The world sees plenty of Queen Latifah (real name Dana Owens) these days -- at movie theaters, on magazine covers, in CoverGirl ads -- but it rarely hears new music from her. Latifah's last two albums consisted entirely of jazz and soul standards.
"Trav'lin Light," released in 2007, sold 263,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and "The Dana Owens Album," which came out three years earlier, sold 730,000.
Recently, Latifah went back to rapping (and yes, singing) on everything from a Lady Gaga remix to a Rhymefest mix tape. "Persona," her first album of new material since 1997, is due August 22 on Flavor Unit Entertainment.
