All Hail the Queen

not my favorite hiphop album

I mean, I get it, she's a great rapper but I find this just so dated.

Seems kinda dumb to put this on the list along side the Neneh Cherry record

I've recognize a few of these tracks by title, but have otherwise never listened to this album start-to-finish. I'm quite looking forward to this one. This is a good album. It's a real 1989 time capsule. (If you want to understand the history of hip hop, this is a great example of the era and Queen Latifah was groundbreaking for female rappers.) And it absolutely belongs on a list of albums you should hear before you die.

This was cool, not anything I’d write home about but not bad either.

POuet

Old.school. Lyrics still stand up well.

No.

This was a perfectly pleasant, if overly long dive into 80's rap. It is very much if its time and is my prefered style that avoids the mysogeny of gangsta rap. The beats are fine, the Queen has flow and the parade of guests was welcome colour.

Queen Latifah showing she is worthy of her name on this record. Crazy to think she was only 19 when this was recorded. She shows some remarkable rapping skills, and whilst some of her bars do get a bit repetitive, this was very much the style at the time.

I love this album. It’s the last time I will look at the reviews before putting an album on as I was expecting this to be a really tough listen. Instead I had a smile on my face the whole way through. Maybe it’s because 1989 is right in my sweet spot, I don’t know but this really did the trick. QL’s rapping is on point and the samples didn’t bother me as this is really what I’ve grown up with. It’s just another musical device and she uses it brilliantly.

Not my type of listening but it was good.

Interesting album, a pioneer in the genre and incredible festures. Unapologetic, and amazing energy throughout. Very cool.

Nicht meine Mukke, aber super Retro-Charme, macht Spaß beim anhören

Of all the rap albums on here this one was reasonable. She seems more interested in self aggrandizement than anything else. No bad language, no misogynism. Not my thing, but I'll give it a 2

Dated very badly. Not sure what the Alvin & The Chipmunks collab was all about. Inoffensively boring.

I avoided this sort of stuff in my younger years, and still try to I would like to add as Rap/ Hip Hop has degenerated into something quite unpleasant in the 21st century. However here Queen Latifah quite rightly reminds us that she is black and of African heritage, but in such a polite manner. There is nothing offensive about this album and must have been written with the pop charts in mind. The dance beats and engaging rap style kept me going through a particularly tedious job at work, a gold star for her there. There was only one really terrible song on here, the one with the voice changer pretending to be small children, why?? I know the old saying 'dont work with children or animals', but I thought this took it too far.

not for me

Good rapper with great flow. The sound of the whole album is very of its time which is kind of a mood, but I doubt I will listen to it again. Interestingly, a lot of it reminded me of Hamilton

Disappointing. I quite enjoy the 80s hip hop sound. Well usually. This was a bit turgid and flat

I was all set to love the track with De La Soul and that kinda fell flat. Otherwise, this is a classic.

I had much more fun listening to this than I expected.

I only knew of her as a actress before today so listening to the album and readin up about it was a fun trip. I recognized a few song which surprised me since i apparantly didn't know who sang them. The album as a whole is really good. Fun and catchy music with some stand out songs, hiphop with a lot of brass instruments is a genre I love. I added a few to some playlist for the future and will continue to look at what other music she has done.

Queen Latifah…I guess I can understand why this is here, but it’s not my thing…although, I did like the track with De La Soul. I guess I can appreciate the era when this came out well enough. And while this record really doesn’t do much for me, I don’t hate it. 6/10

Music is okay, songs are not relatable.

I liked it ok. Found myself turning it up in the car a few times. Loved some of the hooks.

almost halfway through this project and it feels almost distopian now. how do I feel about Queen Latifah's debut album released in the late 80s but in 2026? if it was the late 80s, and I was the age then that I am now, would it feel different? if the ensuing years had not passed but the me that I am now still existed, what would I rate the album? in 2026, at the age of 41, this album feels dated. if you played me any given song and said it came out in '89, I would be like...well, yeah. I like the album and most of the tracks. this is not the kind of music that you sit in your home office and work while it plays in the background. this is the kind of music that plays at a block party or a cookout or a bonfire in the late 80s. how many stars is that? what is its value both alone and in the context of being on this list? how has it influenced other artists in obvious and not so obvious ways? how did other artists respond to do something different? 3 stars I guess??? who the fuck knows

All hail Elaine Owen.

Queen Latifah may be a stage name, but All Hail the Queen showed the world (and an overwhelmingly male rap genre) that she had the chops to back it up. With a flow that rivals Dr. Dre and beats that require body movement regardless of your musical tastes, Latifah serves up one of the most confident debuts in rap history. It also set the stage for more female rappers to pick up a mic, which is just as noteworthy. Side A of the record carries it for the most part, and a house/rap mashup misses the mark, but there's no denying that All Hail the Queen is a vital and insanely fun album.

Not terrible, definitely sounds like it’s from the late 80’s.

Not quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed this.

All hail the Queen.

The rappers of the olden days were so much more articulate and had better enunciation.

Surprisingly groovy, but little development throughout the album

2.5/5

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. Queen Latifah has a great flow, and the backing tracks are fantastic. My only gripe is her lyric don't rise to the quality of the other two. Ah well. Still a super-solid, and again way too long 90s hip hop album. THREE STARS

*Great music samples of jazz, reggae, etc. *Fresh sounding hip-hop album, especially for when it came out

2 out of 5. Like others have said some beats sound the same but strong lyrical content.

Dance for Me - 3.5/5 Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children - 3.5/5 Come Into My House - 3/5 Latifah's Law - 4/5 Wrath of My Madness - 3.5/5 The Pros - 3/5 Ladies First - 4/5 A King and Queen Creation - 3.5/5 Queen of Royal Badness - 3.5/5 Evil That Men Do - 3.5/5 Princess of the Posse - 3/5 Inside Out - 3.5/5 A fairly good debut but man is this album stuck in 1989. It has the same vibe as other Zulu Nation-related albums from this time period, but some songs overstay their welcome just a bit too long. Each song could have easily been like 3-3.5 minutes, but they get repetitive once stretched out to the 4-5 minute range. I like how there's a bit of everything here, but that doesn't really save it from it sounding dated and repetitive. Ladies First is the standout here, and that and Latifah's Law really save this from being any worse. It's realistically a 3.5* for me but gets knocked down to a 3* for the aforementioned issues. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Latifah's Law, Ladies First

An easy 3

NO thanks.

Dated

Enjoyable. 3.5 rounded up

a compilation of bland beats

Didnt know her but im really happy that i heard this. Women in hip hop are great and this album reflects that! Amazing.

Not too bad. I kind of liked it.

Thank goodness Queen Latifah is only a queen in her own mind! While her confidence shines through in every track, I just can’t help but think that she’s her biggest fan.

I like Queen Latifah for no obvious reason. I'm not a big rap / hip-hop fan, but this was very listenable.

A real Queen

The Native Tongues are always full of bangers. I think the worst part is that compared to De La Soul and Tribe, this sounds dated, whereas the others feel so forward thinking. I think there are some great moments, and this is a super important album

Doesn’t really stand out from other albums at the time. I enjoyed the listen though, albeit repetitive. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Latifah’s Law

Ladies First is one of my fav hip hop tracks of all time. Love a lady’s pov in a sea of a male dominated genre - All Hail the Queen indeed. So much tasty jazz sampling tooooo

- Pleasantly surprised by some really good, strong old school hip hop. The Queen has the flow .... and it's a debut record. Pretty impressive. -

4 stars

Небезынтересная мешанина стилей, но не моя музыка.

How many female rappers got on because Queen Latifah cleared the way? Ladies First, indeed.

Latifah is so smooth, with excellent flow. What surprised me was the influences evident in her sound. I heard elements ranging from Public Enemy to De La Soul to C&C Music Factory, with a smattering of reggae. I appreciate that hip hop and rap can be good and braggadocious without being profane.

Monotonous

Soooo dated and so KRS-One. Just impossible to separate her in my mind from Queen Latifah the actress so it makes the music sound even faker. Fun at times but just reminds you of other better albums from the time.

goede nummers met goede beat maar klinken veel hetzelfde, onthoud niet meer de verschillen ertussen als ik nu terugdenk, maar heb misschien ook niet even goed opgelet

Very early example of of a genre that would evolve well past where this is

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this but it was actually a lot of fun??? I will probably never listen to this again but it definitely gave me some much needed motivation to stare at spreadsheets all day.

Not my favorite but I can practically see the hip hop history dripping off this album. I do love the strong black woman. That takes a lot of determination to make it with so much stacked against her

Really good, not just all rap. I was surprised to hear the house tracks and the deep storytelling. The cyphers are a little weird to get around, especially isolated like this. Some tracks felt like homework assignments instead of songs, because in order to figure out what they're talking about I had to do a bunch of research. The grooves are solid. My Rating: 4/5

I found this pretty boring. Some solid beats at times but the lyrics and flow just didn’t do it for me.

4.5

The East Coast style rap on here is pretty good, but the reggae tracks with the fake Jamaican accent are pretty lame. It just completely kills the momentum whenever those features or accents pop up, sounding forced instead of natural. When Queen Latifah sticks to straight hip-hop, though, her flow is incredibly confident and she absolutely commands the mic. The jazz and funk samples give the production a great, gritty late-80s Native Tongues flavor. Tracks like "Ladies First" still hit hard with that fast-paced, high-energy delivery. It's a foundational record for sure, and you can hear how ahead of her time she was as an MC. I just wish the tracklist was a bit tighter and skipped the goofy dancehall experiments that haven't aged well at all.

the incredible star of ice age 2 the meltdown tries her hand at music and let me say it’s a mammoth of success!!!

Wow. Brilliant!

Oh yeah, I dig the young Queen. Love her voice, the beat, the message. Like Ice Cube, Oprah, and Snoop, I can’t help but feel she was kidnapped by the white culture and showered with adoration and money until she succumbed to the Hollywood way of life. More power to her, it’s a safe choice. I miss the fierce and proud Catholic girl from the mean streets of Newark.

Mediocre at best.

Sample-based, the golden era of hip-hop is my favorite period of this kind of music. At first this sounded really inspiring, but my attention kind of faded towards the end. Solid album anyway and probably would get better after few spins.

This just doesn’t speak to me at all. I’m not genre expert but I would assume that same album done by male artist wouldn’t made its way to 1001 list.

#433 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Old school hip hop, proper samples and a upbeat message. Here and there I hear familiar things, like De La Soul, but also within the soundscapes creates within the samples. The album is weirdly all over the place, like with the early EDM vibes out of the blue, but it also kinda works. I mean, she does say "it's hip hop house, hip hop jazz". I'm probably never going to spin this one again, but I did like the first bite it had. Quite even 3/5

It's alright early hip-hop. The queen can rap, and some of the songs are quite catchy (thanks to the samples mostly, though). I just wish she wasn't singing about herself all the time. But it's alright and, I understand, influential as a young female hip-hop artist in the late 80's. So, glad it's on the list, glad I discovered it, probably won't listen to it for enjoyment.

Gooooooood hiphop i really like

Enjoyed the island vibes.

Seemed a bit dated at first but then it kept groovin'

Classic 80s/90s hip hop. This style is very easy to listen to, but some of the songs felt a bit repetitive by the end. A lot of songs have very similar horns + drum machine beats and none of them really stood out to me.

Good, but way too long.

I can see that it’s influential. I just didn’t like it very much. Also, the Chipmunks on the De La Soul song are *really* bad.

Loving this old school hip hop

Not normally my stuff but actually not bad! Some interesting stuff. 3

Det eneste som jeg ved om hende er at hun var den primære inspiration for Natasha og Karen Mukupa. Jeg anderkender at der ikke har været bedre kvindelige hiphop fra den tid på listen.

Alle tracks lyder ends. MC Hammer Hip-Hop. Jeg kedede mig.

А це вже діло! Музика з часів прослуховування репа на VHS записаного з MTV. З першого трека зразу качає. Мені подобається. Ladies First (feat. Monie Love) класний трек. Queen of Royal Badness - теж супер, класна бібойська музика. Мабуть це все-таки 3. Вже трохи переслухав такої музики, тому до цього альбому навряд чи буду повертатись.

A dated-but-charming classic hip-hop sound.

Fun album. Latifah has a pretty natural delivery. I like the mix of horns and African sounds.

If I'm being honest, this might just be a strong 3. But, the fact that it has a below 3 average speaks to the predominance of old, white men participating in thos challenge. So, bumping it up to a 4 to counterbalance that a bit. - Signed, a 50-year-old white guy

Not only less dated than I expected, but a solid listen overall.

a lot of features at the beginning which were good but make me confused on who I was listening to. the later part queen latifah starts rapping and it’s nice but it’s very 80s rap, giving the “my name’s nate and i got to say, today is a very nice day” vibes. the instrumentals go on too long at the end too. overall she’s good but it’s def dated.

So late 80s and a lot of pretty good tracks. More than I few were a bit weirdly produced or less than great. Still, she is the Queen.

Lots of fun. Many of the songs pop, and the lyrics and flow are on point.

Another classic artist from the last 80s early 90s hip hop. This was the first time I listened to one of her records, and I enjoyed it.

What a weird day I am having. Yeah, actually happier to hear this than I thought I would be. I almost gave it a 4. But it’s… thin. I’m glad it’s here and the beats are solid. Latifah’s flow is good, but… she doesn’t ever grip me. I love that she’s not using sex. It’s her and her power. Right on. And there aren’t a bunch of useless skits. But even the production is… somehow lacking. By the end I just can’t go higher than 3. 3 Boolean: true

i haven’t heard of her until now, but honestly hell yeah i love the queen!

Great flow, great bounce

Very dated, nothing earth shattering, but have to admire the flow.

I wanted to like this, I like her, but lastly I could not

#983. She seems to be good at it, but that doesn't make it interesting to listen to. 2/5: meh

Standouts Latifah's Law

It was fine

She was NINETEEN!? What the hell!? I didn't know anything about Queen Latifah's music career. And I apparently also have been pronouncing Latifah wrong this whole time. This is so impressive. It's not something I'd listen to regularly but it's undeniably cool.

No private session used for spotify. I thought I would enjoy this album. I did not. Some of it was just to repetitive, some of it was just annoying and none of it made me think I need to hear this again.

The same Bongo best with some ok raps over it.

Okay, not bad. I can get behind this. I'm not sure why the list has so many 80s hip-hop albums and barely anything from the 2010s, but I don't think Queen Latifah is to blame for that. I think Queen Latifah makes sense being here. While she was obviously not the first female rapper, she was one of the first to really make an impact on pop culture at large, which is something that I absolutely respect. But, I do think that this album falls into some of the pitfalls of many 80s hip-hop albums that cause them to feel kinda dated by today's standards. Does that make the album bad? No, not at all. I enjoyed All Hail the Queen, but it also didn't impress me, despite my respect for the album. Queen Latifah's flow is solid. I enjoy hearing her rap. The production is alright. It's probably the most dated part of the album, but it's not bad at all. The writing has some nice elements to it. I like the occasional focus on feminism as seen on songs like "Ladies First." I like most of the features. The De la Soul feature on "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" is probably the best on the album. I did enjoy this album, but I do feel like it lost its luster rather quickly. I wasn't checked out by the end, but I also wasn't fully engaged by the time the album ended. I can absolutely see why this album is on the list, but it's also not an album that I think I'll touch that much more in the future. I respect it though. Strong 3/5.

Good!

I'll give it a 3. Better than I was expecting after reading the other reviews. Good beats

There aren’t as many rap albums on here as I’d like. Especially old school. Queen Latifah is a solid choice.

Hip hop is not my preferred genre. That said, this was pretty entertaining.

This was such a good time- people say this has aged poorly, and I disagree! It’s a product of it time for sure, and there’s not really anything innovative going on here but our girlie was only 19 here! Is it on par with the greats of the era? No. Is it arguably more enjoyable to listen to? I think so!

Not my thing.

Important album, but I won't listen to it a lot. 2.5/5

I groaned when I saw this was my album, but when I gave it a listen it took me straight back to late 80’s. Not sure I would have enjoyed a minute of it if I hadn’t lived it.

I don't know that I've ever listened to a Queen Latifah album all the way through, and that's on me.

Of its time but very entertaining. Hip hop in particular feels very dated when listening back

Average. 3

Gash. Utter tripe.

Yeah, this did not age well. Her rhymes and flow is pretty basic. Beats are basic. We've gone way past this and it doesn't hold up.

80s rap really feels like a 'had to be there' type of genre a lot of the time

I respect her as a person and as an artist, but I have no use for this album.

Better actor than rapper, some extra points for being a trailblazer as woman in rap. 2.5

2.8 Seems a bit generic 40 years later,

gostei de algumas

sorry queen

Cerca de ser insoportable. Me cae muy bien Queen Latifah, pero si la conociera solo por su música, creo que sería todo lo contario. No me gustaron sus canciones, me hartó que en cada maldita canción tenga que recordarnos su nombre, y en general me pareció que todo lo horroroso del mal rap de los noventa está aquí.

Some basic but good old school hip hop. Backing could be better, rhymes could be better, but still good. A few very good tracks, definitely worth a second listen. Holy heck, Queen Latifah was only 19 when she recorded this? I'm actually much more impressed by it now.

If the Fresh Prince had two X chromosomes. Pass

Sample central - listening to this project for the first time I heard so many samples from this project thats used everywhere else. From the vocal chops to the melodies to the drums, you will hear at least one sample that you have heard elsewhere guaranteed. with that said this was a pleasant project to listen to, the fact that it was released in 89 is nothing short of impressive, sounds super new despite its age Best song - The Pros

It’s crazy to me how much yall hate hip hop on here, specifically women mcs. Oh well, that’s your loss! I loved her flow throughout the albums, it’s my favorite thing about old school hip-hop, the pockets they were able to find on these beats were incredible. Being able to rap well on a house beat is crazy!

wow this is amazing. 5 stars, no notes.

It’s nice to hear a female rapper. I also liked hearing De La Soul on the second track. This is kind of dated sounding now. But tuneful for rap with some familiar samples.

Classic old school hip hop.

Good album raw but not top 1000 by any means. It was early and the top women rapper at the time but beats didnt stood tine they feel outdated and meh.

not for me

Slay queen

Better than I expected. Some cool jazzy vibes and cool samples throughout. Still not really my thing though.

She's a damn good rapper with incomparable swag!! Just effortlessly floating on these super fun and varied instrumentals, which impressively range from boombap to dub to even disco influences. There ARE some weirder decisions here and there (did the baby voice bit really have to go on that long?), probably due to this being her first record + the Native Tongues collective itself still being in its relative infancy and finding their sound. Historical significance aside, I'm certain a more mature album of hers would be a more essential listen. Fun album nonetheless! Standouts: Dance for Me • Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children • Latifah's Law • Wrath of My Madness • The Pros • Princess of the Possee • Inside Out

I try not to let the dog shit taste of the average listener on this website bother me but I am going to fight everyone in this comments section. Anyone saying every song on here sounds the same has clearly got their fingers in their ears. This album is so refreshing. After being forced through every mediocre East Coast album that came out before, say, Reasonable Doubt (all that shit sounds the same and you KNOW IT) it was amazing to get something with a woman on it, and one enjoying herself at that. Her flow is relentless. Her confidence is charming. She never lets up and although I think some small trimming would benefit the album, it's a tour de force. God forbid we not get every album by everyone who ever sniffed Wu Tang Clan instead!!!

The one thing about this I didn’t like so much was that every song had a similar beat. Things got a bit long in the tooth. But I get how good Latifah is.

bad

I liked it. Old school hip hop, but no gangsta rap

It's fun to hear an established artist when she is first flexing her muscles. Queen Latifah is one of the pantheon female MCs, and it's a treat hearing her original vibes. The beat sounds like classic late 80s/early 90s jams, but with a still-relevant message. Occasionally adding in house and reggae elements brings new sound, and collabs with De La Soul, Monie Love, and KRS-One makes this Gen-X fan smile.

Fun 80s hip hop, but probably won’t return to it that much

Decent

Sorry to say I’ve never got the appeal of rap/hip-hop (whichever this is). Most tracks very repetitive and I was more impressed by whoever found and weaved together the quirky samples, than by QL chanting all over them. So ironically might have enjoyed the instrumental album version more.

Listened to a couple of tracks. That was enough.

I'm here for that saxophone

Landmark album but early Hip Hop has aged poorly.

Sounds incredibly dated now. I love her voice but this is a struggle to listen to. One bonus star for name checking De La Soul

Awesome to hear a Black woman representing their problems in life at a foundational time in hip hop.

meh

Maybe this was great when it came out, but it felt so minimalistic. The rhymes were there but the delivery and beats just left me bored

Semi rap. Semi crap. Semi listened.

Can't believe she was 19 when she made this! Something to like about each song. Limitless talent!

Ok

Quite enjoyable, but a little too consistent. Not a ton of standout moments, even if it all is listenable. I liked it didn't love it.

I enjoyed it - very retro hiphop with some 80's house beats in the mix. A little basic at times but some solid tunes - favourite being Come into My House. Lyrically it makes a nice contrast from the dick waving gangsta b/s that features in a lot of the hip hop on this list. Was going to give it a 3 but just read she was only 19 when it was released so giving it a bonus point.

All Hail the Queen Overall this was much better than I expected, mixing proto progressive hip hop and house beats with a lot of samples and with Queen Latifah’s late 80s ‘well my name is x and I’m here to say’ rap style. The first 3 tracks are really strong, the Sly Stone sampling Dance For Me is fun, I love when Trugoy drops in on Mama Gave Birth the the Soul Children, and the house-hop plus Anitwa Ward noises of Come into My House are great. Wrath of My Madness is also great with its Meters sample and although I like the reggae/dub of The Pros, I don’t really like Daddy-O’s vocals. Ladies First is of course a banger and Evil Men That Do is excellent, the Gil Scot Heron sample is brilliantly used. Despite those songs it does suffer from repetitiveness, both in vocal tone and cadence and subject matter. Although her voice has a retro charm to it, it feels stylistically pretty one note, and thematically it does go back to the well of royal boasting pretty often, making it feel a bit longer than it’s 49 minutes. Still I enjoyed, there’s good songs, great samples and it's a nice snapshot of 1989, so I’ll go for a solid 3. 🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Could be Evil That Men Do, but I’ll go Ladies First

It gets off to a banging start with the first couple of tracks. The general late 80s vibe feels retro cool, this being aligned with Native Tongues. It suffers from a little of the same prejudice that I applied to Common i.e. a comparison to the Tongues. So it's no surprise that the best track features De La Soul, 'Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Child' - expertly constructed, late 80s hip-hop (but unfortunately featuring little Latifah herself). 'Ladies First' is another great duet, this time with Monie Love. It's suffers from classic hip-hop album bloat, extending passed the sweet-spot of 40minutes. It loses a lot of impetus in the final third, with the rather dull 'Evil That Men Do' (in spite of the messaging which I TOTALLY agree with and applaud, for the record), and the apathetic 'Inside Out'. Nevertheless the thread of the Daisy Age runs through it with some great highlights. It doesn't feel like it'll pull me back too often; a high three then.

Straight fire. Great album. Wish I checked it out sooner.

This album may not net perfect but it’s damn close.

I'm gonna be honest, I thought Queen Latifah was just an actress. I enjoyed this more than I expected too, Queen Latifah has a strong flow. Even so, pretty standard hip hop and I am just not the biggest fan of the genre. Favorite Track - Dance For Me Least Favorite Track - Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Evil that Men Do It's about 15 minutes too long. If I was going to do additional subsequent listens, I would probably start skipping the Remix tracks, which brings you down to ~50 minutes. The "children" on Mana Gave Birth to the Soul Children are fucking obnoxious. They sound like even more curse Alvin and the Chipmunks somehow. I don't understand how that track peaked at Number 14 in the UK. I thought the beats were pretty good, and while Queen Latifah's lyric delivery was sometimes slow, prodding (and methodical, which isn't a negative), it was decent enough. I certainly enjoyed this more than I expected to. I also like and recognize a couple of the producers: KRS-One and Prince Paul, so that's cool. This is categorically middle of the road hip-hop. I do find it cool to see and compare this album to other stuff coming out around the same time, like 3 Feet High and Rising, Paul's Boutique, Straight Outta Compton, Raising Hell, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, etc.

No thoughts on this one really.

Every song is some variation on "I'm the best rapper around! *spell name outloud a few times* repeat. Not bad but certainly repetitive. 2.6/5

Why drop your own name sooooo much?

1. dance - 2 2. mama - 1 3. houze - 1 4. lauu- 1 5. uurath - 1 6. proz - 1 7. ladiez - 8. queen - 9. royal - 10. evil - 11. pozze - 12. inzide -

I really enjoyed this. Not sure if Queen Latifah's flow does much for me, but it's more than serviceable. But just a really solid classic 90s hip hop album great feel, great beats, great vibe, and a fun MC. Hell Yeah

Not for me but good on her being a woman in the rap game. An extra star for respect x

Hip-Hop

Well this style of rap isn't really my thing, but she did pleasently surprise me and being a female rapper in that period didn't make this less quality in that style of rap. Had a few songs I did enjoy. 1. Dance for Me 2. Wrath of My Madness 3. Come into My House

I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have thought. It’s a really banger that still sounds pretty good. Not every song here is a hit but most of them are.

Not bad. Just dated.

This has the same problem that the one Run DMC album I got had, which is that it's so much of a product of its time that it's just absurdly dated now. It's not bad, but it's just... so so so late 80s. It doesn't help that every single track on this album is basically "I am Queen Latifah and I kick ass" which, like, she does but damn girl calm down a bit. I like The Pros' beat a lot, and I think Inside Out is the best song here. Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children is probably worth listening to at least once just for how weird it is. But I wouldn't really give this a listen now otherwise.

When to listen: feeling an early 90s beat walking down the street. I love a Jersey girl, I love Queen Latifah, and whatever it's dated but this is a bop and she was *19* when she released this... it was fresh for the time, it's fun today, it's empowering, yadda yadda.

QUEEN indeed.

2.8 Feel like it was played way too safe. Extremely simple beats. Rapping that felt a bit unpolished. It's classic early 90s hip hop when it was still finding its way and pretty uneventful albums were making it big due to a lack of excitement in the market in general. Won't be exploring further, but I didn't hate it.

Felt a little dated

++: Dance for Me, Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children, Wrath of My Madness, Ladies First, Queen of Royal Badness +: Come into My House, Latifah's Law, A King and Queen Creation, Evil That Men Do, Inside Out +-: The Pros, Princess of the Posse 7,7/10

No me ha vuelto loco y las canciones son eternas

It’s not bad, it’s upbeat and I like upbeat stuff but it’s really repetitive. Lots of spelling in this album

Decent album, never really was into queen latifah so not for me

Surprise

Still so hard and so important!

This was fun with lots of interesting cameos. Queen Latifah is a good rapper.

This was fun for the first few tracks but I was getting bored by the end.

Por momentos repetitivo, pero con mucho fuego la señora.señora.Highlight: Dance For Me. Nota: 3.3

This feels very of its time, but I'm the best way.

This was very solid. Latifah's flow isn't revelatory, but it's a fun record, and she can hold her own against all but the very best of the era. "Latifah's Law" and "Wrath of My Madness" had especially great beats. The reggae flourishes are surprising, and I'm curious how they fit into the lineage of The Fugees, who made a meal out of that hip-hop/reggae blend.

divertido !!!

80’s rap from a young queen latifah

Way better than I expected

Bof…

Another one that sounds fairly dated to me (although I don't think I'd ever have been tempted to buy it, even when it was fresh and new). Has some decent samples, and some catchy beats (repeated endlessly), but they're pretty basic, and don't really go anywhere. Not terrible, so for sure a 2, possibly a 3. But, by another metric (which I just invented) -- would I want to listen to it again, some time? -- I think it has to be a 2, because I'm not really interested in hearing it again. Feels a little harsh, maybe -- it could be a 2.5, if you will -- but 3 feels too high, to me, so 2 it is. The other obvious factor at play here is my relative lack of interest in lyrics as the focal point of music, since this one is really so heavily about the lyrics (with minimal - and that a distant second - musical accompaniment). Indeed, I'd be tempted to argue that this one feels more like slam poetry with a beat than music. It's not like music that makes you want to sing (or rap or whatever ) along with it -- it's more like poetry being performed AT you.

the beats are wack yo. and she doesn't have much to say, yo

Never listened to her before but good stuff

silly. Different times man, QUEEN L-A-T-I-F-A-H promotes her name in every track sometimes multiple times and to me its A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. Laughing crying emoji.

I missed this one when it first came out. I had this blind spot for female artists for much of my life and feel drawn to them more as I age. Beats are old school awesome and her flow is tight. It's a little cheesy, as a lot of old school/first wave Hip Hop is, but it's accessible and a total vibe. I love finding Hip Hop I can share with my daughters and this one will totally enter our rotation.

Classic lete 8080s hip hop. Nothing spectacular but by no means bad either.

Old school hip hop hits all the right spots. It was so rhythmic, smooth, and enjoyable. Less distortion of the vocals and straight music.

Infectious grooves, strong lyrics that don’t sound aged. Great!

Not offensive, but not enjoyable either. Nothing about her beat, sound or style is appealing to me.

It wasn't the hardest hitting rap album, and there were many moments I wanted to turn it off, but I appreciated it for what it was, and I'm glad I can say I listened. 5/10

Для 89 года тетя наваливает сытно

A struggle to get through. Grating nasal American vocals, narcissistic lyrics, obnoxious beats. I'm sure other people love it but I honestly can't stand this.

Some are nice but in General I don't like old school hip-hop

Όπως εξέφρασα και σε πιο παλιά reviews, μου αρέσει η κλασική hip-hop/rap ωστόσο η συγκεκριμένη παρόλο που είναι καλή για μερικά κομμάτια κουράζει αρκετά γρήγορα. Επίσης παίζει πολυ self glazing αν και καταλαβαίνω το γεγονός ότι ήταν απο τις πρώτες γυναίκες rappers. Dance for Me

I admire this album for what it accomplished, but the reason I don't push this to a 4 is due to a lot of songs sounding extremely similar to each other. The flow feels extremely repetitive.

It's refreshing to listen to a hip hop album without gross profanity. Even though this genre isn't my thing, I had a good time listening to this one and I really liked Dance For Me.

This album is a jam. Only knowing Queen Latifah as an actor, this was a pleasant surprise

Very important in solidifying women's place in rap history. It's a great rap album as well. I wish I'd listened to it sooner, because it really is a classic.

First four songs got me really interested in the project when I first listened to it. The flow of this girl is great, she has a nice attitude and the beats sound super fun, so it had me wondering why this project doesn't have a higher score. It turns out, the album gets a bit stale and dated once reached the half way point. The beats that are more high spirited do not have the same energy as the first ones, and the ones influenced by the house movement sound a bit dated. In addition, there are a couple of ones that are incredibly rudimentary and boring, those being the ones in "Evil That Men Do" and "Princess of the Possee". While the beats hold a lot of the responsibility for making the album not hold up great, the fact that this lady only has one real flow, doesn't help. I do like it, but towards the end of the album I reached a point where I felt like her delivery was too one-dimensional. Furthermore, there are a handful of instances where she sings with an Jamaican accent and the song "The Pros" uses a reggae base. I wasn't a big fan of these touches, but they are worth mentioning. Still, I think this is a fun album. The highlights were incredibly fun and there is also some nice social commentary about the paper of females in music.

Didn't we already listen to the EXACTLY same album, but male?

TOTAL KNOCKOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Acts more as a survey of hip hop/house adjacent trends, trying to put Latifah in the pole position as a female hip hop star. More or less have the same response I did as a kid, that the Prince Paul production, etc is pretty great, her voice solid, but there’s something a little forced and her flow off enough that it is distracting. But, that was enough to move the needle back then.

Same issues with all other hip hop albums of this era. The sum is less than the individual parts

I don't hate it but I am bored to tears with it

Early dance hip hop albums just don't move me. I'd rather listen to the other '89 Queen album. That being said, the beats are pretty good.

I like her but not really an album I want to listen to. Just her popular stuff.

Super goofy, but the creativity is there and I enjoyed it. 3.0/5.0: Good

this was fun. not something id want to listen to regularly but i didnt hate it

this is great, excellent old school production

this ain't it

This is definitely a bit of an outdated sound, but there's a certain charm to a lot of the albums here and it's definitely worth a single listen, even if you end up hating it.

Entendí por que le dicen queen latifah, una reina

I was never a fan of female MCs (or singers for that matter) back in the early 90s when I first gravitated to hip-hop. Some casual sexism in my early teen years I'm sure and something I have long since grown out of. That is to say that I've only listened to Queen Latifah in recent years and particularly after she was featured in the brilliant First Ladies of Hip-Hop documentary miniseries on BBC last year (still available on iPlayer) which talked about her pioneering feminist messaging. So I've heard a few songs from this, Ladies First in particular is a song that we've had on a female positive playlist that we listened to regularly with my daughter.... and is a banger. I've not listened to the whole album though and now has been a good opportunity to do that. It's a really strong debut, not a surprise given some of the production credits from The 45 King, KRS One and Prince Paul and largely positive lyrical themes of identity, empowerment, and social awareness.

Lite kul första låten men tröttnade snabbt. Ett helt album var alldeles för mycket.

Bra start med sly and the family stone-sample! Det är svängigt, många bra beats och jag gillar hennes röst men det blir successivt mer och mer bjäring tyvärr. Väger mellan 2 och 3.

Bästa hip-hop albumet hittills?! Kanske den där Kendrick var bättre. Hade ändå rätt skoj dom fyra första låtarna. Sen gick det utför. Inte min genre tyvärr.

ledsen för alla mellanmjölksbetyg

Mucho swag. Looove it.

The sound of this is soooo late 1980s lol, but I'm here for it. Pretty impressive debut album from Ms. Latifah, and a pretty fun ride overall -- hardly any misogynistic or overly violent lyrics, and (unbelievably) not a single poorly-aged skit across the whole album. Bumping it up an additional star for that fact alone. Also enjoyed the reggae elements combined with the iconic 80s hip-hop production feel.

When you compare this to some of the rap albums around the same time we have listened to this is leagues above. I couldn’t believe how much older and more mature this sounded than the albums of run dmc etc. I enjoyed the housey element of some of the songs. I always felt like women make great rappers. Queen Latifah has a great way of story telling, the flow is great and what the lyrics are are really interesting at some points.

This was fun, enjoyed it on the whole. Probably got the idea after a bit and it wasn’t really saying much more interesting after a while

Ooo fun

A little outdated, but I can still rock with this. Cool samples and Queen Latifah was floating on some of these tracks.

not bad, but it gets super repetitive after the first handful of songs. still an icon obv

no es para mi

An interesting hip-hop album for sure. It was released when hip-hop had started to lean in more gangster stuff. It seems like this album was released a couple years late as it has a more mid-school approach. You know it would fit in well with Licence to Ill's and the Raising Hell's. This is a fine album, it's not anything crazy or maddening - it's pretty perfect if you are looking for the mid-school sound - it's good for what it's worth. Highlight Song/s: "Latifiah's Law", "Evil That Men Do" and "Princess of the Posse"

Pretty fun and funky, but freak-a-wently clunky. It’s hard to imagine rap’s evolution in 37 years

*1989. *This was an intriguing album - I listened to it several times throughout the day. *Queen Latifah is powerful but approachable in this album - the message seems to be that she's a queen, but she wants to raise everyone else up too. I like it. *Most of the album had a raggae, latin flavor to it. It was different, but pretty cool. *I'll revisit this one. RATING - 7/10

All hail the Queen. Ladies first rules.

Still better than Kanye West

This was decent, must have been quite ground breaking at the time for a young black woman to be releasing socially conscious hip hop. I imagine this must have been important for paving the way for future artists I do think the production is a little dated but I appreciated some of the lyrics, she had plenty to say, albeit a lot of it is about her own rhyming which wore slightly thin. A valid inclusion though

I earlier described Neneh Cherry as “one of a kind”. That was before I heard Queen Latifah who has a near identical rapping style and was around at the same time. Neneh wins though, for having some actual melody and lyrical content. All Latifah does on this album is rap about what an amazing rapper she is. Pretty tiresome

Good

Damn, I had no idea QL had this amount of musical talent. Because I grew up with her already being a comedy actor so I never realized she actually had a great debut album. My only real criticism is that I feel like the first half of the album had better songs and had better energy right out the gate. The second half wasn’t bad, it was just starting to overstay its welcome. Despite how absurdly fun the production is on this album is, like the beats are so great, but as a whole it feels very dated in the fact that the beats are usually fairly simple and repetitive like in “a king and queen creation” cause that album starts great with addition of dj mark, but it just sort of wears thin over time cause it’s super repetitive. But as a whole this is a really impressive and shockingly fun debut album.

"Come into my House" is fun. Overall it's just really not my style. I understand why it's on the list and I respect it tho

Everything about Queen Latifah is so dated. This was dated the day it came out.

The beats are really great and Queen Latifah herself has plenty of charisma and good flows. The lyrical content can be somewhat lacking depth and that’s the biggest issue holding this back. Solid debut project. Favorites were Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children, The Pros, Ladies First, and Inside Out.

I forgot that Queen Latifah started out with a musical career, rather than acting. This was a great listen, loved her voice and style. Overall 3.25/5

Good solid hip hop! I often tend to enjoy '80s rap and this is no exception.

It just all sounded the same. First song felt like 30 minutes, I checked what is going on and I was on the fourth one. 1

more hip hop debuts, this time from legendary hip-hop lady queen latifah. her debut paved the way considerably for female rap artists, adding a fresh new sound to the genre itself. the "queen" imagery is loud and proud in this one, latifah didn't want to pull a single stop when it came to this record. with dancey tracks and feminist anthems, out of all the debuts i've seen so far, this one stands out in its own right. all hail the queen!

Fun! Really great use of sampling

Good flow, nice tracks, yeah, I like this.

Basic 90s HipHop

Go off, Khadijah!

Never listened to Queen Latifah, but okay!! Yes.

Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Rah Digga … Essex County in the 1990s was truly the global capital of great female rappers

My girl Dana!!! Always + forever my queen 👑

bonus point for queens named dana

I mean… Ladies First is obviously a huge highlight but man… the rest is just sort of there.

Es klingt wie ein Album, das in einer Endlosschleife aus zu kurz gesampelten SP‑1200‑Loops feststeckt. Die Tracks ploppen und knistern monoton vor sich hin – wie das Zerdrücken von Luftpolsterfolie, nur ohne den Spaßfaktor.

When this album got generated I almost forgot Queen Latifah was once a rapper since she’s so known for acting and entertainment now. But she was very influential and groundbreaking, and this album definitely deserves its place on this list. I didn’t love it, and likely won’t revisit it much, but it was still good and you can definitely hear how it influenced future female rappers. I’d rate this 3.5 if I could, but it’s the Queen, so I have to round up.

Really enjoyed this

Découverte de l'artiste. Queen Latifah offre un excellent album de r&b, des lines et intrus qui groovent, des textes qui collent bien. J'aime bien sa voix et comment elle la pose.

Cool. Ça s’écoute bien.

Great sampling and interesting lyrics. 3.5* rounding up.

Rather fine, but mostly simplistic/forgettable songs, unfortunately. 3.5

Kul musik! Gillade Evil that men do och Queen of Royal Badness. Coolt!

2.5 - ok

It's pretty good. Kind of repetitive. Not a hip-hop fan, so not terribly excited about this.

2026.04.01.

I was only familiar with her work in the Ice Age series prior to this album

I listened to this album on an overcast day. I was alone on shift, and I stepped away from the desk to catch the retirement ceremony of a long time family friend. Queen Latifah has existed to me for so long as a public figure and actor that I sometimes forget she began as a musician; boy, I will never make that mistake again. This album caught me completely off-guard immediately, with the production being creative, unique, and incredibly funny; odd samples, beat switch-ups, and an energetic, near-cartoonish level of energy kept the album constantly engaging the entire time. There's even some clear house music influences, like the entire song Come into My House, which is an incredible surprise. But of course good production can't be the only selling point; I've heard plenty of hip-hop albums that still couldn't command the same level of attention as All Hail the Queen, and the clear difference is Queen Latifah herself. While her approach to lyricism and flow is not obviously unique (I've heard many artists of the time deliver similar songwriting), Queen Latifah simply possesses a confidence which few others can match up to; her features here are a handful of people who could manage to match her energy, with De La Soul's presence being a particularly pleasant surprise for me. She also has a knock for writing lyrics which manage to stay simple while still being varied enough to maintain interest, a feat which many other dance rap songs fail to accomplish. There's just an infectious sense of self-empowerment that bleeds through this whole album, and I was very pleasantly surprised that this stood out to me as much as it did. Highlights: 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, Queen of Royal Badness, Princess of the Possee

It isn't my music style but the album felt very repetitive in the music side of things. Can't tell what the case with lyrics was since I wasn't focused on them.

Some really funky beats and an undeniably early-90s sound (though this was 1989, but I guess that fits). Hiphop still really isn't my thing, but this is about the 5th hiphop album I've rated from this list, and it's probably the most tolerable so far. The lyrics are a bit tiresome, it seems to be pretty much just about the fact that she's Queen Latifah, and I established that much from the album cover. Low 3.

In every track she is being meta about being a female black rapper and it's just grating. I respect her for having the confidence to push through the hardships and I think her talent is undeniable. The groove is good and the lyrcism is good but you didn't need to then proceed to write about how amazing you are constantly. I don't know if this is a fair assessment considering how highly I rate listening to sad people complain so I'll give it a courtesy 3

Great old-school hip-hop. Queen Latifah deserves more credit for her role in early rap, and this proves it. Great stuff.

No. Nada. 0.

Not a fan

My apologies, mammoth from ice age 2, I was not familiar with your game. What a fun listen

Tricky start and baggy finish but the middle section of this track was genuinely enjoyable. It was hard to initially separate the music from the painfully mediocre actor and litany of crappy films that she has been a part of. However, it appears that in the year before I was born, she actually did some of work of cultural significance and importance.

Fun, but repetitive. First 3 songs I did not like. Middle of the album was lit

The first 3 songs nearly made this a hard pass but then it picked up. Still can’t forgive that chipmunk voice song, though.

FIELD REPORT: DAY 51 – THE REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED First Successful Breach of the All-Male Blockade. After 50 grueling days of psychological warfare, the unit has finally intercepted a transmission of superior quality. We have broken the streak of 49 consecutive all-male engagements. The difference in combat efficiency is 100%. While the previous 49 bands spent their time "howling into our ears" about their internal confusion, Latifah has restored order to the soundscape. The siege is not over, but the frontline has moved. We have survived the barrage of male ego and emerged into the reign of the Queen.

All hail to the Queen🧎🏼‍♀️

Never listened to any of her music. Only know her as an actor. I’m really digging this and I get why she’s where she is today. The princess of the posse with the Barney Miller bass line is wonderful.

I really wanted to like this, but I don't. Not because it's painful to listen to or it's abrasive in any way, it's mainly because it sounds so generic and it doesn't age well. It doesn't inspire me to listen to anymore of her music. Stick to acting, which isn't half bad.

From the beginning, loved picking up on the samples that were featured on previous 1001 albums (Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic, among others). I love the Queen's flow and though classics Ladies First and Evil that Men Do were familiar, I was surprised by tracks like The Pros with heavy reggae influence and how catchy it was.

I love the house/ragae/misc other fusions on this album, it keeps each song fresh even as her flow remains fairly steady. I'm not sure I would listen to this often, but I appreciate it for what it is.

Well, I know Queen Latifah primarily as an actor in the sort of mediocre movies that play nonstop on broadcast TV (see Ice Cube for details). I was vaguely aware of her career as a rapper, so this is an interesting opportunity. Listening notes: -Dear lord did she reference school house rock? -I really do wish 80s and 90s rappers would cut back on how many songs they have that boil down to "I'm awesome". More defensible from Latifah, but still. -In general her backing tracks are much more developed than other musicians I think of as similar. It's a huge selling point I think. Review: In general, I found this to be competent, but not overly compelling music. Her content is much more praiseworthy than male rappers of the era (comparing to the gangsta rap group specifically, obviously Public Enemy has more going on). Evil that Men do is definitely the one that sticks with me most. The mixing in of house and reggae is really the most intriguing part of it. It's unfortunate that those genres are extremely hit or miss for me, but I appreciate the genre bending. Probably would crack four stars otherwise, but for me its gonna be 3 stars.

I think it can get a bit repetitive in terms of talking about how great Queen Latifah is - but that is in no way unique to this genre and time period. Rappers made their money talking about how they are so much better than everyone else out there. So I'm willing to forgive that sin. What's justifying the 4-star rating for me is Evil That Men Do, that's the standout song for me on this thing.

eh its okay

Dance for Me 3.2 Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children 2.8 Come into My House 2.4 Latifah's Law 3 Wrath of My Madness 3.1 The Pros 2.7 Ladies First 2.8 A King and Queen Creation 3 Queen of Royal Badness 3 Evil That Men Do 2.6 Princess of the Posse 2.4 Inside Out 3 Score: 2.833333333

Who's coming for the Queen's crown? Aggressively of its time. Minor complaint is I don't like this era of a song basically being over, but then the beat still plays for another 30 seconds. (In one case, a 1:20, which is wild.)

1989 forever.

Another for the "What If..." situations. If Queen Latifah had been producing in a later era, would she have had more support in the industry and from the audience? The collab with De La Soul is hilarious.