Queen Latifah First Female Rapper In National Recording Registry

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Queen Latifah is the first female rapper in history to have music added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

The Library of Congress announced their 2023 inductees for the National Recording Registry Wednesday, and on that list was Queen Latifah, becoming the first female rapper to have music inducted.

“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “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.”

Queen Latifah makes history

Queen Latifah is the first female rapper to join the National Recording Registry with her debut album “All Hail the Queen” from 1989 when she was just 19 years old. Her album showed rap could cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house and jazz — while also opening opportunities for other female rappers. 

The Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is charged with ensuring the recordings are preserved and available for future generations. The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry bring the number of titles on the registry to 625, representing a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items. 

Queen Latifah joins Madonna (“Like A Virgin”), Mariah Carey (“All I Want For Christmas”), Daddy Yankee (“Gasolina”), as well as 21 other recordings etched in history forever.