Soundcheck: Music In Movies — Rappers Turned Actors Turned Rappers

posted in: Music NewsUrban

It’s never a surprise when an entertainer has more than one talent, and in the hip hop world, that usually translates to rappers trying their hand at the silver screen.  Some have been more successful than others”carving out bona fide acting careers that ultimately overshadow the music”and some probably wish they would have stuck to the mic.  Here, a rundown of hip hop’s adventures in Hollywood.

Will Smith: The Fresh Prince made the transition from hip hop to household name look easy.  Aside from his hit TV show that ran from 1990-1996, he surprised everyone with his serious acting chops in movies like Independence Day and Men In Black. Now, the esteemed actor has movies like Ali and The Pursuit Of Happyness under his belt, earning as much, if not more credibility in acting circles than music ones.  It seems he’s finally found a way to meld all of his talents, serving as a patriarch of one seriously talented family.  Daughter Willow blew up the charts last year with her hit, “Whip My Hair, son Jayden starred in last year’s Karate Kid remake and hit the stage with Justin Bieber at this year’s GRAMMY Awards and wife Jada is still going strong with her TNT show, Hawthorne as she moonlights as front-woman for her band, Wicked Wisdom.

Queen Latifah: The Queen took a cue from her longtime BFF, Will Smith, and transitioned from a hip hop heavyweight to a Hollywood starlet.  She took on tough roles like Chloe, in Set It Off, in 1996 and showed off her comedic timing with smash hit Bringing Down The House. She proved her singing abilities in the hit musical, Chicago, in 2002 and has followed up with a string of successes at the box office including Beauty Shop and Just Wright, co-starring our next crossover champ, Common.

Common: The Chicago rapper made a name for himself in underground circles long before he hit big in the mainstream.  After the success of his 2005 album, Be, he hit the silverscreen alongside Alicia Keys in Smoking Aces. He has followed up with roles in American Gangster and Street Kings, and has managed to remain relevant on the music scene, with his last albums, Finding Forever and Universal Mind Control scoring high marks. Now, he’s taking heat for his latest visit to the White House, after being invited by President Obama.

Ludacris: Luda shocked everyone when he took his raunchy reputation to the big screen and pulled a complete 180 for his role in the Oscar-winning film, Crash. The Atlanta-bred rapper earned the respect of Hollywood without compromising his street cred; which remains in tact after the release of his 2010 album, Battle Of The Sexes.

T.I.: Before his recent stints in the big house, T.I. tried his hand on the big screen, starring in ATL and last year’s Takers alongside Chris Brown. While his efforts were well-received for ATL, his role in Takers was a bit of a stretch, suggesting that this emcee might want to stick to what he knows best.  Still, his undeniable appeal was enough to bring music fans to the movies, so we’re guessing there’s more to come.

50 Cent: G-Unit’s leading man first flexed his acting muscles in the  film, Get Rich Or Die Tryin, where he basically played himself, rather convincingly.  His next attempt was a serious fete; the rapper starred in 13 and then dropped over 50  pounds to play a cancer-stricken football player in his next film, Things Fall Apart. The movie is due out this year, and in it 50 solidified his place as a real method actor, likely opening him up for future projects. In the meantime, he’s not hanging up his mic, recently promising a new album to fans by year’s end.

Bow Wow: Bow Wow has been on the scene since he was just a pup, dabbling in acting gigs between best-selling albums.  He starred in Roll Bounce, a movie suited perfectly for his tween fan base of the time. He also had roles in Car Wash and Hurricane Season, but has since returned to his rapping roots, signing with Young Money last year.  Now that the dog is all grown up, we wonder if he’ll take a shot at some more adult movie roles.  At the moment, you can catch him starring in Tyler Perry’s latest film, Madea’s Big Happy Family, in theaters now.

Soulja Boy: The teen dream rap phenomenon has already added actor to his resume, starring in the soon-to be-released remake of Juice. In it, he reprised the role of Bishop originated by Tupac Shakur in 1992, sending some fans into a fit of rage.  Now, he’s considering stepping into Pac’s shoes again after being offered the role of Pac himself in the upcoming biopic by Antoine Fuqua.