The Best Rappers Turned Actors

1.
LL has actually been acting almost as long as he's been rapping, making his debut opposite Goldie Hawn in Wildcats in 1986. The Queens, NY native has worked with Oliver Stone, Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams, among many others. He currently can be seen on NCIS: Los Angeles. 

2.
The real pioneer of the rapper-as-actor phenomena is Ice-T, who made his feature debut in 1983's Breakers. However, it was his turn as undercover cop Scotty Appleton in New Jack City that legitimized his interest in acting. He's been a mainstay on the big and small screens ever since.

3.
 Cube's big screen debut came as Doughboy in John Singleton's influential Boyz in the Hood back in 1991. He turned down the Tupac role in Poetic Justice, but soon after won many fans with his turn in Friday with Chris Tucker. He has produced and appeared in many projects since and currently executive produces his own TV show on TBS:

4.
 The former Fresh Prince turned himself into one of the world's biggest movie stars and box office success stories. Although his rapping portfolio isn't quite as credible as say, Ice Cube's, he has enjoyed the greatest success of any rapper from his foray into acting. Smith was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award twice, for Ali and The Pusuit of Happyness

5.
 The Queen is known more as an actress than rapper at this point, but it was her rapping that got her there. She started off working with Spike Lee in Jungle Fever; rapping/acting pioneers Kid N' Play in House Party 2 in 1991; and opposite Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps in Juice. She has since become one of the most recognizable and successful actors in Hollywood, earning an Academy Award nomination for Chicago in 2002.

6.
 Forever etched in cinema history for his role in the Jim Carrey classic, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Tone has been a big screen mainstay for over 20 years. The 'Funky Cold Medina' rapper's signature voice makes any of his characters memorable. His career highlights also include his work with Tupac Shakur in Poetic Justice and with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in Heat.

7.
 OK so he wasn't the greatest rapper on the planet, but the former Marky Mark did have a platinum single in 1991 with 'Good Vibrations.' He has since become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood after breaking out with his performance as Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson's seminal Boogie Nights. We're sure his prowess on the mic no doubt helped Diggler's performance of "Feel My Heat." 

8.
Busta-Bust has appeared in a dozen films and lent his unique voice to characters on The Boondocks and also in The Rugrats Movie. He had a memorable appearance in Shaft with Samuel L. Jackson and Christian Bale, but his best scenes came opposite Sean Connery in Gus Van Sant's

9.
Mos Def
One of rap's greatest talents, Mos has been acting through the 90's, mainly in bit parts on TV (he was on Spin City & NYPD Blue). He was finally noticed for his small role in Marc Forster's Monster's Ball and has since become a sought-after acting talent. You can see him this Fall in season 6 of Dexter on Showtime.

10.
Method Man
The Wu Tang member is known for his grimey, gritty mic style and has used that identity in his vivid performances as an actor. His first real role was as a violent convict on Oz and he has since played a variety of roles in comedies (How High) and dramas (The Wire, Garden State).

11.
Eve has sold over 8 million albums worldwide and launched a successful acting career back in 2002. Probably best known for her role as Terri Jones in the Barbershop movies, Eve has starred in her own TV show on UPN, aptly titled Eve and also recently appeared on two episodes of Glee. The former stripper and Ruff Ryders' first lady has come a long way.

12.
Romany Malco
The College Boyz rapper has a great acting career thanks to John Leguizamo who met him on the set of The Pest and encouraged him to act. His big break was landing the role of MC Hammer in the VH1 telepic Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story in 2001 and has been in many popular films and TV shows since. Malco's most memorable role was probably as Steve Carrell's SmartTech buddy in The 40 Year Old Virgin. 

13.
Rza

The Wu Tang leader is one of the most respected hip hop producers and rappers in the game. In addition to composing scores for films like Ghost Dog and Kill Bill Vol. I, the Brooklyn rapper has appeared in over a dozen movies, working with the likes of Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, and Todd Phillips. He has a natural comedic style and has been praised for his small roles in Coffee & Cigarettes, Funny People and Due Date.

14.

Eminem

Maybe the best known rapper on the planet, Mr. Mathers has only begun to transition to acting. His lone starring role, in Curtis Hanson's 8 Mile, was written for and about him and he was widely praised for his performance. His music videos also transcend the genre as Em  often plays characters and improvises on set. Like Rza, he also had a great cameo as himself in Funny People.

15.

Common got into the acting game a little late compared to his colleagues. He has, nonetheless, become a force onscreen. In a few short years, he has gone from bit roles on TV to playing opposite Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, and Christian Bale, just to name a few. The Chi-city product continues to rap and is widely respected as both a performer and, now, as an actor.

 16.

 Luda Chris Bridges, like Queen Latifah, appeared in an Academy Award-winning Best Picture (Crash, 2004). The hugely successful southern rapper made his transition into film back in 2001 and has since appeared in two of the Fast & Furious films, Hustle & Flow, and in Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla. Our favorite Luda role, however, came against type as a shrunken elf in Fred Claus, with Vince Vaughn.

17.

Lord Jamar

 The Brand Nubian rapper first showed up on Oz as the dreadlocked "Supreme Allah," one of the show's more memorable convicts. A perfect character actor, he has also appeared in an episode of The Sopranos and on several Law & Order episodes.

18.

Andre` 3000 becomes Andre' Benjamin for his film roles. A natural in front of the camera, Benjamin has done serious drama (Four Brothers) and a Will Ferrell comedy (Semi-Pro). He hasn't done anything in a while so we're hoping he shows up again in Hollywood soon.

19.

Fredro Starr

As 1/3 of Onyx, Starr stood out for his snarling, lip-curling and guttural style on the mic. He got into acting in the early 90's, including a role in Spike Lee's Clockers. He has since stopped rapping to concentrate fully on his acting career

 20.

P Diddy first appeared in Jon Favreau's Made in 2001. Although not focused too seriously on his acting career, he has impressed in his few roles. His best being a convict on death row in Monster's Ball where he held his own opposite Halle Berry. His net worth is upwards of $475 million so he doesn't exactly need to go on auditions.

Posted by Daxx on friday 19th oct 2012