During the past three decades, hip-hop and Hollywood have become increasingly involved with one another. Like musicians of other music genres, many rappers have dabbled in acting with occasional success. We will take a look at the two main types of hip-hop-Hollywood flicks: movies starring rappers and movies about aspiring rappers. Let's start off by examining the former category.
Before making the leap to films, all rappers should be warned that acting usually involves more than looking like a tough pimp. Of all the rappers who have tested their chops in the Hollywood scene, only two have been more successful actors than musicians. Can you guess who? I'll give you a hint: they both had hit singles and emerged during the 90s. Got it yet? That's right - Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg; or as they were known when they were busy spittin' on the mics, the Fresh Prince and Marky Mark.
Smith's biggest musical hit was "Gettin' Jiggy wit It," and on the big screen he has starred in movies such as Independence Day, Hitch and I Am Legend. Smith also has managed to provide soundtracks for a few of his other acting gigs, including blockbuster Men In Black and his hit television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Wahlberg had less success in the music business, leading his group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to its one-hit wonder, "Good Vibrations." With fantastic films such as Boogie Nights and The Italian Job, Wahlberg redefined himself from tough-looking shirtless rapper to skilled actor.
Other than these two guys, only a few hip-hop artists have garnered any critical acclaim in the movies. Here's my "All-Star" list: Ludacris, Mos Def, T.I., Eminem and Ice Cube. Luda' (Crash), Mos Def (The Italian Job) and T.I. (American Gangster) all make the team because of their supporting roles in excellent movies. Eminem, with his semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile, serves as a rare case where the two categories of hip-hop and film combined successfully. Ice Cube provides a peculiar dilemma because his career has been a constant coin flip between prime steak and greasy cafeteria pizza. On the upside, he's got Boyz N The Hood, Higher Learning and Barbershop. Opposing those are stinkers First Sunday, xXx: State of the Union and Torque. Fortunately, the good outweigh the bad here. Who are the worst rappers turned actors? 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Xzibit should stick to their skill set - which is rap, not acting.
Now, let's discuss those aspiring rapper movies. Far fewer movies fit this category, but they also tend to be consistently better - with the exception of 50 Cent's terrible Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Some of the top flicks in this group are Notorious, 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow. Hustle, an inspiring hit from director Craig Brewer, earned Terrence Howard an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of DJay, a pimp trying to fulfill his dreams of rapping. Of all the movies in this article, Hustle & Flow is my only "must-see" movie. Although the hip-hop-Hollywood combo has worked sporadically, I would urge all rappers and directors to think heavily about their careers and abilities before delving into this realm of filmmaking.
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