Queen Latifah Ponders Return to Hip-Hop

Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee, Queen Latifah, reveals she’s pondering a return to hip-hop in an interview with Billboard.com. The New Jersey native will release her upcoming vocal album, Trav’lin’ Light, on September 25, but is also recording some new hip-hop material. “I’d love to make another rap album,” Latifah tells Billboard. “I have some music I’ve already been working on. But everything has to have its proper place; I don’t really want to drop the rap album while [Trav’lin’ Light] is out. I really want to respect every genre for what it is, and I’d prefer to record a rap album and be out there promoting it.” Latifah, who has become one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, hasn’t release a hip-hop album since 1998’s Order in the Court. While cynics suggest the long lay off will hinder any attempt at a rap comeback, Latifah is confident her material is strong enough. “I’ve always been sort of socially conscious. For me, it’s always mixing some sort of topic with a hot beat and a good hook,” she says. “I think there’s a bunch of rap heads and hip-hop lovers who are my ages. They just want good music that’s not shallow. They really want more from their music. Nobody’s really filled my shoes yet. There’s still room for me to do my thing.”