Queen Latifah has become the first-ever female Hip Hop artist to join the National Recording Registry with the induction of her debut album, All Hail the Queen.
Announced on Wednesday (April 12), this year’s inductees also include Madonna’s worldwide hit “Like A Virgin,” Mariah Carey’s classic holiday song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Daddy Yankee’s 2004 hit “Gasolina” and even Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. theme song, among others.
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Describing why Queen Latifah’s debut was included, the NRR said: “Her album showed rap could cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house and jazz — while also opening opportunities for other female rappers.”
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress chooses 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old.
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
People can nominate recordings for the Registry here.
Queen Latifah has been an inspiration to many throughout her storied career, with Lizzo recently opening up about the influence the New Jersey native had on her music career during her childhood years.
“Queen Latifah is like the first person that I saw in media that looked like me — I mean literally to the point people where people were like, ‘You look like Queen Latifah,’ when I was a kid,” Lizzo said in an interview with Nardwuar. “It was very important to see someone like her be a mogul, rapper, singer, actress, TV host, clothing line, all of it. Look how beautiful she is.”
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A true multi-hyphenate, Queen Latifah won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for her track “Go Head” in 1995 and has delivered seven studio albums to date. She’s also starred in several films including the 1996 classic Set It Off and the 2003 comedy Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin.
