Customer Reviews

Black Reign

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Queen Latifah(or Dana Elaine Owens) is without a doubt the modern day Renaissance woman.Poised,tough,and opinated,Latifah has left her stamp on everything from rap to daytime television to film to primetime television to the business side of things.
One wonder,what can't this sista do?

Latifah's best album is without a doubt 1993's "Black Reign".
"Black Reign" is a very intresting album.Recorded after the death of Latifah's beloved brother,Lance,Latifah was in a blue funk.Depressed and unfocused,Latifah set out to pour her anguish to her music which comprises "Black Reign".

Altough Latifah is one of the most fascinating women in the world,many have always blasted her musical output.Claiming that her music is unfocused or redundant.But "Black Reign" proves them wrong.
Among the strongest cuts on here include "Black Hand Side" with it's mellow,head-nodding beat and Latifah's fierce rhymes.
"I Can't Understand",a song your reviewer can relate to A LOT!,

the reflective "Just Another Day",the defiant and powerful feminist anthem "U.N.I.T.Y.",and the sweeping jazzy tribute to Latifah's brother Lance,"Winki's Theme"(co-written by famed journalist Gordon Chambers).Those aforementioned songs are memorable and uplifting.Latifah is a rap artist who knows that's she a voice in this world so instead of fake credibility moves,she'd rather say something that's meaningful.

"Black Reign" is a strong precedent in female hip hop.And as for Latifah,she's conquered the world enough!(And plus she's from Jersey too-BRICK CITY![lol])

This is one of my favorite 90's albums. I was suprised to see that there was no parental advisory. There is a Hell of a lot of cussing in "Rough" and "UNITY". This album is great. My fave song is "Just Another Day". That song is a classic. This is the best album from Latifah and a must own!

The entire album is amazing...no need to skip tracks. "Superstar" stands out lyrically, as do the more popular "Just Another Day" and "U.N.I.T.Y". My fave, however, has to be the suprizingly melodic and jazzy "Winki's Theme"; the last track on the album. While it is a drastic departure from the rest of the album, it shows her ability to be more musically diverse than many other rappers...it also is the most emotional, as it is dedicated to her brother Lance who died in a motorcycle accident before the album's release. Buy it.

Queen latifah was one of the first females in the rap music businees. she opened a lot of doors for future female rappers. Without Latifah, there probably be no Eve, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, Da Brat, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC (RIP), Foxy Brown, Lady of Rage, etc. This is simply Ql's best album. This is a must own.

I think this CD is great. I remember when UNITY came out, and I got the tape (yeah, tape. :) ) of Black Reign and liked the whole first side of the tape, and most of the second. :) This brings back memories. :)

This album from Queen Latifah still is a favorite to me! Makes me think that a live band is performing this entire album instead of different producers and samples. Especially U.N.I.T.Y. which is so funky--I'm thinking that there are live horns and a band instead of a sample. But there are countless standouts, especially Black Hand Side, I Can't Understand, Just Another Day, her tribute to her late brother and others. My favorites are the Tony Dofat produced songs, with his hard beats and the echoes on some of those beats. Dofat did about 6 to 7 songs, while S.I.D. and Kay Gee did the other half of the album. Dofat gives the S.I.D. songs some tight competition! I still like Listen 2 Me, perhaps Dofat's best produced song then or now. But Latifah's themes of standing up for yourself and making women take control of their lives are a common theme througout this album and that's what I love about Black Reign. I was pleased that she won a Grammy for U.N.I.T.Y.! I've played it more ever since it won. It makes this album more respectable. An album that I still love to this day!

I LOVE this cd. I can still remember my mom playing Black Reign tape in the car on the way to taking me to cheerleading practice in the 5th grade "UNITY" was my song, it also won her 1st Grammy, I played it about a thousand times. I also liked "Can't Understand", "Winki's Theme" and "Just Another Day" This cd should be in every hip hop lover's collection.

Lemme tell ya this is one of the best rap albums that Queen Latifah eva put out in 1993 'cuz that's a tribute to his late brother "Winki" aka Lancelot H. Owens from a terrible motorcycle accident backthen. The tight song "U.N.I.T.Y" is an ode to the ladies who're bein' called "b****es" or "h**s", stuff like that. I'm blessed this doesn't have no warning label or sumthin that saids "PARENTAL ADVISORY: Explicit Lyrics" based off of that label put out in '85.

The song "U.N.I.T.Y" features a sample of the Crusaders (who are mostly my all-time favorite jazz group along w/ Spyro Gyra, Impromp2, Patrice Rushen, Us3, etc. who are my favorite jazz playas) which I read off the cover. This I have on tape not CD. The rest of the songs I might tryout once I listen to the album. Bought it yesterday at CD Warehouse ('cuz I heard they're goin' out of business pretty soon this summer or the fall).

I've always followed and dug Latifah's work back from day 1. From a rapper, an actress, an former TV host of her own show, a singer, all of the above. Yea as I said Queen Latifah is my girl and mostly da bomb in the music, movie and entertainment industry/community.

I recommend all of her other rap albums incl. her latest she put out last yr., "The Dana Owens Albums" (which sure is a good album to have), so hopefully I'll cop that rightafter I dig up all of her other albums. Surely a must for all hip-hop lovers, non-rap fans or beginners, A fanatic fan to any type'a music i.e. jazz, R&B, blues, rock, etc.

I 'specially recommend Ronny Jordan's "The Antidote" incl. all of his other albums, Guru's JAZZMATAZZ 3-part series, Miles Davis' later works from '81 thru '91, anything from Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Barry White, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Mase, A Tribe Called Quest, Patrice Rushen, Common, The Roots, Salt-n-Pepa, Dr. Dre, Outkast, etc.

The Queen reigns in this CD!! All Hail Latifah! This CD was released after her brother passed away, and the song she wrote for him - Winki's Theme - is one of her best. The whole CD seems to be an affirmation of just how strong a woman can be after a tragedy. Great rhymes, fun lyrics, great messages in a few of the songs (U.N.I.T.Y.). Love it!

Reviewers of Latifah's newest album "Order in the Court" cannot believe that she swears as much as she does. If you listen to "Black Reign" and listen for the bad language, you will hear more language than you might think. This album and "Order in the Court are definitely recommended.