Reviews (page 3 of 7)
was ok enough
Tunes and bops
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
Old school hip hop. Very fun. Different to hear a woman hip hop artist.
Great album, she took what was good about hiphop in the 80's and 90's and added to it.
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
I enjoyed this album, I like hip hop/rap from the 80s and 90s so this fit the bill.
fire
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.
Kinda vibey
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.
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.
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.
Another golden age of rap/ hip hop record, and another I haven't heard before. Nice.
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.
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
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 +
This production is great
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.
really enjoyed! made pasta whilst listening
Nice production, great sound and Latifah goes hard AF on this. I thought she was an actress in comedies!
I admit I wasn’t thrilled at first but the album won me over through its course. Some really funky beats. 7/10 Fave: wrath of my madness
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Liked it! Not as great as I imagined though
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
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.
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
All hail the Queen. What fun music. Lots of great memories
Hip hop. Jazzy riffs. Catchy, upbeat. Kept realizing that I was tapping my feet along with the beat. Would listen again.
Fantastic beats, original
Yes! All hail the queen
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.
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
Some cool beats on here. 7/10
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.
Pretty good
Good classic hip hop. I forgot how great Queen Latifah was as an MC. 3.5/5
Good pick from the Golden era of hip-hop. Favorites: Come into My House, Ladies First, Princess of the Posse
Good stuff
This album was actually excellent. A little dated but still strong. Inside Out was my favorite song
So incredibly 90s... I loved this for purely nostalgic reasons. Queen Latifah can sure rock a rhyme though.
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
Great beats, great lyrics and wordplay. She is the Queen for a reason.
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.
Great old scholl hiphop, feels a bit lacking regarding the actual contents but fun flows and good beats.
SLAY QUEEN
Great stuff. I enjoyed the trumpets alot, they really added to the jazzyness of the boom bap beats.
Fun album with some jams
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
Pretty good
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.
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.
It's a very good album. One of the classics from the old school era.
This record still bangs. Besides the great lyrical content I'm really digging the old school beats.
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.
Better than I thought.... some good tunes and worth a revisit!
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.
Not normally my stuff but actually not bad! Some interesting stuff. 3
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.
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
Great flow, great bounce
Very dated, nothing earth shattering, but have to admire the flow.
Standouts Latifah's Law
It was fine
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.
I'll give it a 3. Better than I was expecting after reading the other reviews. Good beats
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!
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
2.8 Seems a bit generic 40 years later,
gostei de algumas
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Fun 80s hip hop, but probably won’t return to it that much
Decent
Awesome to hear a Black woman representing their problems in life at a foundational time in hip hop.
meh
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'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?
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
Decent album, never really was into queen latifah so not for me
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 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.
Way better than I expected
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.
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
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
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.
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 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
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
All hail the Queen. Ladies first rules.
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
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
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
Fun! Really great use of sampling
Good flow, nice tracks, yeah, I like this.
Basic 90s HipHop
Never listened to Queen Latifah, but okay!! Yes.
bonus point for queens named dana
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.
Rather fine, but mostly simplistic/forgettable songs, unfortunately. 3.5
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
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.
All hail to the Queen🧎🏼♀️
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.
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
Historical significance 5/5. I hear so many other rappers throughout this album. Truly a museum-piece. It hurts my heart but I just don't want to listen to this again though. Flows are old, beats are dated. Another case where the music she inspired surpassed her music itself. - Very 80s rap. Vibes don't pass? - Skits :( - This might just be okay unfortunately - My ears are confused. I Feel like this should be Biggie rapping over these beats - sound so similar - Maybe just took some warming up. Couple good ones in a row - That Doechii flow! This album clearly inspired A LOT of later rappers - Historical significance 5/5. Do I want to listen to it again though? Rap has come a long way from this...
With the feature of De La Soul I definitely hear the similar vibes of that late-80s rap here with the samples and lyrics. Most was a bit repetitive of beats for a bit too long of songs but besides that this was a really solid first album. The samples are still super groovy and the flow of lyrics is pretty great. Nothing to complain but nothing to write home about either.
solid & snappy
Ok
Not for me. Didnt age well but not terrible
Lowkey commanding.
It's very fine. Early hip hop is always so wholesome sounding and quaint. Rap is such a young genre that 80s rap gives the same vibes as 50s rock to me, just a very distinct window to a different time. I respect it, and there are a couple songs that really show what a force Queen Latifah was on the mic. It's not going into my rotation, but 3 stars to respect the elders.
It was alright. Perfectly listenable late 80s hip-hop/rnb but I didn't enjoy as much as Jurassic 5 and Solange.
I understand the relevance of this album and why it is on the list. There are a few good songs and I really like the guest artists. It is a bit dated, both musically and her delivery, but she is still a great talent. 3.5/5 Might listen again
Not their best. A couple of good ones on here though.
Ladies First is an anthem and I really enjoy a few other songs, but not my favorite female rapper of the era (MC Lyte FTW).
Latifah's Law.
non male, meno peggio degli altri boring ass di quel decennio
A lot of "dated" with its negative connotation about this. Like in rock I would rather say classic. Things have sure moved in, but don't believe that lessens this. Was a fun list. 3 Star.
I have a lot of nostalgia for this era of hip hop. It had a greater emphasis on fun than it did for the last 30 years. It’s a little hockey I guess, but what’s wrong with that?
i will never outright disrespect queen latifah, but i have a lot of questions about why "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" came out the way that it did
Big fan of the faster tracks, especially the dance beats. Several of the tracks had as solid of a foundation as almost anything else we've heard so far. I did not care for the slower tracks at all and found myself intentionally doing other things when they came on. Not entirely sure why. Also the sample for Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children was one of the worst I've ever heard. I wasn't able to find where it was from but it sounded like a deep-fried Mortal Kombat Fatality.
Beats and bars were good, glad this album was included on this list as a solid and very early entry for women in hip hop
gud decent enough, some good tunes, no complaints. good
NFM, but fine. At least I can spell "Latifah" now...
it was okay, some catchy songs overall and decent rapping
Best Song: Ladies First. Monie Love plays a good counterpoint to Queen Latifah, and the screeching saxophone in the background is a nice tough. Worst Song: Evil that Men Do. Something about the slow delivery and the corny lyrics make this a tough listen. Overall: Overly long and relatively dated. Queen Latifah is obviously hugely influential, but sadly it feels like those that she's influenced have now comfortably exceeded the foundation that she laid.
As many times as Queen Latifah made sure to tell us she is a queen, I was shocked to find out she is not in fact a Queen. This was more listenable than I expected but it got old after a few tracks.
I don’t think I can say it shouldn’t be on the list but this also just isn’t made for me, and it’s dated so 3/5
Fun throwback hip-hop by an iconic individual - my favorite track is “Queen of Royal Badness”
Late 80s, some good messages I think.
Interesting
She has a great flow and it’s a fun listen. Beats started to get a little repetitive and dragged for me a bit at the end.
Closer to 3.5
In small patches this sounds great. Some of the bars absolutely slap … but it hasn’t aged very well and the whole thing just gets stretched a bit thin. A sample gold mine.
Good OG hip hop. Very fun listen
Slow start, but definitely fuckssss overall! Fun grooves, some meaty rhymes. She flows just like a pro, all hail the queeeeen! Lil dated, but as a Salt n Pepa and TLC fan, it was fun to hear the origin story.
Cool, fun, great production.
When hip hop was to dancing in the club. When emcees were MCs. Lots of tropes, but I’m going to assume many were started or popularized by her.
I enjoyed listening to this album. For a debut album it was good. It showed promise and made people take notice. As for Queen Latifah, she has a quality that grabs your attention and holds it. I like that she always has something to say and she stands by it and says it with conviction. She's freaking awesome. I'm giving the album three stars because while being an establishing debut, it's a mix of hits and misses.
3/5. When it's good it's pretty good, but the tracks that are middling make it a bit repetitive. Needs a bit more variety in the sound.
Cool late 80s old school hip-hop from a powerful woman. Better than expected. Occasionally cringe, but a solid counterweight to the misogyny of NWA. Ultimately not quite my tempo. 3 stars. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cooler Old School Hip-Hop der späten 80er Jahre. Die Powerfrau bildet ein wichtiges Gegengewicht zu den frauenfeindlichen Texten von NWA. Besser als erwartet. Stellenweise peinlich, aber insgesamt eine positive Überraschung. Am Ende nicht ganz mein Tempo. 3 Sterne.
I'm not a big hip hop fan, but I have a soft spot for this kind of 80s upbeat stuff. This album gets pretty repetitive, so I can't give it more than three, but there's the odd song I'd listen to again.
These beats are pretty great, especially funky horns. But I don't really vibe with the old school rapper lyrics.
I quite liked this early hip hop album, it just has charm that you can really get from hip hop of the time. Backing beats are pretty cool too. I did find it a lil repetitive towards the end however
This album feels like a foundational list album; it lays the groundwork for what comes next in the genre as a solo black rapper. She is certainly a diva, but the core album really doesn't hold up well in this day to be special like a lot of the other rap albums on this list. Good on her for speaking up about women, but that's all this album is.
Started out with a bang and was loving the old school 80s hip hop - my favourite era of hip hop, I think before it got a so misogynistic - bitch this and ho that. The fact that Queen Latifah was one of the first female rappers added to this. Dance with Me was a banger of an opening track, and this was followed up with a nice track with De La Soul. Latifa's Law and Ladies First I also really enjoyed. But after about a half an hour it was dragging a bit and, bonus tracks included, the album clocked in at just over an hour. A slight disappointment after the great start - 3 out of 5
Borderline cheesy, but fun in that classic hip-hop way. Latifah is a limber, skilled rapper, and the album has a positive, energetic mood. I enjoyed it, though it got a bit repetitive. 3
Pretty hot or miss album for me. Some songs were excellent and others just reminded me of how corny and aged a lot of rap from this time sounds to me. Favorite Songs: Ladies First, A King and Queen Creation, Queen of Royal Badness Least Favorite Song: Princess of the Possee High 3
Album 7/1001. Listened 1/14/2026. So impressed by a woman rapping with men. Not my favorite genre but some of the songs I’d listen to again. Plus she’s the Queen.
Come into My House - house track. The Pros - dub track. Cool to see a variety of genres within a hip-hop album - makes it very listenable
Album intéressant … même si le côté clinquant est daté et très américain
12/20 Je ne peux pas dire que j'ai pas aimé, certaines musiques bougent bien, et l'album n'est pas sans saveur, ni chiant Pour autant, je peux pas non plus dire que j'ai aimé. Trop dansant pour moi, et de manière générale, je n'accroche pas à la musique.
3.5
3/5
Solid album. Very good listen. Love the Queen.
Some nice oldschool rapping here, but too long, samey and tiring.
I love this style of rapping. songs kind of blended together but they were still good so idk. 3.5 stars?
This was not as strong an album as I had hoped. I like her flow, and most lyrics, but some songs were mill-like to my ear.
It's okey but i don't get why there are 2 Queen Latifah albums. This feels like it was added just because it was her first. She has a historical value for being a pioneer for women in hip hop in the 90s. Fun thing i noticed is that her flow really sound like a female Ice Cube.
It's hip hop, not really my thing but I understand its appeal.
Yes it's groundbreaking and yes, she was 19 and yes, there are some really good beats and hooks on here but all in all, as much as I love Queen Latifah, this is just average.
3.5
3.5
*All Hail to the Queen* I liked this one well enough some of the tracks reminded me of some of the stuff that I liked actually from the early '90s and this being from the late '80s kind of makes me want to give it a bump. The stuff that sounded more like what I expect from '80s rap I thought was okay but it wasn't the best on the album. I do, however, dig the more socially conscious message of her lyrics over the gangsta lean. My two favorite songs were probably the big singles "Dance For Me" and "Ladies First" which is strange because I actually don't think I've ever heard either of them. I the first three songs "Dance For Me", "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" and "Come into My House" really start the album off on a high note, but it seems to be hit and miss from there on out, with "Ladies First" and "Evil that Men Do" being highlights for me. (7.3) ★★★½
It's okay. I think some of the beats are a bit dated, but still 3 stars
I thought the Queen Latifah album was pretty good. 1989 is definitely a transitional period for hip-hop, so you get a lot of stuff that's more old school in nature along with some more cutting edge stuff. My favorite track was probably the Prince Paul produced "Mama Gave Birth to theSoul Children". Paul was definitely changing the way hip-hop was produced around this time. The DJ Mark the 45 King stuff is decent too. The other producers are probably a little old-school for my tastes. As an MC, I think Queen Latifah is just kind of okay, but I think this album rightfully gets props due to Latifah breaking into what was a very male dominated art-form in 1989 and largely succeeding. Standouts for me are "Dance With Me", "Ladies First", and "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children". 3.5 stars.
3.5
Did not think I’d enjoy this as much as I did. Definitely that early hip hop sound.
Kuuul začetek. ("Dance for Me") (Ful sm vesela, da sm #blessed by the algorithm & zaključujem leto z ženskimi vokali.) Kle gor sm že pri nekem drugem albumu randomly omenila, kok neverjetno amazing je komad od Queen Latifah v Chicagu. Prou najljubši del mi je ta njen delček, tok ga noro odperforma. Kul mi je drugi komad, kjer so featured men tud ljubi De La Soul. ("Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children") Hm, naslednji mi ni tok ljub, k je fakin intense 80s disco beat. ("Come into My House") Ok, naslednji je ful bl prijeten, "Latifah's Law". Tud flow se mi zdi boljši. (In, đizs fakin krajst, samo 19 je bla, k je izdala ta album!) "Ladies First" je hud. Ok, ja. Na enih komadih mi iz nekega razloga zveni rappanje od Latifah awkward? Na kšnih, k recimo na temle, pa sploh ne. Pa Monie Love je amazing. Nekak mix všečnih in manj všečnih komadov.
Can appreciate what she did for the female rap game.
- Rapper e atriz de nova jersey, ajudou a moldar o som da costa leste dos US no final dos anos 80. Ela também experimenta com outros gêneros, como house e reggae. - O flow e presença dela são muito bons, a lírica é um pouco banal as vezes, mas tem profundidade. São músicas dançantes e minimalistas, que falam sobre ancestralidade e o papel da mulher na cultura hip-hop.
Still sounds decent!
gets pretty repetitive
Listened Before? N This is a time capsule. Great late-80s/early 90s rap album that wasn't quite as violent and edgy as some of her contemporaries. This makes is more accessible to the average listener - but with the themes of women's and African American empowerment shining through still. Good album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ladies First
A great example of this era's hip-hop. I've never really listened to Queen Latifah's music, but she is a good lyricist. I like the opening track "Dance for Me" that set the tone for the rest of the album, and "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" which was a great collab track with De La Soul
Not as strong as other hip hop albums on the list but impressive for a 19-year-old in 1989. Ladies first is a banger
Quite liked it
Great record. Fun, danceable. Very good!
Very 1989 - feels like high school era rap as I remember it. Props for Latifa’s attempt break into genre but overall meh and repetitive. Not something I would reach for but appreciate its place in history. 3/5
I'm excited to explore more hip-hop. This album didn't totally excite me but it was fun. Definitely another one that might be better in a different setting.
First time I have listened to Queen Latifah. I could see this album growing on me over time
Good voice and diction. I like that accent, alhough I can't really tell the difference between her and Salt n Pepa (is that blasphemy? Are they from the same place?). Mama Give Birth is horrific with the creepy fake baby voice. But the rest is bearable.
Better than Coldplay
Kinda cool to hear what black music sounded liked after disco and before the G-Funk era. Solid, and fun. Not my typical listening, but enjoyable.
081225 12:56 3.5 / highlight: ladies first, inside out
Jazzy Native Tongues beats with a classic old school boom bap basis incorporating lots of reggae funk and soul samples, agile rapping going through verse after boastful verse, and poppy RnB hooks/choruses. One of the best sounding classic hip hop albums of the 80s, this holds up way better than most of its peers.
Very fun!! Great debut and great time!
Wasn’t too bad, just not my cup of tea
Very skilled rapper but just not enough variation for me
Don't know much about the genre but quite liked this
Another proper Hip-Hop
I'd never listened to Queen Latifah before. Thumbs up emoji
I liked this, but in a sort of a... it's on the radio on a long drive and I've listened to all my tapes 100 times and will listen to anything different whatever it is kind of way.
Some classic old school beats, not bad flow
Was not bad! I just didn't vibe with it
Distinctly derivative despite being supremely influential on hip hop. Queen Latifah will forever be an actress in my lifetime and its hard to ever see her as this bastion of hip hop attitude. Just like LL Cool J the beats are simple and lackluster, the wordplay is tolerable and the messages are true to form. I can't seem to find why this album would be worth listening to in this life. But I won't seek much more than surface level exposure. On to the next one.
Fun beats. Queen Latifah has a great voice and her flow and rhymes are typical for the day. I'm a sucker for the Afro-centric postive raps of this era. Is it as good as Low End Theory or Three Feet High? Not at all but she was a mainstream star with obvious crossover appeal.
i dunno its very 90s hiphop (i know hot take). the beats remind me a lot of NWA. Ya really understand what they mean by calling the genre "hip-hop". I feel like this would be really great to sample from, like from "Come into my House". "Ladies First" has an amazing sax riff and absolutely worth a relisten. Also enjoyed the message of "Evil that Men Do", also wish to relisten.
Tribe but for the ladies
It's pretty aight. Heard lots of proto hip hop like this in my day. Not the best, not the worst.
Fun listen. Was gonna give it a pass for the dated production/flows until I remembered Paul’s Boutique came out the same year. Nice bari sample on Latifah’s Law
Found some things to enjoy but not really my cup of jam
i love the 80s
The Alvin and the Chipmunks track is CRAZY.
Hang on, I thought Lauryn Hill was the first mainstream female rapper? This is almost ten years earlier and arguably even more mainstream (sonically). Although nowadays, it's fair to say that the record's sound is heavily dated. The looping, lo-fi, badly mixed (and I mean *badly* mixed) percussion beats. The unnecessarily frequent record scratches (and other assorted DJ sound effects). This is as 1989 as it gets. Once you realise that, it becomes a more fun listen. But holy hell. You cannot possibly get any more repetitive with hip-hop tracks, perhaps with the exception of having a "King Latifah" instead. For example, the chorus of Wrath of My Madness is very strong, but the verses are unbearably boring. (Except... is that a lyric about ramen? Never mind, it's about rhymin'. Just when I thought it was getting interesting.) This highlights a point I often have with artists that use looped melodic ideas. Without development, and indeed without any human element whatsoever (aside from vocals), there's no continuing interest, no life, no soul in 80% of the sound. The only solace therefore is found in the singing, but rapping tends to take away nearly all of the melody. Ladies First is a huge highlight for vocals, though, because of the excellent idea to alternate sets of lines like a rap battle. It's the most engaging, and probably best, track on the album. Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children is another key track. The horns in the background are easily the standouts – much more, anyway, than the milquetoast delivery of De La Soul. The producers had to dedicate four separate breakdowns purely for the saxes to shine. Weaker tracks include the lastlustre trio at the end (Evil that Men Do / Princess of the Possee / Inside Out), which I describe as such because there just aren't any catchy or interesting elements. A King and Queen Creation is pretty similar. 3/5 Key tracks: Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children, Come into My House, Ladies First
Some really strong and anthemic tracks to seal Queen Latifah's status, but also some real snoozers that weighed the album -- and its themes -- down.
She did great rhymes on a production that sounded so familiar. Turns out Prince Paul of De La Soul helped produce her album, and it totally shows. It hits all those 90s transition rap sounds. Everyone in the 80s had synths, she tapped on a straight up house beat.
sie schono mega 80er flow. dance for me huuere geile beat. aaah beach boys sample wie geeeil. merci sache glöscht. ha gfunde sie het scho chli lycris wo sind "achtung jetz mach ich en hiphop uf dir uuh hippity hoppity". aber sie isch au aggressiv und het mega energie. scho cool. aber text jääh. the pros isch de reggae type song. was ich etz nume so semi schätze. vorallem de huere tubel wo all 3 sekunde "WAAAAH" schreit de sauhund. ewige song au. ladies first isch glaub mega e anthem worde. scho cool. aso au meh substanz als die andere songs. sehr feministisch. die letste paar hend null öpis mit mir gmacht. vo dem her. eig es 2. well wichtig und eigentli cool es 3.
Haha dik, ik ken Queen Latifah wel van naam en weet dat ze een absolute legende is, maar ik heb denk ik nog nooit een nummer van haar gehoord dus ben heel benieuwd! Sowieso zitten we in een interessante hoek met veel vrouwelijke artiesten op het moment. Merk dat ik alleen daar al blij om ben om niet weer een of ander matig indierockbandje te moeten luisteren. Het album is wel een beetje gek. Er staan een housenummer op, gewone oldschool hiphop nummers maar ook een reggae plaat? Zo gaat het een beetje alle kanten op. Maar dan komen we toch weer een klein beetje op de All-you-can-eat buffet veregelijking. Is het slecht? Nee. Is het geweldig? Ook niet. Queen Latifah, absoluut een legende, al is het maar om de pure swagger en het feminisme dat ze laat horen. Maar de muziek is, sorry dat ik het zeg, grotendeels niet heel bijzonder. FAVO: Wrath of my madness, Ladies first
There were two things I tried to keep in mind while listening to this album. First, Queen Latifah was only 19 when she made this album. Now, of course I know there are some people who've made incredible works at that age or younger (Nas started writing 'Illmatic' when he was only 16), but let's not act like that's the rule here, y'know? It's not a "get out of jail free" excuse; it's just a reasonable level of expectations to have. Which pairs well with the second thing: this album was released in 1988. Rap was obviously a ways away from its simpler origins, where the rappers were largely just party M.C.'s there to keep people dancing, though there was clearly still a gap from where it'd end up in the 90's. No one in 1989 was going to make an 'Illmatic', no matter how strong they were by the day's standards. And that's not a knock against golden age hip hop; it can be fun stuff. Again, it's just a case of keeping expectations from getting too unreasonable. And with those expectations in mind . . . well, I didn't **hate** it. Let's start with the technical side of things. On that level, there's nothing wrong with the album. Some beats are flatter and more boring than others, but on the whole I'd say DJ Mark The 45 King and the other producers that show up do a fine job. At worst, this kind of 80's beat work is just not exactly my thing. After that, all of the rappers on here do a good enough job. I don't think anyone in particular blows me away (except maybe Monie Long — absolutely a highlight feature), but their flows and some of their wordplay are strong enough to, y'know, keep y'all dancin'. I don't exactly have any complaints on this front either. But then we get to this album's biggest flaw — though, as a fellow group member said, it might not even be a flaw so much as it is just a consistent annoyance. And that's that Queen Latifah has one topic: she's a badass and a great rapper. Did you know? Did you know that Queen Latifah is a badass and a great rapper? She can kick your ass and flow on these Mark beats better than you can. She'll knock you out and write rhymes that're edible. She can tangle with the best and win and her rhymes are so good that you can eat them. She's Queen Latifah! Did you know that? She's Queen Latifah, and she's a queen, and L-A-T-I-F-A-H, and also she's Queen Latifah and she writes rhymes better than you and she can kick your ass. Besides a few tracks, it really never ends. On every song, she introduces herself and brags about her prowess. And she says it in a lot of different ways, sure, but never enough that it doesn't feel like you're not listening to minor variations of the same song over and over again. And I get why it's like this, I do; it goes back to keeping in mind that this thing dropped in 1989. Back then, as far as I'm aware, a lot of rap music was about bragging that you're the best. That was just the standard at the time. No doubt there were songs that tackled deeper issues, but as far as I know, they were kind of exceptions. At least compared to how much bragging took up most rap songs. And it's not like bragging that you're better than all of these other sucks MCs ever stopped, but, I'unno, on this album it jus' kinda gets old real fast if you're tryna pay attention to the lyrics — and this is **rap**, so why **wouldn't you be**? Even if it **is** "ordering you to dance for her" (which is another oft repeated topic on this album, I should say). And it's not that Queen Latifah **can't** rap about anything else. "Ladies First", "Evil That Men Do" — she clearly has the chops to write about more, even at 19. And I figure on subsequent albums she must have expanded her range into other topics. But on this album, unfortunately, songs like those are in the minority next to all of the "I'll punch your nose if you step to me and I'll eat your nouns." You ask me, I think the best way to enjoy this album would be to take these songs individually. Taken entirely on their own, independent of each other, they're pretty fine 80's rap joints. Sumthin' to keep y'all dancin' — unless you're Public Enemy, I don't typically expect much else from rap in the 80's. Once you take the album as a whole, though, that's when it all starts to blend together, and . . . yeah, it's not the worst experience in the world, but I can't like it doesn't get a bit tiresome. So, yeah. I tried, Queen. I gave this album every benefit I could think of and I guess it still wasn't enough. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if by tomorrow I forgot about this album entirely and went back to knowing you solely for your role in the 'Ice Age' movies. Which, hey, there are worse things to be known for — but there's always better. Sorry 'bout that.
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. Edit: Yes, another rare use of the edit feature here for me to say "why the hell didn't I bump this down to a 3?", and rectifying that by doing so. I promise I won't do this that much more, but... this one really needs it.
Would not buy
fun but got repetitive
Ok
3.5/5
Probably the 1st hip hop album i have listened to.
263/1089 - Competent but samey.
Over 50 albums in and this is only my third by a female artist. That's some BS. Repetitive, but I liked a few tracks. Impressive for a debut album at 19. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Come into My House, Latifah's Law, Ladies First ⭐⭐⭐: Liked it. Saved some tracks.
The Queen’s rule is firm, soulful, edgy
Funky, conscious rhymes. There's funny stuff and not-so-funny stuff, and it all makes sense. Adding another album to my stack of early nineties hip hop favorites. I love the feminist vibe, cooling off the sometimes prevalent misogyny of the time and the genre.
Can't deny the importance of this album and Queen Latifah's arrival on the scene during a time when rap was a swaggering, male-only thing. But I found this pretty boring and dated overall with only a few songs that stood out.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would have, but I probably won’t listen to this again.
Technically, this is a fantastic album. Queen Latifah is a talented rapper, and this album is one of the ones that helps bridge the gap between early and late Golden Age Hip Hop. That being said, I just really couldn't get into it.
Not a big deal for me
Quite good
Je respecte le caractère marquant de cet album et son influence sur le hip-hop de nos temps mais c'est trop répétitif pour moi. La meilleure toune: Dance for me.
Pretty good fun and certainly important for rap and R&B - laid the groundwork for a lot of what would follow in the shape of Missy Elliott, TLC, Destiny’s Child… it does sound dated and a bit corny in places, you can almost hear the dayglo shellsuits being zipped up in the background.
Gives 89 vibes. Not something I would have listened to by myself. Interesting discovery.
Definitely a slice of rap from the late 80s - early 90s. There are a few excellent songs and the rest are enjoyable if not memorable.
Pretty cool golden age party boom bap jams. Wee bit samey.
All hail the Queen
Ehhhh not bad not my fav
É um álbum interessante com alguma músicas em destaque. CVJ Neko.
Piola. Super 80ero eso sí, tiene bases ricas (Queen of Royal Badness) y fue entretenido de escuchar. Bailé e hice unas galletas de avena que quedaron bien buenas.
3.5 really fun and good but I doubt I’ll ever revisit it
Solid late 80’s rap. Queen Latifah has always just kind of been there for me, I’d never listened to her music though.
"Easy" hiphop album where I could understand all the lyrics in one listen. That's quite a feat. First song I felt was like a introduction song where she sings about her name being Queen Latifa and that she is good at rapping. Second song was also about that. Fair enough. Third song I figured that might be all she is going to sing about. Fourth song same thing again. I was kinda into it though. It made for an easy listen, and started getting funny around the fourth song. Felt kind of like a spoof on hiphop albums. Not sure that was intended. Worked for me though!
Oikealla tavalla menevää. Mursi ennakko-oletukseni vaikka en edes tiedä, mitä ne olivat. Välillä, esimerkiksi Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children -biisissä, hyvin ärsyttäviä kohtia. Loppujen lopuksi aika yksitoikkoinen, mutta aivan hyvä.
The struggle is real...to star in films and television.
Preserved in the Library of Congress but I don't get it. Queen Latifah is a solid rapper and this is a landmark for female rap artists - I acknowledge that. But it's a bit boring or eye-rolling in sound, churning out the standard 80's rap/hip-hop stereotypes. Synth and dub and dance all over the place - producers with their sticky fingers in too many places - that makes it sound spastic and cheesy. And the same vocal rhythm on almost every song. Go listen to Marky Mark and you're going to hear the same sounds and rhythm. She's better than that but this is still average sounding at best.
Damn, i really thought id like this but i really dont
as letras são bem boas, mas as beats realmente são meio datadas né.... vou de 3 estrelas (e tbm de anacronismo)
I like that half the reviews for this are shocked that music from 1989 sounds like music from 1989. Like yo, of course. Listening to 80s hip hop is like listening to rock from the 50s, they were figuring things out. Black Reign is a clear improvement in both flow and production, but this album, by a 19 year old woman MC is still important. For what I would think are obvious reasons. Is it something I'm going to put on regularly? Probably not! But I'm not regularly listening to Little Richard these days either. That doesn't undermine the achievement. She's the Queen, and it's a shame she doesn't rap much any more.
Har samma känsla i kroppen som public enemy och delvis ice-t. Det är skönt rytm och flow. Inte så "avancerat" men det är ändå trevligt att lyssna på. Fastnar dock inte riktigt för nån låt direkt. Det är lite samma, enformigt.
Se föregående recensioner av Ice T och Public Enemy. Inte hört denna förut och den var ändå bättre än jag trodde, om än rätt endimensionell.
Good but not for me. One extra star for the positive messages.
Eind jaren '80 en zoals het hoort wordt er op dit plaatje flink op los gesampled en geëxperimenteerd met state of the art drumcomputers. Her en der een Roland TR 808 Cowbell 1 geluidseffectje wat meteen de exacte leeftijd van zo'n plaat verraadt. Net als de screechy saxofoon die bij elke track aanwezig moet zijn. Ik vind het ook wel geinig hoor en Koningin heeft een aardige flow in huis, maar dit soort albums luister ik uiteindelijk altijd maar één keer. Het zal de vaste lezers niet verbazen dat ik dit weer net wat te oud vind. Veel brag en boast teksten, maar spitsvondige punchlines waren er in die tijd nog lang niet altijd te vinden. Uiteraard valt het woord 'sucka'. Niet dat ik echt op de tekst let natuurlijk, maar dat soort dingen vallen me dan toch een beetje op. Ik moet wel zeggen dat dit een stuk minder irritant is dan die Public Enemy albums bijvoorbeeld. Het is geinig dat er wat verschillende stijlen aan bod komen, van soort van house tot reggae-achtige shit. Ik vind het een aardige poging, zeker gezien het jaar van uitgave, maar toch als ik naar m'n eigen genot kijk (als witte man kan ik uiteraard niet anders) moet ik het op een mager 3tje houden.
= the Beatles
Didn't really get familiar with hiphop back in this time, but kind of enjoyed it for its playful and laid back attitude. I am surprised how well this has aged: I still really like listening to this album, have played it a few times now and not yet bored. Love the horns, the samples and the additional voices. Most lyrics don't go very deep, more like battle tracks. Some social commentary. Really decent recording quality, considering the age and underground nature of hiphop back then. Will keep this around, probably buy a CD.
Fav: Ladies First Least Fav: Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children It’s alright ig. Very standard hip hop album but not a bad one