Queen Latifah Questions Rock Hall’s Past As Her Induction Nears

Queen Latifah is heading into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with gratitude for her peers and questions about who the institution once overlooked. A new interview finds her celebrating an honor she never considered a realistic goal when she started rapping.

Speaking with Billboard ahead of Saturday’s ceremony, Latifah recalled how distant that recognition felt. She welcomed the Hall’s evolution while explaining why its earlier approach left her unconvinced.

“It’s interesting because, when we were growing up, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t even something we really thought about. It felt like they were missing the mark. We made rock and roll, but we couldn’t get in. So, if there are no Black people in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, what kind of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are you? It’s been amazing to watch them grow and change,” Latifah said.

Her criticism came with excitement about sharing the occasion with artists she admires. This year’s class includes Sade, Wu-Tang Clan and MC Lyte, putting several generations of Black music inside the same celebration.

Latifah also described an unusual feeling for someone accustomed to fighting for opportunities: this achievement arrived without a campaign. She recalled calling longtime business partner Shakim Compere after learning the news, with both enjoying recognition that hadn’t required their usual hustle.

The rapper made clear that her own success began with women who showed her what was possible. Watching MC Lyte rhyme at a young age helped Latifah imagine a place for herself in Hip-Hop.

“She was the blueprint for me. Salt-N-Pepa were the blueprint for me. They took us little baby acts on tour and taught us how to do things. I really appreciate them,” Latifah said.

That appreciation for earlier generations also runs through her housing work in Newark. Her mother Rita’s experience supporting children on a teacher’s income helped shape what Latifah wanted those apartments to offer.

Before sitcoms and movies expanded her reach, 1989’s “All Hail the Queen” introduced a rapper insisting women belonged at the center of the conversation. “Ladies First” and the later “U.N.I.T.Y.” gave that position a lasting musical foundation.

BET will premiere her housing documentary, “You Can Go Home Again,” on November 27.