Owens still at school and after a brief stint of working part-time at Burger King, she decided instead to pursue her love of rap. She began her music career by forming the all-girl rap group Ladies Fresh with two of her friends, Tangy B and Landy D. Owens provided the human beat boxing whilst the other two rapped. The vibrant group entered talent shows and made various public appearances. They were noticed by a local disc jockey, which led to a contract for Latifah with Tommy Boy Music in 1988.
