Source: General / Radio One
While Hip-Hop History Month is all about celebrating the musical aspect, we all know good and well that the culture itself is defined by various components that exist outside of lyrical prowess — fashion, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and even personality each play a part in forming the quintessential rap star. However, outside of the Billboard hits and chart-topping albums, the next biggest avenue that helped catapult the genre to astronomical status is hip-hop shift into Hollywood.
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As you can see from the emcees above who had prominent roles on TV and film this past year, the rapper-turned-rapper trope is one that many aspire towards yet only a handful are actually successful. Sure, star power can land you an acting role, but it takes a true multifaceted talent to earn the respect of Tinseltown and movie buffs across the globe. That’s one of the reasons why we felt the need to highlight this specific talent for Hip-Hop History Month, in addition to the key players that can seamlessly transition from the studio to the set of a film.
We used specific criteria to select the masters of ceremony (and cinema!) on this list, so you may not see your fave included for good reason. No, we didn’t incorporate “actors-turned-rappers” — sorry Drake, we still love you Donald Glover and you were phenomenal in Sister Act 2, Lauryn Hill! Also, a lack of films roles albeit amazing potential eliminated talented acts like Kendrick Lamar, who got rave reviews for his sole role (so far) as Laces in Season 5 of Power, and Nicki Minaj who has only four movies to her name — two of them are simply voice-acting roles. Finally, and we mean no offense, but no one who’s essentially played themselves in every film *stares at T.I. and Diddy.*
With those stipulations in order, take a look below at 20 of the best rappers-turned-actors in celebration of Hip-Hop History Month. Let us know if you agree by sounding off over on our social handles:
- Hip-Hop History Month: Graffiti & The Evolution of Hip Hop Into Art
- Hip-Hop History Month: Respect The Beatboxer
- Hip-Hop History Month: The History Of The Hip-Hop Radio Mix Show
