Queen Latifah performs at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023.Photo:Mitchell Leff/Getty
Mitchell Leff/Getty
It’s been 14 years sinceQueen Latifahlast released an album — but she can still deliver a fantastic performance.
On Sunday, the Grammy winner sang a stunning rendition of"The Star-Spangled Banner"ahead of the New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Latifah, 53, sported an all-white suit to perform the national anthem at the NFL sporting event, which found the rapper and actress returning to her native New Jersey. She sang through a classic take on the composition while cameras filmed around the stadium and showed the Statue of Liberty in New York City, as the performance doubled as a 9/11 tribute.
While it’s been some time since she released new music, Latifah’s career launched as a rapper in the ’90s with hits like “U.N.I.T.Y.” — which earned a best rap solo performance award at the Grammys in 1995.
She’s since placed more of an emphasis on the acting side of her career but continues to perform and recently spoke about her music in Netflix’sLadies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop, a docuseries named after Latifah’s 1989 track “Ladies First.”
Queen Latifah performs at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023.Mitchell Leff/Getty
Last month, she spoke toPOPSUGARabout the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop music genre and said the celebration makes her “think about my mom and how much I love my mother, and I miss [her] and I’m so thankful for her.”
“I would not be where I am today,” Latifah (whose real name is Dana Owens) added, referring to the impact her late mother, Rita Owens, had on her career. Ritadied on March 21, 2018, following an ongoing heart condition.
Latifah also credited her mom for supporting her when she was up and coming in the rap game.
“None of us would be here without those who did support us and believed that [hip-hop] was not just a fad and told us to go for it. I’m just happy that I had that kind of mom who loved hip-hop.”
“Everybody knew who [she] was,” Latifah recalled to POPSUGAR. “They used to call her Umi. . . . She loved this thing called hip-hop.”
source: people.com
