QUEEN LATIFAH SAY'S SHE GOT HER RECORD DEAL WHEN SHE WAS 17!

When Queen Latifah was 17, she had her eye on a record contract. Her mom introduced her to a local DJ named Mark James, otherwise known as the 45 King. Together they laid down a demo.
"I did, like, two songs," she explained. "I was just spittin' my rhymes. 'Wrath of My Madness' was the A side. 'Princess of the Posse' was the B side. Mark gave the tape to this guy named Fab 5 Freddy, who was known around. I knew he was circulating this music around, but I was kind of on pins and needles. You never know, it's a one-in-a-million shot. And Mark calls me one day. He's like, 'Yo, I think we got a record deal!'

"It was a very exciting time for me," she added. "I was 17 years old and I was off to the races."