Queen Latifah is a sensation. At nineteen she was the first female solo rapper to have a major record deal. Four years later she became a top television actress and movie star. Today she is rap music's most enduring female force. But how did a teenager from New Jersey become Queen Latifah and make it to the top of the charts? At once autobiographical and inspirational, LADIES FIRST is the story of a young woman making tough decisions and terrible mistakes - about sex and drugs and about who was real and who wasn't - before she was old enough to drive. It is about the reign of depression that descended on her after her brother's tragic death and how she found a strength within herself when it seemed the world was trying to break her. LADIES FIRST is about being confident and sensual in a big, strong body and about blocking out the junk to let in the good. It is about how anyone - of the poorest means or the richest - can hold her head high in a world of attitude. Full of wisdom and revelations, LADIES FIRST will instill in others the same self-esteem, respect and courage that brought Queen Latifah peace and her independent edge.