LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The ‘First Lady of Hip-Hop’, Queen Latifah, who was recently inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry as the first woman, has shared that she has been “praying hard” for Jamie Foxx after he suffered an undisclosed “medical complication” in April. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, eulogized the ‘Ray’ actor saying Foxx is like a “unicorn.”

Wishing Foxx “nothing but the best,” Owens told the news outlet that he is "one of the nicest people that you've ever met." The 53-year-old songstress further revealed that Foxx has been the supporting element for many musical stars in Hollywood. The ‘Taxi’ star said, “He is secretly behind so many people's success in music, in Hollywood,” before gushing, “Jamie is a unicorn.” Owens further revealed, “And if you aired a whole show on him, you'd be surprised how many people had been put on because they came by Jamie's house and they invited him over to play piano or make some beats or make some music. .”

She accepted that she has heard everyone speak highly of the ‘Django Unchained’ star saying, “I hear so many kind stories about people who tour with him and how he treated them so respectfully and made sure they were all taken care of.” Making a case for the Oscar-winning actor’s hospitality and caring attitude, ‘The Equalizer’ star further added, “I don't know how he found the energy to do the after parties after the shows.” She then shared an anecdote of her partying with Foxx, saying, “I sure partied with him a couple times 'cause he'd be on the mic and singing.” However, she would react surprised at his energy. ”I'd be like, "You just did a whole two-hour show and you still at the club doing another!”” She concluded her approbation by saying, “So he's really the genuine article and I just wish him nothing but the best.”

Are Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah friends?

As Owens mentioned in the interview, she has partied with Foxx in a couple of gatherings and has interacted with him warmly. However, Foxx and the ‘All Hail the Queen’ star are more than just party friends, as they have transcended their friendship to the arena of work too.

In August 2020, it was announced that Owens and Foxx would be the executive producers of a film based on the activist and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. The film was to have the title ‘Mahalia!’ with the three-time Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott essaying the lead role. Along with them, Shakim Compere and Holly Carter were also roped in to be the executive producers of the film. As per Variety, Owens said at the time, “This is such an incredibly important story to tell and we’re thrilled to work with Jamie on the project,” before adding, “Shakim and I are also looking forward to reteaming with our ‘Clark Sisters’ producing partner, Holly Carter, to share Mahalia’s inspiring journey to becoming the queen of Gospel music.”

'It's not a fad'

After the songstress was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry with her 1989 debut album ‘All Hail the Queen’, she told Entertainment Tonight about the opposition hip-hop artists experienced initially. "It's not a fad. We knew this wasn't a fad; we knew this would stay around," she claimed. "We knew that there was no un-ringing that bell -- once we heard that beat, once we heard those rhymes, once we started making this music, there's no way that this was not gonna stay around.”

From there, the genre has not only neutralized all the challenges but also emerged as one of the most successful genres of music. Owens continued, "I feel like hip-hop is part of the reason apartheid was even ended in South Africa, because we were able to, like, talk about it and we were able to spread the word through our videos and through our records. To be helpful with making people aware of what was happening with HIV and AIDS, you know... I think we think about the beats, the rhymes, the fun, but we found a way to spread the word about what was affecting our communities through our music." She added, "It was the message in other records before that... [We were] talking about the pressures of poverty, of everything going on in the city at the time, and people can relate to that. And especially when you put it over dope-ass beats."