Happy Birthday to the Queen

Queen Latifah is probably recognized more these days for her films than her rap career, but her music continues to leave an impact almost 20 years later.

Some of Latifah's more notable film roles occurred with movies such as: "Brown Sugar," "Valentines Day," "Barbershop 2," and 2010's "Just Wright;" in which she starred opposite rapper, Common. Much like how Ice Cube, Will Smith, and LL Cool J made the transition from music to film, so did Latifah.

Being that this is Women's History Month (and today happens to be Queen Latifah's birthday), I think it's fitting that we revisit Queen Latifah's earlier days when she was just one of a handful of female MCs by way of Newark, New Jersey. Her single, "U.N.I.T.Y.," which was released in early 1994, spoke out about the derogatory names and mistreatment of women in society. It's message continues to speak volumes even today.