Rappers Who Can Act, The Best Of The Best
- Josh Stoneham
- Oct 25, 2016
- 3 min read
What can't they do?
After rapper, Donald Glover (AKA Childish Gambino) landed the role of a young Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo spin off movie, it seems like the perfect time than any to have a look some people who are great at learning rhymes and learning lines.
Pretty Young Flacko himself made his acting debut in the 2015 film Dope, where he played a bully and big time drug dealer Dom. The 28 year old is involved heavily in fashion and his videos always have great concepts and visuals, so it’s not so surprising that the biggest name in A$AP Mob dipped his toe into the world of acting as well.
Unlike the other rappers on this list, Andre 3000’s acting talents have slipped under the radar, despite starring in a critically acclaimed biopic about Jimi Hendrix, with Andre playing the role of Jimi. Andre’s still more known for his performance of Hey Ya than Hey Joe. He also starred in the OutKast's film Idelwild in 2006.
Tupac might be most known for his G-Funk classics like California Love and To Live and Die In LA, but he also starred in a handful of great movies whilst taking the rap game by storm. Hits like Juice, Poetic Justice and Above The Rim showed Pac’s lyrical and theatrical ability at its finest. Who knows where Tupac’s acting career could’ve gone, but at least we’ve got these films to see where it’s been.
The business mogul and rapper made a surprise appearance in the 2010 film Get Him To The Greek, where he played what seemed like a massively exaggerated version of himself. Although he plays the record label manager under the name Sergio Roma, you definitely get the impression he’s had some similar meetings in his time as a record producer.
Most people are suprised to hear that Will Smith got into acting by accident. After an extremely successful rap career in the 80s with none other than Jazz (AKA DJ Jazzy Jeff), Smith ran into some financial troubles. After filing for bankruptcy, the actor signed a deal with NBC to star in the new TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, named after Will’s stage name, The Fresh Prince. Looks like going bankrupt was the best thing that could’ve happened to him!
Already wowing fans with his incredible lyrics, political content and hilarious social commentary, no one expected the rapper to give such an incredible performance in the 2002 film 8 Mile. Based on the rapper's struggle before becoming a successful artist, Eminem was by far the brightest star in the whole film and even won an academy award for Best Original Song for the song Lose Yourself.
Before the modern day classic Ride Along, Ice Cube was the face of one of the most influential and hard-hitting rap groups of all time, N.W.A. For every rubbish Kevin Hart movie he does, he’s redeemed by his verses on classic songs like Straight Outta Compton and Check Yo’ Self. If you’re looking for some quality Cube movies: Friday, Boyz In The Hood and 22 Jump Street are some great ones to check out.
Photos by The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas, The Come Up Show, J.Ristanemi, Eva Rinaldi, Scott Kinmartin, Dawk Sulce, Alan Knight
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