is not usually done. The features are mostly good, de la soul and monie love are definitely the best ones. The only bad things I guess are that I don’t really like the slower ones as much, and some of the beats are sometimes jarringly repetitive, but I guess you can’t really fault as this kind of sampling as still quite primitive in the late 80s. Favourite songs: all but the pros. Overall around 8/10

The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because it not timeless. The beats and delivery style absolutely peg this as a rap album from the late 80s-early 90s. But, for the time, this album is absolutely head of the class. The lyrics are so sharp they draw blood just brushing against them. It's rare for a debut album to be such a great indication of an artist's legacy but, with "All Hail the Queen" Latifa made it clear that she was here to stay and ready to rumble. And she has. Her impact on music (and film) in America is undeniable. And it's all on display here. Great album.

I appreciate that she seems so concerned over how many opportunities I have to dance. I can't think of another person who was putting in effort there. You might say, what about the Beastie Boys? Ah, my sharp minded reader, but they were there to fight for the right to party, which can include dancing, but she was brave enough to narrow it down to a real niche. Lots of fun experimentation, lots of harmonies that I really didn't think worked. Lots of commands to get moving used as lyrics. I feel like her flow would be a common complaint with this album, as she often uses the flow that everyone else used at that time period, paired with the same beat, at the same tempo. I'm giving grace because I'm starting to see that this genre has a lot of this. Instead I'm looking at what else was added, and just saying thanks that she still had enough creative juices after this album to make her cinematic masterpiece that is 2004 Taxi with Jimmy Fallon

Some catchy songs, some annoying songs. barely 3 stars.

Very enjoyable, from a weirdly innocent period in time [EDIT: re-runs for the last 5 days, helpful over the holiday period but I'm hoping for a banger or two over the weekend]

Very good 80s rap that again loses a point for length

Fair play to her breaking into the male dominated hip-hop world. Some good production and flow - surprisingly sounds less dated than some of her contemporaries. Best Track: Dance For Me; Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children; Wrath of My Madness

It was okay, not a huge boom bap fan

I listened to the original release, without the CD bonus tracks. This is a rap album which features other artists on some of the tracks. It differs from most rap albums (which focus on drugs, gangs, guns, and shootings). This is more of a PG-rated album. On the positive side of the ledger, the album has a lot of energy. On the negative side, every track mentions Latifah at least three times, which becomes annoying.

2/5 don't come at me, but this isn't my jam

“The Pros”’s dub lurch pinched me out complacency and makes me wish this record changed up more often; the style is mostly upbeat, keeps the toes flexing, but predictable. Once you’ve heard the first twenty seconds of the song, you’ll know how the rest will go. I like Queen Latifah’s voice and wish she sang about more than her rapping prowess.

Lyrics are pretty weak for a rap album

Really disappointed, bland, lyrically kinda dull

Ik ga ook een album maken dat van A tot Z over mezelf gaat.

This album deserves more love. Solid 5 Stars.

Such a fun album and it really got me bopping. Really strong feminist lyrics with love towards afro beats and drums

Hail the Queen indeed. This was such a great and fun listen, even more impressive that Latifah is still a teenager on this record. Has a very fresh sound that keeps it more engaging and less dated than some of its contemporaries. Simple yet effective. Top tracks: Dance for Me, The Pros, Princess of the Possee

Truly resplendent. The pinnacle of old school (80s) hip hop.

Great stuff. Loved the horns, the wordplay, and the feminism. Listened twice.

NIIIIIVICEEEEEEEEE

Favourite: Ladies First

Can we take a moment to appreciate that this came out in 1989? Queen Latifah kicked down the door with confidence, clarity, and a message. “Ladies First” is an instant classic—feminist, funky, and still empowering decades later. “Wrath of My Madness” is pure fire, showcasing her lyrical strength and swagger. The whole album blends hip-hop with jazz, reggae, and soul without ever losing its power. All hail, indeed.

Love the pride she has in herself. It makes me feel good about myself.

Extremely groovy. Great dance beats; a melodic style of rap vocal; perfect funk, jazz and occasionally reggae samples (? - I think they're samples). I can't think of a reason not to go 5 stars.

Shockingly good

Consistently high quality from track to track. Strong performances, fun backing vocals. Engaging storytelling moments with songs like 'The Pros'. The oldschool flows are matched beautifully with progressive beats that ring as a flagship of the era rather than a worn out trend. The lyrics are a great blend of braggadocios claims and some social commentary. Overall an enjoyable ride without any songs that demand to be skipped. Great production with a variety of samples and interesting layering. The album does not overstay its welcome and touches on all aspects of what make Queen Latifah lauded as an icon in hip hop and as one of the most iconic and influential female rappers.

Refreshingly different. Not something I normally listen to but I dug it.

Such an amazing artist

Love it and reminds me of Monie Love although I think this album was out before any Monie Love albums were.

Очень понравилось, такой старый хип хоп. То что надо

"Rhymes are smokin', concentration can't be broken. Queen Latifah's Outspoken." Groovy and soulful like I expected from Queen Latifah. She blends rap with reggae, jazz, and hip hop. QL sets the expectation early in Latifah's Law. The Queen of Royal Badness has a lot to say, and this f*ggot ain't got nothin' better to do than listen. Latifah doesn't shy away from addressing racial apartheid, pleasure politics, feminism, and mass-incarceration. I wanted to take away a point for the chipmunk noises at the end of Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children, but after Evil That Men Do, I can't. 5/5.

Hell yeah! I wasn't sure how much female fronted rap there might be on the list, but I was delighted to see the Queen! A mishmash of genres and styles, and a sonic education which teaches more with each listen

Good stuff, positive vibes, great beats, good message. Don't know what more you want.

FUN producers did a SIIICK job on this i really really love this. 4.7/5

Timeless beats, effortless flows, excellent production, excellent features, an undeniable classic of New York rap

This is a joy, art, musical, inventive.

стильно, модно, вкусно

Slut 80’er hiphop, den gamle lyd, skarp lyrik, indflydelsesrigt

Amazing HiP-Hop debut.

Crazy that she was 18/19 recording this. Required listening for hip hop fans. Fantastic.

This album is great from start to finish.

No topaba esto. Uno de los mejores discos de hip hop de todos los tiempos.

No kings, but maybe a queen

Groundbreaking album, missed it back in the day. She's gotten into jazz and soul nowadays too.

tönt blöd aber e frauestimm z ghöre mit so oldschoolbeat isch am ahfang recht ungwohnt hahaha mama gave birtth to the soul children slappttt au wenn de schluss mitem baber chli z lang gange isch ahh de la soul! wrath of my madness gaht dummm, liebs oh es lied für de luca! ladies first isch ja sochli ihre song, finden scho cool, v.a. natürlich textlich, aber d blöser hani so naja gfunde princess of the possee findi iwie so cool hahah suscht nöd umbedingt mis ding aber es slappt iwie eifach SIE ISCH 19I GSI??? wnl es het eifach guet ahgfange und s hetmer immeeeer besser gfalle. VIA

Really groovy and uplifting oldschool hiphop. The rhythm gets the body goin'! Thoroughly enjoyed. 🤗

I forgot how much fun the music from this era was. Good beat, synthetic sounds, good for up-beat background music at work (with headphones!)

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll barely bump up to a 4, though I don’t think it deserves it. Weirdly, I sometimes forget Queen Latifah is one of the more accomplished women in R&B / hip-hop history, mainly because she’s settled much more into an acting career for a lot of my lifetime. She’s deeply recognizable, for sure, but I always associated her as a singing actress as opposed to a trailblazer of sorts for women in the genre. She made this album when she was 19, so I was a little predisposed to give some benefit of the doubt towards the flaws here. Honestly, I’m not sure there are truly that many flaws. As far as production goes, The 45 King (who you WILL know by the end of this album) does a great job with some really strong variety, including some jazzier stuff & a house-inspired lean on a few tracks, with lots of good samples too. KRS-One gets in an interesting beat too. As far as the rapping goes, Queen Latifah’s on point here; save for a slightly shaky start to the album where she feels a tad off-beat, she really finds a good rhythm throughout this thing, and her technical skills never come into question afterwards. She does set herself up for some really strong future success here. Overall, as far as the “flaws” go, there’s certainly not many on the technical side of things. If you’re here for the beats & the flows, you’re in for a solid 49 minutes. There is one, very, very obvious… let’s not say “flaw”, but let’s go with annoying consistency throughout this album. Queen Latifah cannot stop introducing herself. This is an album entirely composed of raps about herself, save for maybe 2 or 3 tracks. She is fighting invisible enemies throughout this whole thing. They can’t touch her flow, she’s the baddest MC, the ladies watch her glow, while the men should all flee; she’s the best, they’re the worst, she’s the star, they’re the dirt – nobody can touch her, lest they get burnt; she can’t be beat, she’ll make you stomp your feet, & all these sucka wack men can’t rhyme on Mark’s beats. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Every song has the same general structure / topic matter (HERSELF!), and while it’s disguised pretty well for most of the album, at a certain point, it just becomes so patently obvious that it just loses its edge by the end. The fact that she has a multitude of tracks of her bragging about her talent wouldn’t even be an issue if more tracks had something to say, like the fantastic “Ladies First” (seriously, why wasn’t Monie Love bigger?), or “Evil That Men Do”, but… damn, it really is just a whole album bragging about herself beyond very few tracks. It’s honestly enough to make me strongly consider bumping it down to a 3. However, when this album is rolling (& it rolls STRONG through “Ladies First”, slowing down a bit afterward), it’s a treat to listen to. There are moments here where her flow evokes Chuck D / Public Enemy as much as it does Run-DMC, so she’s clearly taking her inspirations and tweaking them to her own style. As I said, it’s not a technically bad album. A few flatter beats at points, but her rapping is strong, & her flows are good. Hell, the lyricism isn’t even bad despite most of the tracks being new & creative ways to praise herself – there are really good bars / wordplay here for someone who was only 19 when they recorded this. I want to give this a 4. I don’t think it’s really earned it, and I’m certainly much closer to a 3 after laying this all out in writing. This is probably the most 3.5-y 3.5 that there’s ever been, because it’s better than a 3 on account of her talent & these beats generally coming through in a way that feels energetic for 1989, even if it’s deeply dated to the era. It’s not a 4 because the album is both too long & too repetitive for its own good, and yet I cannot shake the whole “she’s only 19” thing here. It feels like an album designed in a way where most of the tracks could be released as singles or radio if they so chose, allowing a strong introduction in a variety of styles & beats. It’s not a great album experience because of that, but it’s a technically sound set of 12 tracks that never really lets down at any point; the messaging just gets stale, even if it’s full of fun individual listens. I’m going to bump this up, but… damn, it just doesn’t feel like it’s earned it. A very, very shaky bump to a 4.

Truth time: I have had a crush on Latifah since 1989. Ever since I saw the Ladies First video somewhere I was smitten. What I think was part of it was the carried such strength and confidence in everything from her presence to music. In her book “God Save the Queens” hip hop writer Kathy Iandoli referred to as the Nubian Queen stage. Admittedly some of this album feels dated. However, most of this album still slaps hard and is relevant. Slower tracks like Inside Out contrast with uptempo tracks like Dance With Me. I loved how he integrated in African-Island traditions like on Wrath of My Madness, and jazz like on Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Child. But my two favorites were Latifah’s Law and, of course, Ladies First. And even though I know I don’t fit her amorous demographic, I will still bow down to this Queen anytime!

Random thoughts: * This was way more enjoyable that I expected. * I thought only the hits would appeal to me but the album as a whole totally flowed great. * There were some great tracks with great messages of women empowerment. * The lack of profanity actually helped this one out a lot in my opinion. And there were no dumb skits that broke the flow. * I'm down with this MC, microphone commander!

Handful of songs that really really liked and will listen to again but a couple that I wasn’t crazy about. Pretty long album as well.

It’s cheesy, but I dig the house party vibes. Socially conscious hip-hop is good and all, but I always love it most when it’s just someone gassing themselves up. Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children is terrifying, though. A genuinely haunted song.

Listened while on my vibration plate this morning, and the beat did make time go... Good dance beats. Rap isn't my fave genre by any means, but I love that Latifah opened doors for so many women artists....and she was so young. 19? Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Come into My House, Evil That Men Do, Princess of the Posse, Latifah's Law, Ladies First ⭐⭐⭐: Would love a half star option..

'This ain't the best you've ever / Hear coming from a female MC.' Right she is, since the best female emceeing shines from Lauryn or Missy, objectively, but w/ Roxanne and Lyte, Latifah effectively started the whole thing: Salt-N-Pepa is an ancienter form, something like the Whodini of female hip-hop. In many ways, Dana is the most original of the three. Mostly rhyming about dope rhyming - dopely I grant - she's also backed by superior production, supported by Native-Tongue features (De La, Monie Love), and has an ear for a compelling alloy of genres. As she puts it: 'Hip-hop house, hip-hop jazz, w/ a little pizazz.' I concede that after an hour, the old-school sound is no longer as exciting as it is dated, but this is a classic with a capital C.

This grooves. I had no idea Queen Latifah was truly royalty.

Everyone should put respect on Queen Latifah's name. Excellent flow, and she was a super important part of The Native Tongues collective with Tribe and De La Soul. Ive always much preferred this kind of alt hip hop as opposed to gangsta rap, and Queen Latifahs a pioneer of it. Great album, the songs that go for the kinda House sound are dated, but tracks like Dance For Me and Latifah's Law go hard

It's a fun album. Sure time has changed, but considering this is her debut album and the 80s was such a creative and funky time, I enjoyed it! Definitely pushed me through a migraine. My exposure to Queen Latifah started with movies and then onto musical movies, so this wasn't a shocker to me to hear her rap. I wouldn't mind diving deeper into her music.

This was a pretty trailblazing album for women in hip hop (and the genre in general I guess), but it's not perfect, and the beats and production are a bit dated. Lots of really great songs though (Dance for Me, Come into my House, Latifah's Law, Ladies First, Evil That Men Do), and she is a very skilled rapper. The house beats are very danceable, even though they are quite "of the time" and a bit repetitive. The baby voice on "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" is unforgivable though, she loses a full star for that.

7/10… hip hop / hip house

I wasn't familiar with her music. And assumed it would be quite poppy (maybe her later stuff is?) This was hard-hitting "new school"-style hip hop (with rapping (etc) over stripped -back beats). Which I quite enjoyed.

This was kind of a vibe. Fun instrumentation!

this was fun!! pretty cool beats and interesting melodies throughout. low 4

Very cool to go back and listen to Queen Latifa when she was first starting. I’m guessing this has to be one of the earliest female rap albums. I remember Salt N Pepa coming out around that time and MC Lyte, but I wonder if this was first female fronted one. I enjoyed this record; her style was interesting to me as it wasn’t always linear, Queen of Royal Badness is a good example of this. Dance For Me was a strong opener, one of the best tunes on this album. Ladies First was another good one, especially the interplay between her and Monie Love. A great blast from the past.