Queen Latifah’s beautiful mother Rita Owens was honored during VH1’s Dear Mama, which aired Sunday night (May 8). After an emotional interview where Latifah discussed her relationship with Owens–who was diagnosed with Scleroderma in 2013–the Bessie actress delivered a huge surprise. She sang “Poetry Man” by Phoebe Snow for her mother. The tune was reportedly a staple in the Owens household growing up.
But here’s the kicker: Latifah brought out Winslowdynasty to help her perform the song. So cool!
During the mid-song breakdown, Latifah recounted a particularly colorful story about how Owens grew so tired giving birth to her (36 hours of labor!!!) that the doctor had to pull her out with forceps. It was so bad, Owens passed out! “But when you saw my face, you forgot about all that,” says Latifah. “You still managed to kiss this sweet face and tell me you love me.”
Watch the sweet moment go down in the video below.