All Hail the Queen

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

The baby voice on "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" is unforgivable though, she loses a full star for that.

Cool grooves, great flow. I feel like I should give an extra star just for the fact that she was pioneering. On the flip side, I want to take back a star for Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children. What the heck was that?? Some repetitiveness across the tracks, but it's definitely an excellent rap album. I also like the positivity in the lyrics and she's one of the best female rappers of all time, so I'll go with the 4. Favorite tracks: Dance for Me, Come Into My House, Latifah's Law, Ladies First, Evil That Men Do.

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

super interessante e ela manda mto nas letra né
bacana, mas me pegou num dia mei ruim (ressacado)

it's not bad but it sounds just like every late 80-s early-90s rap. It's honestly kind of crazy how old hip hop has aged; Like, it's not bad at all, it's just all sounds exactly the same regardless of who the artist is. Kind of crazy TBH.

It is cool seeing a female artist breakout in the genre so early, though.

The song featuring De La Soul was fun.

A pivotal album in hip-hop. De la Soul introduced me to Queen Latifah and obviously they feature on this album. The production is similar in style and i love but Latifah’s flow is still the standout here.
Ladies first is just a classic and always good to hear some Monie Love.

I was a bit too young (and firmly not into hiphop) to have listened to this the first time round, so I don't remember having ever heard any of this before. Plus nothing from this album made the UK charts, so my main source of music as a pre-teen (Top Of The Pops) would have been no help.

This is a really weird mix, as parts of it sound pretty fresh - you could imagine releasing them today and it not sounding out of place - but parts of this sound so aggressively late 80s, it's really jarring. Also, it appears Will Smith based his entire rap style on The 45 King ("A King and Queen Creation").

I enjoyed it, but less than I was expecting.

3/5

and the queen stays queen

The reviews complaining about Queen Latifah referring to herself and her greatness are a bit of shame. That style of rapping comes from hiphop's origins and the mic battles that developed the idea of MCs. It's like complaining that old blues and rock and roll records use the same 12 bar chord progression too much. Maybe I'm showing my age by how much I like the production but again why dismiss old hip-hop/electronic music? Sixties rock and pop doesn't get the same treatment.

Fun listen, I'm a sucker for late 80's golden age hip hop. Quite refreshing to have one of a few women from this era rapping here. I like the songs but nothing really sticks, it's a fun listen but kind of inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Probably doesn't help that I've had a lot of good albums before this one.

I don't think I've ever heard a Queen Latifah song before now (other than her movie ones). She's more of an actress to me! This album is from when she was 19, which is adorable. No slurs, so all hail the queen for that one. I find the whole "I'm the best at rhyming" plot to be so boring and played out, but considering this was the 80s, it probably wasn't actually that played out yet. I'll round up to a 3 because I like Queen Latifah and the occasional background sax/horns, but this isn't really something I'd ever listen to.

Highlights: 'Come Into My House' (mentally dissertating about "What better off position can you be in?"), 'Ladies First' (likewise "I'm conversating with the folks who have no whatsoever clue")

Since getting into hip hop I’ve always been partial to hip house - it blew my mind to find out that this existed as far back as the 80s. Queen Latifah brings a good number of hits to this record, they make up about half of the tracklist and would be a fantastic soundtrack to a party.

She’s got a variety of flows which match a strong mix of production and instrumentation - groovy basslines, saxaphones, surprising samples. She’s a good lyricist but I’m most impressed at her ability to land both serious points and humour, the result is fun but not insubstantial.

The Pros made me really laugh - I love the idea of members of the public trying to match up to the Queen’s level of rap skill. The only awkward moment across the whole LP for me is the roll call of her children on Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children - I didn’t need that!

I will not include the CD bonus tracks for this review.

Is it weird that I'm more familiar with Queen Latifah as an actor than as a rapper? In terms of my exposure to Laitfah growing up, the only work I would have recognized her for was providing the voice for the mammoth Ellie as a supporting role in the Ice Age animated film series. Then, in my recent adult years, I recognized her again for her lead role as Robyn McCall in CBS's revival of the action drama TV series The Equalizer, as well as occasional supporting roles, such as opposite Adam Sandler in the film Hustle.

To me, it feels like once Queen Latifah broke into other avenues of the entertainment industry, her music career was largely placed on the back burner. I only became aware of her rapping chops this past year through her guest appearance on the Jungle Brothers' "Doin' Our Own Thang" and her track "U.N.I.T.Y." performed live with Megan Thee Stallion at Coachella this year. If she started in the rap game, then I can try to meet her halfway. With all that said, how does her debut, All Hail the Queen, hold up?

I will say that this album is definitely within the ballpark of the Jungle Brothers' Done by the Forces of Nature and A Tribe Called Quest's debut, both of which I've already covered in the progressive rap narrative of the Native Tongues collective. Latifah maintains a good lyrical flow as she runs the gamut of Afrocentric embracement, female empowerment, and social justice. Particularly on tracks like "The Evil That Men Do" and "Latifah's Law", she articulated how she worked her way off the streets, despite the numerous disadvantages a black woman faced in society. In a word, this album feels like a celebration of how far she has come, and I respect that while putting the spotlight on other up-and-coming artists, especially alongside Monie Love on "Ladies First".

That said, it does feel like the production is dated. Not a bad start for a debut album, but the beats behind Latifah could have used more impact. Also, there are a few missteps in the presentation that couldn't be ignored, such as on "Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children" with the grating baby voice modulations and instrumental motifs that evoke a bizarre nursery rhyme.

Still, this is a reasonably solid debut from Queen Latifah, and it opened many doors for her and other female rappers to come.

Incredibly disappointing. Paper-thin beats, basic lyrics which all just try to flex. Really expected more from Latifah. 1/5

Eh. Some of the backing tracks got me moving, but her rap style is pretty bland. 2.5 at best but I’ll be nice and round up.

First off, I never knew Queen Latifah was a rapper. To me she will always be Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray. Iconic

This however was not it. It started off quite good, but it got so repetitive. How many songs do you need where you tell us you're the q-u-e-e-n? Very dated songs that didnt age well. Also she completely threw me off when she pulled out the Jamaican accent and started rapping about rastas

2 ⭐️

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

It's fine, but pretty unremarkable hip hop from this era. Not really my thing. I think she's turned into a pretty great actor these days though.

2.5

I guess 80s rap just isn’t my thing