Queen Latifah says her late mom behind her hip-hop success

Queen Latifah has recently attributed her hip-hop success to her late mother.

In a new interview with POPSUGAR, Latifah said that on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the hip-hop music genre, there is one person who immediately comes to her mind and that is Rita Owens, her late mom.

“I love my mother, and I miss her and I'm so thankful for her,” continued the rapper.

Reflecting on how her mother had an impact on her career, Latifah added, “I would not be where I am today.”

Latifah also thanked her late 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,” stated the Just Another Day hit-maker.

Latifah recalled her mother backed her from the beginning as she hired her DJ, Mark the 45 King, who later became her first producer.

The Grammy award winner disclosed that her late mom would also go with her to shows and concerts when she was 17, “because I was too young to be out there by myself”.

“Everybody knew who she was,” she told the outlet, adding, “They used to call her Umi. She loved this thing called hip-hop.”

Meanwhile, Latifah will receive the 46th Kennedy Centre Honours for lifetime artistic achievements on December 3.