All Hail Queen Latifah's Clever Wordplay

THE songs on ``All Hail the Queen'' run the gamut from ``The Evil Men Do,'' a rap about society's ills to ``Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children,'' a sweet and funny number about Queen Latifah's ``rap family.'' On ``Mama,'' she's joined by her buddies, the members of DeLa Soul, rapping to their ``Mommie'' in speeded-up chipmunk voices. (``It's like we have a little family, and they all call me mom.'') Credit for the creative arrangements goes D.J. Mark, the 45 King, who also produced the album.

On her so-called self-glorification raps, Queen Latifah's edge is hard but never violent. Where, for instance, M.C. Lyte might talk about poking her opponents' eyes out and putting them in the hospital, Queen Latifah prefers a more cerebral approach.

In Latifah's ``The Pros,'' a duet with Daddy-O from the Stetsasonic group, she talks about challenging a female rapper: ``As soon as she attempted to make a sound/ I ate her up with a verb/ broke her down with a noun.''