Sat May 29 2021
3
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.
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All Hail the Queen
Queen Latifah
1989
- Album Summary
All Hail the Queen is the debut album by hip-hop artist Queen Latifah. The album was released on November 28, 1989, through Tommy Boy Records. The feminist anthem, "Ladies First" featuring Monie Love remains one of Latifah's signature songs. All Hail the Queen peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart and at no. 124 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Wrath of My Madness" was the first single from All Hail the Queen, and was later sampled in Yo-Yo's "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo". "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" peaked at no. 14 in the UK.
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Sat May 29 2021
2
Shit
Fri Dec 17 2021
3
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...
Tue Jun 13 2023
4
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
Fri Sep 10 2021
2
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.
Fri Sep 16 2022
1
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.
Fri Jun 18 2021
4
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.
Wed Sep 01 2021
3
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
Mon Jun 12 2023
3
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.
Sun Dec 19 2021
2
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
Fri Jun 10 2022
2
Ik ga ook een album maken dat van A tot Z over mezelf gaat.
Fri Aug 12 2022
2
Really disappointed, bland, lyrically kinda dull
Sun Aug 21 2022
2
Lyrics are pretty weak for a rap album
Wed Oct 05 2022
2
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
Fri May 26 2023
1
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.
Sun Jun 20 2021
5
No topaba esto. Uno de los mejores discos de hip hop de todos los tiempos.
Fri May 21 2021
5
This album is great from start to finish.
Mon Aug 09 2021
5
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
Sun Nov 14 2021
5
Yes.
Wed Dec 01 2021
5
4.5/5. Essential early hip hop. Nothing else to say.
Fri Dec 24 2021
5
Punk fucking rock
Sun Sep 04 2022
5
What a talent
Sun Apr 23 2023
5
Crazy that she was 18/19 recording this. Required listening for hip hop fans. Fantastic.
Sun May 21 2023
5
Amazing HiP-Hop debut.
Fri Jun 09 2023
5
Slut 80’er hiphop, den gamle lyd, skarp lyrik, indflydelsesrigt
Mon Jun 12 2023
5
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.
Thu Jun 15 2023
5
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!
Fri Jun 23 2023
5
like it
Fri Jun 30 2023
5
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
Fri Sep 01 2023
5
stupid good. 5 stars.
Wed May 19 2021
4
Better than I thought.... some good tunes and worth a revisit!
Mon Jun 28 2021
4
3.75/5. I know Queen Latifah was in the naive tounges, so I was pretty confident I was going to like this album. Most songs on here were good, however, there were a few that did not work for me. 'The Pros' was very unenjoyable. Most songs fell right in line with the native tounges sounds, so I like most of the album.
Sun Jul 11 2021
4
This record still bangs. Besides the great lyrical content I'm really digging the old school beats.
Mon Jul 05 2021
4
It's a very good album. One of the classics from the old school era.
Sun Jun 20 2021
4
Hijole... la segunda canción... OMEGALOL. Aunque Come into My House y Wrath of My Madness y Princess of the Posse están a gusto. Sinceramente ya ni me acordaba que Queen Latifah hacía discos. Mood: sí algunos skips porque es más de una hora, no mamar.
Wed Jun 02 2021
4
So fun! I remember hearing Queen Latifah when she first hit the radio and her flows really stood out. The production on this album is awesome, with contributions from names like KRS-One and Prince Paul.
Wed Jun 09 2021
4
Pretty good
Wed Jul 14 2021
4
I like this old-school hip-hop; emphasis on aggressive and rhythmic vocals, with some great samples (e.g. Sly and the Family Stone right off the bat) before copyright law caught up with the new artform :) Some of it sounds a little dated at this point ("Princess of the Possee" [but *huge* props for the "Barney Miller" bassline in the remix on the extended version!] or "Come Into My House" where the drums sound like wet paper and are distracting) but a. i'll still prefer it over the dull/uncreative "modern" trap beats and b. for every sound that's meh she comes back with tracks like "Latifah's Law" and "Ladies First" which are too great to ignore. It's a great document of the golden age of hip-hop when women especially were seen as more of a novelty instead of a force like Queen Latifah is here. 8/10 4 stars
Fri May 21 2021
4
Fun album with some jams
Thu Jun 03 2021
4
Great stuff. I enjoyed the trumpets alot, they really added to the jazzyness of the boom bap beats.
Mon Jun 21 2021
4
SLAY QUEEN
Sat Jul 17 2021
4
Great old scholl hiphop, feels a bit lacking regarding the actual contents but fun flows and good beats.
Sun Jul 25 2021
4
The sound is of a time, both production and flow. But there's a sense of play throughout, with the music, features, and words. The wordplay will be more appreciated by fans of this era of hip-hop, and I'm not really one. However, the parts add up to something more than their sum, and the LP grows not just forward but backward.
Mon Aug 02 2021
4
Great beats, great lyrics and wordplay. She is the Queen for a reason.
Wed Aug 04 2021
4
3rd August 2021 Listened on my phone in the morning and on the way to meet Andy for bowling before he leaves for China. Really enjoyed this, 90s hip hop is brill
Fri Oct 08 2021
4
So incredibly 90s... I loved this for purely nostalgic reasons. Queen Latifah can sure rock a rhyme though.
Thu Nov 18 2021
4
This album was actually excellent. A little dated but still strong. Inside Out was my favorite song
Wed Dec 01 2021
4
Good stuff
Thu Dec 02 2021
4
Good pick from the Golden era of hip-hop. Favorites: Come into My House, Ladies First, Princess of the Posse
Fri Dec 10 2021
4
Good classic hip hop. I forgot how great Queen Latifah was as an MC. 3.5/5
Fri Dec 10 2021
4
Pretty good
Thu Dec 23 2021
4
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. This is the energetic classic hip hop that I like over the slower, darker stuff.
Fri Jan 07 2022
4
Some cool beats on here. 7/10
Fri Jan 07 2022
4
the bars have not aged super well and there are some garbage features, but she gets it right on some of the songs and I really like the beats. 7/10
Thu Jan 13 2022
4
Very impressive to see that her work goes as far back as 1989, considering our generation knows her more for her acting. Great album of non-vulgar boasting, good flow, strong production from legends. I enjoyed the fact that she sings and raps. A bit lengthy, but overall a good album.
Mon Jan 17 2022
4
Yes! All hail the queen
Wed Mar 02 2022
4
Fantastic beats, original
Wed Mar 02 2022
4
Hip hop. Jazzy riffs. Catchy, upbeat. Kept realizing that I was tapping my feet along with the beat. Would listen again.
Thu Mar 03 2022
4
All hail the Queen. What fun music. Lots of great memories
Sun Mar 20 2022
4
Wow, I wasn't expecting All Hail The Queen to sound like it did. OK I wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't a mix of house and soul and the best of the Native Tongues collective. I had heard a few tracks off this before I just that were Queen Latifah guesting with others not out the front. I have to give this some more listens
Mon Mar 21 2022
4
The QUEEN. She absolutely nails her debut, but the album does suffer from a lot of the cheesy 80s tropes when it comes to rap.
Fri Apr 22 2022
4
I think this one has aged well. Classic hip hop beats will never really go out of fashion, and the overall style falls just the right side of being too cheesy, although I'm sure for some hip-hop heads this style just the wrong side, Good variety, doesn't feel samey all the way through, and good range of features for that matter. Overall, while lacking in straight bangers, this is enjoyable all the way through, and fits nicely into my love of feel-good hip hop
Sun May 08 2022
4
Liked it! Not as great as I imagined though
Wed Jun 15 2022
4
Never really listened to QL before. Definitely a great example of late 80s hip hop. Loving the Prince Paul / KRS One production here. Also pretty cool the feminist lyrics at a time (is that time past yet...?) when hip hop was brutally misogynistic. Glad I got this one
Fri Jul 01 2022
4
I grew more impressed as it went... At first I thought 3-3.5 but now I feel 3.5-4, so I'll be true to form and round up
Fri Jul 15 2022
4
I have listened to this album before Her flows are incredible throughout almost every track Artists like Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane, etc really pioneered certain sounds that segued into later 90s rap like Big L, Lauryn Hill and others Samples on this album are well executed De La Souls feature on MGBTTSC has a good flow and overall the track just has interesting sounds you dont always hear Ladies First is an incredible song Just the influence this album has on future classics is incredible The saxophone and bass instrumentals across the album are so good I really enjoy this project 7/10
Fri Jul 15 2022
4
This album was a ton of fun. I knew she had a respected music career but I'd never heard any of Queen Latifah's music before today. Overall I loved the 90's east coast influence, her vocals landed well and the production was tight. Definitely going to add a few of these songs into the rotation The Pros stopped me in my tracks. I love that dub intro and that rolling bass introduced 30 secs in filled me up. Super into Queen reggae inspired jams and that 808 cowbell sample is classic 90's hiphop. Standout Tracks (stealing Webers format here) Dance for Me, The Pros, Ladies First, Princess of the Posse
Thu Oct 13 2022
4
lyrics and flow are truly excellent. production is mid to bad, mixing is terrible. makes sense that this is a debut album, but with some better choices this could be a strong 5. it missed a bit
Thu Oct 13 2022
4
I’ve been woefully uninitiated to Queen Latifah’s work. She’s definitely great but it loses one star just because I don’t think there’s a single to tie the album together, the production feels a little dated (especially the mix is a bit weird), and finally the album is just a bit too long to not have a nice arc between the songs Very witty lyrics with great delivery, both of which definitely hold up
Fri Oct 28 2022
4
Solid album - it is not my go-to 80s hip hop album and I had not listened to it for quite some time but still like it.
Fri Dec 02 2022
4
Nice production, great sound and Latifah goes hard AF on this. I thought she was an actress in comedies!
Sun Dec 11 2022
4
really enjoyed! made pasta whilst listening
Wed Dec 14 2022
4
Before she was commanding audiences and scenes on the silver screen, Queen Latifah was commanding the microphone and audiences on wax. Her appropriately apt All Hail the Queen is the most perfect document of a time period where women were beginning to experience their rocky ascent up the rap ladder after years of stop/start trajectories. Queen Latifah more than holds her own, this is her album after all, weaving back and forth between rap, house and dub reggae with the likes of De La Soul, Daddy-O from Stetsasonic and Monie Love; a very worthy addition to the rap canon. Favorites: Dance for Me, Come Into My House, Latifah's Law, Wrath of My Madness, The Pros, Ladies First, A King and Queen Creation, Inside Out.
Wed Dec 21 2022
4
This production is great
Fri Dec 30 2022
4
I usually forget that Queen Latifah was a rapper before becoming an actress, but she’s quite good here! A lot of these tracks are of their time, but her flow is practically ageless and there are some great features as well. Think I’ll just do a B, but it could earn the +
Fri Dec 30 2022
4
I generally don't care for early hiphop (89 isn't that early, but it's not that..late either). I liked this more than most, though. I would choose to listen to this again. 3.75/5
Fri Dec 30 2022
4
I've only ever heard Queen Latifah's records from the 90's. This was pretty good, nice bridge between the 80's hip hop rap sound and the style that became popular in the 90's.
Mon Jan 02 2023
4
Another golden age of rap/ hip hop record, and another I haven't heard before. Nice.
Mon Jan 09 2023
4
Great fun. Not heard most of these tracks before. Such a contrast to all the misogynistic shite coming out of hip hop/rap at the time. Up there with De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.
Fri Jan 27 2023
4
Just a fun little nugget of information: when I was very young (think 6-7 years old), I used to think that Queen Latifah was the queen of Africa. I know there is a fair bit to unpack there, but thankfully I’m ever so slightly smarter now than I was back then. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Princess of the Possee, Ladies First I’ve said it before in other reviews, but I miss this era of rap music. Plenty of content in the lyrics and rhymes rather than mumbling about some nonsense, or otherwise just trying to cram in as many words as possible. This was a simpler era of hip hop, so just sounded so much better to my ears. I’d very happily listen to this before modern rap. Overall, quite enjoyable.
Wed Feb 01 2023
4
4/5. A fun and energetic rap album from a creative artist. Crazy that she’s 18 years old here. Some misses but gosh darn are there some bangers on here.
Mon Feb 06 2023
4
Kinda vibey
Wed Feb 22 2023
4
Really good! She deserves to be a rap legend. How is this a debut album from 1989?? Outshines many others from this time period of rap.
Fri Mar 03 2023
4
fire
Wed Mar 15 2023
4
I enjoyed this album, I like hip hop/rap from the 80s and 90s so this fit the bill.
Sun Mar 26 2023
4
An album with some nice classic hip hop sounds mixed with soulful jazz instrumentals makes this album thoroughly enjoyable for the most part, paired with Queen Latifah’s rhyme schemes and confident lyricism this really displays hip hop at its roots. I particularly enjoy how well the collaborating artists on this project pair with Queen Latifah, there’s some real chemistry throughout and makes those particular songs a great listen. The only thing letting this album down I’d say is the last 2 songs, they’re not bad by any means but the instrumentals are a bit plain and Latifah isn’t being as much energy as in the rest of the project
Thu Apr 06 2023
4
Great album, she took what was good about hiphop in the 80's and 90's and added to it.
Mon Apr 10 2023
4
Old school hip hop. Very fun. Different to hear a woman hip hop artist.
Wed Apr 12 2023
4
This sounds dated in the same way that pretty much all 80s hip-hop sounds dated now, but Latifah is on fire throughout the whole album, constantly changing her flow and just floating over the beats in a really engaging way. The opener and Ladies First are the highlights but it’s a really solid record
Wed Apr 12 2023
4
Tunes and bops
Thu Apr 13 2023
4
was ok enough
Wed Apr 19 2023
4
Old school hip hop from the Queen.
Tue May 02 2023
4
Late 80s/early 90s hip hop/rap is surprising one dimensional, but I have strong preference for it vs. anything post 2k. I find it much more groovy and funky.
Wed May 03 2023
4
queen latifah
Wed May 03 2023
4
Dope! Empowerment!!!
Fri May 05 2023
4
It's good but not great. In an era where hip hop was leaping forwards, this album feels kind of still. I mean, it still has Ladies First and a whole mess of fun tunes, and Latifah, Love, Shanté and others pushed women forward in hip hop, so this album is capital I Important, it's not an all time musical album.
Fri May 12 2023
4
Crazy confidence, style, and presence, especially considering her age at the time. Just solid hip hop.
Sun May 21 2023
4
This is good. Queen Latifah. Fantastic rapping over some top tunes, (Queen Latifah) with more jazz than I was anticipating. Queen Latifah. But you're never far away from being reminded who the artist is. It's Queen Latifah. Best song, Ladies First, a duet with Monie Love. And Queen Latifah.
Mon Jun 12 2023
4
From the era of spinning records to sample music. Rump shaking tunes for sure.
Thu Jun 15 2023
4
Put off listening to this, but it’s great. Proper 80s, New York hip hop vibes. Upbeat, nicely produced, and topics that are even more relevant today. Particularly Ladies First - fighting the fight at a time when it was a lot harder to do so than today. Legend. I didnt even realise Queen Latifah was a musician first, always just knew her as an actress. I’m probably just ignorant towards this genre compared to others, but it definitely feels like this gets overlooked in discussions about great hip hop. I’m bought in now though, will return. 4.5