Photo SpecialBecoming ... Queen Latifah
See how the Taxi star went from teen rapper to Oscar-nominated actress. By Serena Kappes
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HIP-HOP QUEEN
The Newark, N.J., native (in 1989) began rapping as a teen, and at 17 she signed a record deal with Tommy Boy Records. Latifah hit the charts two years later with her 1989 debut album, All Hail the Queen. As for her royal moniker, she got "Latifah" from a book of Muslim names and says, "I chose the Queen in part because I didn't want to be MC Latifah."
