Queen Latifah has a biopic in the works, and Will Smith has signed on as one of the film’s producers.
According to a report from Deadline on Thursday (September 19), the project is currently in development as a joint venture between Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment, Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Jesse Collins Entertainment.
It will be the first in a slate of Hip Hop biopics the companies have planned, which will all be independently financed through HarbourView Equity Partners. No writer or director have been announced as of yet.
In a statement, Queen Latifah said: “We all came into this industry together, and Hip Hop has shaped each and every one of us. Hip Hop’s impact has expanded beyond just music and has created a lasting impression on culture and society overall. It is a dream to be able to collaborate with friends and colleagues that have not only a shared understanding, but are able to tell these stories that were the backdrop of our lives.”
Will Smith added: “When you bring talented people and teams together, you can create something truly special. I’m thrilled to work alongside Flavor Unit, Jesse Collins Entertainment and HarbourView, to highlight the incredible stories of some of our favorite artists and icons. There’s no better story to start with than the one of Queen Latifah, an undisputed legend who has both entertained and inspired us for so many years.”
Last December, the “U.N.I.T.Y” hitmaker became the first female rapper to be honored at the annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, DC. The spectacular ceremony, which aired on CBS, featured the New Jersey native discussing the importance of the accolade as well as a tribute put together by MC Lyte, Monie Love and D-Nice in Latifah’s honor.
The highlight of the evening, however, was when Missy Elliott took the stage to reflect on how much the legendary rapper and actress means to her.
“I want to tell y’all a little backstory,” she began. “I was coming home from high school and I used to watch a lot of videos and I happened to see this young woman rapping, but what caught my attention was her clothes, because she had on an African print — the African medallion. And I kept hearing her say, ‘Oh, ladies first, ladies first,’ over and over and over again.”
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She continued: “I sat there and I was like, ‘Wow, she’s saying that during a time that we kept hearing it’s a man’s world.’ She was saying this unapologetically, changing the narrative right there. Something that I was so accustomed to hearing, but now I’m hearing, ‘Ladies First.’ Then I said, ‘Who is this girl?’ And I looked at the bottom of the screen and it said ‘Queen Latifah.’ Not Latifah, but Queen Latifah.
“That only said to me that she was saying, ‘You will respect me … I will be a leader, I will be a provider, I will be an inspiration to many, I will be the blueprint to success. I won’t be just a part of the culture; I’ll be royalty to the culture. I won’t set the bar; I am the bar.’”
“Ladies First,” which is also the song her comrades performed for her at the event, dropped in 1989 as part of the New Jersey native’s debut album, All Hail The Queen.
It went on to peak at No. 5 Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs tally upon its release.
