Will Smith sat down with Queen Latifah to talk about her hit single “Ladies First” on his new podcast “Class of 88.”
Smith acknowledged that titling a record “Ladies First” was “hardcore” because it seemed Hip-Hop was “pretty male-dominated.”
“It seems obvious, but it was, like, that was revolutionary,” he said.
“I had to,” Latifah responded.
The “Set It Off” star reflected on her journey to establishing an identity that distinguished her from fellow female rappers.
“How am I going to make myself different from my heroes – Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, Sweet Tee – how am I going to do this?” she said to Smith. “I need to carve a path that’s different from them? Maybe not so far, but it has to be different. So, that was the goal.”
Latifah reveals that she came up with the title as a way of bridging a gap.
“A lot of it was, ‘why am I beefing with these girls? Why do these girls keep beefing with each other?’” the New Jersey native said. “We could do a lot more if we stood together, i.e. ‘Ladies first’. Why don’t I just embrace you and maybe you’ll embrace me and let me encourage you.”
“Class of ’88” is a limited series podcast from Audible and Wondery that sees Smith and guests do a deep dive into 1988, a pivotal year for Hip-Hop culture. That year saw the release of now classic albums including N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and Public Enemy‘s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.”
“In the U.S., hip hop reigns as the genre that influences every aspect of our culture. From fashion to film, the dominance of this prolific sound can be traced back to one year – 1988,” the podcast description reads.
“Class of ’88” has a guest lineup of classic acts, including heavy hitters like Salt-N-Pepa, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Rakim, Rick Rubin and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The eight-episode season launched Thursday (Oct. 26) exclusively on Amazon Music and Audible.
