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The 5 best Hip-Hop to Hollywood crossovers

There are 5 rappers in particular that have grabbed Hollywood by its horns and have gone on to shine like the stars they truly are; even earning themselves Hollywood stars on the walk of fame! Here they are; the 5 best male Hip-Hop to Hollywood crossovers.

 

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I just have one word, two syllables; Ali.  How good was that movie? Better yet how good was his body?! With films ranging from the action pack Bad Boys 1 and 2 to the awe inspiring biopic The Pursuit of Happiness (I always cry at the end when he gets the job,*sniff*) Will Smith has truly proven that he is a talented actor and not just a rapper with pajamas on rapping how “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. He was the first ever rapper to win a Grammy for best rap performance and have a successful TV sitcom that ran for six years (I still sing along to the theme song…In West Philadelphia born and raised. On the playground is where I spent most of my days…) and to top it off, he is officially a 4 billion dollar man! Yes you read that correctly and he constantly shows us that you don’t have to be just one thing as far as career’s go in the entertainment industry. Oscar nominated for Ali as well as Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith has successfully shown us that rappers can act too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Although he has only done two movies (he made a brief cameo in The Wash starring Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre) and practically fallen off of the face of the earth in the music world, (Marshall where are you? Don’t fret “Relapse” should be headed our way next year) Eminem is an Academy award winner (he won the Academy award for “Lose Yourself”), who would have thunk it?! The first time I laid eyes on him was on a Friday afternoon after school when his video “Slim Shady” premiered on the then MTV TRL. I remember thinking hey! I like this song and I think I like him. Then he did it, he came out with his movie that was loosely based on his life and the life of a person growing up in Detroit entitled “8 Mile”. When I saw the film in the movie theaters I remembered thinking this is the best movie I’ve seen all year! My favorite part was at the very end when they were freestyling (I just love rap battles!) When word got around that his song “Lose Yourself” was nominated for an Academy award, I just knew he would win. Lets be honest, celebrities have a hard time acting as themselves and Eminem did an amazing job at acting his life out. Now if only he could be so successful with his Kim issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ok so I have a confession, LL was the reason why I fell in love with Hip Hop. That’s because I actually fell in love with him (he was my first ever crush). When LL Cool J acted in In Too Deep I thought he really captured the attitude of his character. Granted, I knew he had it in him a la “I’m Bad”, but he really came through on that role. Then he did Deep Blue Sea a film that also starred Samuel L. Jackson, and he played the chef who was a sensitive family man that had adoration for his pet parrot. He switched it up just a bit and did an amazing job. Now I’m not saying Deep Blue Sea was a blockbuster hit, honestly I thought it was a real bore, but it was the diversity in the role he played that really impressed me. He didn’t stick with the quintessential gangster role; he played something a complete 360 to his hip hop persona. Then he did S.W.A.T. (sigh) I forget what the movie was about but again did you see how good his body looked? And no, sadly I have no shame *giggle*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mos Def started out as most would call a “conscious rapper”. Never did I imagine he had other talents besides lyrical skills (how naïve of me). Mos Def has acted in a slew of movies some of which include Monsters Ball which earned Halle Berry an Academy Award, Brown Sugar, Something The Lord Made (my favorite) as well as Lackawanna Blues. To add to Mos’ list he is also a Golden Globe and Emmy award nominated actor. Mos Def is slated to star in the upcoming film Cadillac Records playing the legendary Chuck Berry along side Beyoncé who is playing Etta James. Mos Def  truly shows that there can be versatile roles a rapper straight out of Brooklyn, NY can play and he does it quite well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Can you believe he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Well believe it. Mr. Sean Combs (the man with the many aliases) entered the acting world like a scorpion in the night. He has starred in the remake of Carlito’s Way: The Beginning as well as Monster’s Ball as Halle’s convict husband that was on death row; but the role that set his name in stone or, shall I say concrete, was for his role as Walter Lee Younger (a role once played by the legendary Sidney Poitier ) in the TV adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun along side Phylicia Rashad and Sanaa Lathan; which started as a Broadway play and later aired on ABC on February 25, 2008. Somehow I feel Diddy has a long way to go to get that Oscar but I know he can get it. He has drive and ambition that out numbers the masses and that is all you really need to succeed, that and patience. Do you think he can pull off playing the black Bond?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe the secret in successfully making a smooth transition from Hip Hop to Hollywood lies in the artists’ hands. Pick roles that are challenging and less similar to your character or better yet your persona. Be very selective of the stereotypical “gangster” and “drug dealer” roles. If you choose a role that depicts you as a gangster-every single time-you can bet there will be no need to practice your Academy award acceptance speech because you won’t be getting one. Respect the art of acting just as you would respect Hip Hop and commit your self to it 100% and the rewards will be inevitable; it’s more than just another music video.

For more info: Visit netflix.com, amazon.com and blockbuster.com to pick up the movies these hip hop artist star in.