Happy Birthday, Queen Latifah

Today we celebrate hip hop royalty as Queen Latifah, the girl from Newark who went on to conquer Hollywood, turns 42.

The Renaissance woman — she’s an actress, singer, rapper, producer, spokesmodel and fashion designer — shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She is currently the executive producer of the hit sitcom Let’s Stay Together and VH1’s Single Ladies and she has signed on as a celebrity judge for a new talent show, Star Next Door, that will air on the CW network this spring. Next year, the Queen will make daytime television her kingdom with the debut of her self-titled talk show.

On a personal note, Latifah recently told More Magazine that she is ready to start a family. “I’m definitely going to adopt — or have — a child. I’ve wanted to adopt since I was 17 or 18 years old.”

Happy Birthday to you, Queen Latifah!