music legends

Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is a singer-songwriter, rapper, actress, and producer.

The Queen first emerged on the Hip Hop scene in 1989 with her debut album, All Hail the Queen. Since her debut, she has defied the stereotypical roles of women in Hip Hop and film, promoting sisterhood, dignity, and self-respect.

Check out her 1989 classic, "Wrath of My Madness," that introduced us to the Queen, and is etched in Hip Hop History.

maime smith | blues artist

Mamie Smith was born Mamie Robinson in Cincinnati, Ohio in1983. She is credited with recording the first commercial blues recording called "Crazy Blues" in 1920. During her career span, she performed on stage and in films. Mamie was a musical pioneer who paved the way for more well-known blues and jazz artists like "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Bille Holiday. Her success is all the more astounding when you take into consideration the time period and the overt racism that most African Americans were dealing with during this period in our country's history. We salute Mamie Smith.

Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson, born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana, started singing as a child at Mount Moriah Baptist Church and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in the United States. Jackson became one of gospel music’s all-time greats, known for her rich, powerful voice that cultivated a global following.

Jackson was also an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. She sang at the March on Washington at the request of her friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, performing “I Been ‘Buked and I Been Scorned.” In 1966, she published her autobiography Movin’ On Up.After King's death in 1968, Jackson sang at his funeral and then largely withdrew from public political activities.