Queen Latifah Makes History As The First Female Rapper Selected For The National Recording Registry

Queen Latifah is making history!

The National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress announced that Latifah’s 1989 album, ‘All Hail The Queen’, will be joining the National Recording Registry in 2023. She is the first rapper to be included in the registry.

Each year since 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) and members of the public have nominated recordings to the National Recording Registry, according to The LOC. “The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” said Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, in a statement naming 25 recordings to be preserved for posterity this year.

The Librarian of Congress selects 25 titles each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old.

View the full 2023 announcement video below:

The LOC spoke highly of Latifah’s album, which she released at the age of 19 years old. In an official statement, they said, “Her album showed rap could cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house, and jazz”. They also recognized how she opened opportunities for other female rappers.

Super Mario Bros also made history for being part of this year’s selection. The 1985 theme song, made by composer Koji Kondo, is the first audio from a video game to ever be included. The LOC described it as “perhaps the most recognizable video game theme in history”.

This year’s registry additions include a wide variety of works from 1908 to 2012. Also joining the ranks includes Mariah Carey’s first entry with “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Madonna’s album Like a Virgin, Wynton Marsalis’s album Black Codes (From the Underground), and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven.”

National Recording Registry, 2023 Selections
(chronological order)

1. “The Very First Mariachi Recordings” — Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)
2. “St. Louis Blues” — Handy’s Memphis Blues Band (1922)
3. “Sugar Foot Stomp” — Fletcher Henderson (1926)
4. Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio (Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)
5. “Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around” — The Fairfield Four (1947)
6. “Sherry” — The Four Seasons (1962)
7. “What the World Needs Now is Love” — Jackie DeShannon (1965)
8. “Wang Dang Doodle” — Koko Taylor (1966)
9. “Ode to Billie Joe” — Bobbie Gentry (1967)
10.  “Déjà Vu” — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)
11.  “Imagine” — John Lennon (1971)
12.  “Stairway to Heaven” — Led Zeppelin (1971)
13.  “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — John Denver (1971)
14.  “Margaritaville” — Jimmy Buffett (1977)
15.  “Flashdance…What a Feeling” — Irene Cara (1983)
16.  “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — Eurythmics (1983)
17.  “Synchronicity” — The Police (1983)
18.  “Like a Virgin” — Madonna (1984)
19.  “Black Codes (From the Underground)” — Wynton Marsalis (1985)
20.  Super Mario Bros. theme — Koji Kondo, composer (1985)
21.  “All Hail the Queen” — Queen Latifah (1989)
22.  “All I Want for Christmas is You” — Mariah Carey (1994)
23.  “Pale Blue Dot” — Carl Sagan (1994)
24.  “Gasolina” — Daddy Yankee (2004)
25.  “Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra” — Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)

Congratulations Queen Latifah! History has surely been made. Congratulations to all of those selected for the 2023 National Recording Registry. This is such a huge honor!