I have a no-die clause in every movie. The black people can't be dying all the time.
Queen LatifahRead
To me, hip hop will never be right until female rappers have a stronger voice in it.
Interpretation
Hip hop needs to amplify the voices of female rappers for true progress.
Queen Latifah emphasizes the importance of representation and inclusion in the hip hop genre, asserting that the art form cannot reach its full potential without ensuring that female rappers have an equal and prominent voice. Her statement calls attention to the ongoing gender disparities within the music industry, highlighting that authentic expression in hip hop is incomplete if women are not given the platform they deserve.
In practice
During a panel discussion on gender in music, you could use this quote to emphasize the need for female representation.
I have a no-die clause in every movie. The black people can't be dying all the time.
I don't have any regrets. If I could have talked to my 19- or 20-year-old self, I would have said, 'You're going to be fine. It ain't that serious!'
Putting on your crown is really like accepting the fact that you are a queen. You're a great woman. Wherever you are in life, just keep on that path, and so for me, sometimes as women, we forget - we forget that about ourselves. So, putting on your crown is sort of reminding yourself that, hey, I'm a queen, and I can do what I want in this life and take it.
There was always music in our home. My mom and my dad loved music. I remember when we were kids we would have these great parties at the house with congas and bongos and African drums, and it was amazing. It wasn't until years later that I found out that they were actually Black Panther meetings.
It was a very vulnerable time going from being insecure about my body and who I am to becoming comfortable with me. I had to tune out what the hell everybody else had to say about who I was. When I was able to do that, I felt free.
People say I'm going to be the next Oprah. But I say no, because Oprah is still Oprah. I'll be the next me. I feel like there's always a lane for me as long as I'm true to myself.
Relax, ease back in your seats and let the music take you wherever it does.
I only knew classical music, which to me was the only true music. The only way I could survive at the bar was to mix the classical music with popular songs, and that meant I had to sing. What happened was that I discovered I had a voice plus the talent to mix classical music together with more popular songs, which at the time I detested.
I'm really glad we came up when we did. When we got started, the record companies were concerned with building careers. They made sure you could put on a live show before you put a record out. And if your first album sold 100,000 to 200,000 copies, they were happy, because they figured you had your foot in the door on a way to a long career.
The only reason I figured out I didn't like my old records to listen was I could hear how nervous I was and how uncomfortable I was. And who would want to sit around and listen to yourself being uncomfortable?
When I was young and very green, I worte that tune, Sister Kate, and someone said that's fine, let me publish it for you. I'll give you fifty dollars. I didn't know nothing about papers, and business, and I sold it outright.
The greatest voice of all time.
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