Queen Latifah First Female Rapper On National Recording Registry

The National Recording Registry is slotting in some pioneers among its 2023 entries.

American rapper, Dana Elaine Owens better known as Queen Latifah, has made history to become the first female rapper to join the National Recording Registry.

She is also the first black female rapper to do so.

Her debut album, ‘All Hail The Queen’, was selected among 25 others to be preserved in the registry. The album was released when she was just 19 years old.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said the album contains “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.”

The Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is charged with ensuring the recordings are preserved and available for future generations.

“Like a Virgin” by Madonna, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, and “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee are among the other songs added to the registry.

“The First Ever Mariachi Recordings,” John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s peace plea Imagine, the Eurythmics goth pop anthem “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” and Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. theme are among the newly inducted songs. With the most recent additions, the registry now has 625 recordings.

“The Very First Mariachi Recordings” — Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)

“St. Louis Blues” — Handy’s Memphis Blues Band (1922)

“Sugar Foot Stomp” — Fletcher Henderson (1926)

Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio (Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)

“Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around” — The Fairfield Four (1947)

“Sherry” — The Four Seasons (1962)

“What the World Needs Now is Love” — Jackie DeShannon (1965)

“Wang Dang Doodle” — Koko Taylor (1966)

“Ode to Billie Joe” — Bobbie Gentry (1967)

“Déjà Vu” — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)

“Imagine” — John Lennon (1971)

“Stairway to Heaven” — Led Zeppelin (1971)

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” — John Denver (1971)

“Margaritaville” — Jimmy Buffett (1977)

“Flashdance…What a Feeling” — Irene Cara (1983)

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — Eurythmics (1983)

“Synchronicity” — The Police (1983)

“Like a Virgin” — Madonna (1984)

“Black Codes (From the Underground)” — Wynton Marsalis (1985)

Super Mario Bros. theme — Koji Kondo, composer (1985)

“All Hail the Queen” — Queen Latifah (1989)

“All I Want for Christmas is You” — Mariah Carey (1994)

“Pale Blue Dot” — Carl Sagan (1994)

“Gasolina” — Daddy Yankee (2004)

“Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra” — Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)

April 13, 2023