Queen Latifah. Actress: Chicago. Often considered hip-hop's first lady, the woman behind the moniker Queen Latifah was born Dana Elaine Owens on Ma, in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Rita (Bray), a teacher, and Lancelot Owens Sr. She came from a police family-both her father and her older brother were cops-which would later influence her rhyming style and life.