all hail the queen

I’m listening to the (12 years old!) track “Latifah’s Had It Up 2 Here”, and my mind is thoroughly boggled that the interceding years have left the Queen as an Oscar nominee, TV star, and pretty much a household name. I’d have figured, as her music career faded, she’d have retreated to her strengths in finding talent, producing records, and carrying guns. But I guess it’s one of the strong signs of hip-hop’s ascendancy that she’s where she is today.