With Black Reign, Queen Latifah ascended to new heights of stardom and status. Now the hip-hop legend’s 1993 album, which options the Grammy-winning “U.N.I.T.Y.,” is about for a 2LP black vinyl reissue.
Black Reign arrived in 1993, as Latifah’s star was on the rise. She had already begun her acclaimed performing profession with roles in movies like Home Occasion 2 and Juice and had simply begun her run as lead character Khadijah James on the beloved Fox sitcom Residing Single. On the music facet, she was attracting business success and demanding acclaim as a member of the Native Tongues motion alongside friends like De La Soul and Monie Love, each of whom appeared on her 1989 debut All Hail The Queen. As president of the thriving Taste Unit collective as nicely, she was carrying robust momentum from her 1991 sophomore album Nature of a Sista.
The Black Reign period led to a number of essential milestones for Latifah and for rap music at giant. It turned the primary album by a solo feminine rapper to be licensed Gold by the Recording Business Affiliation of America. In the meantime, lead single “U.N.I.T.Y.,” her first tune to land on the Billboard Scorching 100, went on to win the Grammy for Finest Rap Solo Efficiency. Interpolating Desmond Dekker’s “Unity,” the observe communicated a strong message about respecting ladies inside hip-hop tradition and society at giant, one which resonated all through tradition. “Just Another Day…” and “Weekend Love” adopted “U.N.I.T.Y.” onto the pop chart.
AllMusic Information has praised Black Reign as “a return to the tough-talking, lyrically frank, frequently controversial material that established her as arguably the finest female rapper.” In the meantime, a retrospective evaluation from BET located the album as Latifah’s greatest work: “On songs like ‘Rough’ featuring KRS-One, Treach, and Heavy D or ‘Superstar,’ she proved that for all her musical talents, she remained a rapper first and had the skills that allowed her to keep up with anyone on a track with her.”
Order Queen Latifah’s Black Reign on vinyl now.
