Why are so many rappers becoming actors?

    Ice T from "Law and Order: SVU
Photo: NBC

This isn’t to bash rappers, nor is it to say that these artists aren’t allowed to pursue different career paths in Hollywood. With so many prominent rappers acquiring roles in television and movies though, it begs the question—why?

It’s not as if rappers in film and television is a new thing. In 1991, Mario Van Peebles cast Ice-T as a cop in "New Jack City," a film that is still beloved by many. That same year, director John Singleton cast Ice Cube as a Los Angeles gangbanger in "Boyz N the Hood." These two movies helped open the floodgates for rappers to enter the world of acting.

Soon, Will Smith went from rapping about “Summertime” to becoming the Fresh Prince of the summer box office. Queen Latifah successfully transitioned from her message of “U.N.I.T.Y” to the television series “Living Single” and movies such as “Set It Off,” “Chicago,” and “Hairspray.”

Not every rapper is meant for a life in front of the camera, though. For every LL Cool J and Ice Cube, there’s a DMX, The Game, and Ja Rule.

Why are rappers getting so many opportunities to act with successful Hollywood actors? Why are Common ,T.I., and RZA acting opposite Denzel Washington and Ruby Dee in “American Gangster?” Why is 50 Cent sharing the screen with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in “Righteous Kill?”

You can read the rest of this article on my new television and film blog: The Screen Fiend

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Michael Langston Moore also writes for AFRICAN AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT EXAMINER

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Article originally written by Michael Langston Moore for Starpulse.com