Queen Latifah (born Dana Elaine Owens), the pioneering rapper and versatile entertainer, has long embodied a bi-coastal identity—her roots are firmly in New Jersey, but her career as an actress and producer, notably in the Oscar-nominated film Chicago (2002), necessitates a base on the West Coast. While she maintains a private residence in Beverly Hills, California, her ultimate commitment and emotional “real home” is now the city of Newark, New Jersey, through a groundbreaking real estate development project.1
🏡 The Newark Homecoming: RISE Living
The actress and co-founder of the BlueSugar Corporation has made a massive, personal commitment to revitalizing her hometown.2 Through her development firm, she spearheaded the RISE Living mixed-use housing project in Newark, an endeavor that took over a decade to bring to fruition.3
- Project Scale: The development is a 76-unit complex with an estimated cost of $14 million.4 It is designed to transform a long-troubled block in the South Ward of Newark.5
- Unit Breakdown: The project includes 20 three-family townhomes (60 units) set at market rate, and a three-story mixed-use building with 16 affordable housing units (for those earning less than 80% of the area’s median income).6
- Inspiration and Name: The complex is named RISE Living, an acronym for “Rita Is Still Everywhere,” a loving tribute to her late mother, Rita Owens, a former schoolteacher in Newark.7
- Personal Statement: At the groundbreaking ceremony, Queen Latifah spoke about her connection to the area, stating, “I would want to live here.8 I might live here.” This sentiment, shared with CBS2, underscores the development’s quality and her intention to fully return to her roots.9
The project addresses a major community need: a 2021 study by the Rutgers Center on Law, Inequality, and Metropolitan Equity estimated that Newark needed an additional 16,000 low-rent units to meet the demand of its residents, many of whom are “cost-burdened” by high rental prices.10
The Bi-Coastal Balance: From Colts Neck to Beverly Hills
Queen Latifah’s residences have historically reflected her professional demands:
| Residence | Location | Data/Significance |
| Former Colts Neck Estate | New Jersey | Sprawling, custom-built mansion on over nine acres with 7,000+ square feet and an Olympic-sized pool. |
| Reason for Sale | Sold around 2014. | Sold to accommodate the demands of her work, particularly the time required to produce her talk show, necessitating a shift to the West Coast. |
| Current West Coast Base | Beverly Hills, California | She reportedly maintains a main, highly private home here, purchased around 2005, to ensure close proximity to the major film and television production hubs for projects like her hit CBS show, The Equalizer. |
While the private address in Beverly Hills provides the necessary convenience for her thriving film and television career—including her Golden Globe-winning role as the jazz singer Matron “Mama” Morton in the 2002 film version of Chicago—her public and philanthropic efforts have cemented Newark as the emotional heart of her life.