Taraji Penda Henson (born September 11, 1970) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy (2001), Shug in Hustle and Flow (2005) and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Taraji P. Henson was born in Southeast Washington, DC, the daughter of Bernice, a manager at Woodward & Lothrop, and Boris Henson, a janitor. She attended Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, MD. Henson's first and middle name are of Swahili origin with her first name meaning "hope" and her middle name meaning "love." She first attended NC A&T where she started a major in Electrical Engineering. She later transferred to Howard University.
Taraji P. Henson made her singing debut in Hustle & Flow; she provided the vocals for the Three 6 Mafia track "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp". The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006, giving Three 6 the distinction of becoming the first Black hip-hop act to win in the category. Henson performed the song at the Oscars on March 5, 2006 with the group.
Taraji P. Henson has made several appearances on music videos. Henson appeared in the rapper Common's music video called Testify in 2005 as the wife of a soon to be convicted murderer. On December 5, 2008, Jamie Foxx premiered his new music video "Just Like Me" on TBS featuring Henson and T.I.