Pic of the Day: First Look at Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith

HBO has set May 16, as the release date for the Dee Rees’ (Pariah) helmed Bessie Smith biopic, aptly named Bessie, which stars Queen Latifah as the ahead-of-her-time queer chanteuse.  And even better than that, the first stills from the film are out now!

Smith, born in 1912, in Chattanooga, Tenn., is widely credit with introducing the blues into popular American music. She kicked off her career performing with Ma Rainey and enjoyed a solid career, becoming the highest paid African American performer of the ‘20s.  Her career began to wane during the Great Depression, when the recording industry was in decline, according to the University of Illinois website. A pioneer on many fronts, Smith sang songs with explicit lesbian lyrics, including “It’s Dirty But Good.” A married woman, Smith was said to keep many female lovers.

Latifah played lesbian in the '90s heist movie Set it Off, and her Mama Morton in Chicago was arguably Sapphic. We’re confident this third time will definitely charm.

Here’s Latifah in the lead role. 

And here's Mo'Nique as the legendary Ma Rainey!