"U.N.I.T.Y." is a song by American hip-hop artist

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

from her third studio album, '' Black Reign'' (1993). The single was released on November 9, 1993, in the United States, and on January 6, 1994, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. "U.N.I.T.Y." focused on confronting disrespect of women in society, addressing issues of street harassment, domestic violence, and slurs against women in hip-hop culture. Because of its message, many radio and television stations would play the song without censoring the words "bitch" and "hoes", which appear often in the lyrics, particularly the chorus and the line, "who you callin' a bitch?!" that ends each verse of the song. The song samples "Message from the Inner City" by the Crusaders, a Houston based jazz group. The song was also featured on ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and profes ...

'', Latifah's series which began the same year. There is a second version of song, which gained airplay, titled "U.N.I.T.Y. (Queen Ruff Neck Boot)". The second version has a similar beat to the album version, replacing much of the jazz sample with a hip-hop beat. The second version can be found as a clean version on ''20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Queen Latifah'' and ''Hip Hop: Gold''. "U.N.I.T.Y." won the 1995 Grammy Award for

Best Rap Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously, a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. In 2003, this award was split into separate a ...

. The song remains Latifah's biggest hit single in the United States to date, and her only song to reach the Top 30 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by Mark Gerard who also directed Latifah's video for " Just Another Day...". In the video, Latifah rides a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

, in dedication to her brother Lance, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1992. The key she catches in the beginning and wears throughout the video is the ignition key to Lance's motorcycle. The video also features a cameo by the rap group Naughty by Nature.

Charts

The single gained commercial success, peaking at no. 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single was most successful on the ''Billboard''

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart, peaking at no. 2; the single peaked at no. 7 on the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Remix

A remix version, known as the "Big Titty Remix", can be found on her " Just Another Day..." single.

In other media

The song is played towards the end of the 1996 film '' Girls Town'' and plays during the film's credits. The song's name was used as an episode on Latifah's sitcom, ''Living Single'', and was used as the end credits music for the episode, "U.N.I.T.Y. a.k.a (Five Card Draw)".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unity 1993 singles 1993 songs Queen Latifah songs Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Queen Latifah Motown singles