Favorite Artists Turned Actors

Samuel L. Jackson once turned down a role because he didn't want to play opposite 50 Cent who was the lead character. He felt that it was below him as a serious and established actor to do so. As someone who had early acting roles as a stickup thief in Coming to America (shoutout to McDowells) and a crackhead in Jungle Fever he's experienced firsthand the climb up the ladder by paying dues first with smaller roles. He respects the craft and I'm sure music, but he's one of many who still have that old school opposition to entertainers gliding easier into the film industry than those upcoming actors who struggle for years for work.

Understandable, but some singers/rappers truly are a double threat and when in a film or on TV screen they convince you they deserve to be there as you begin to see them as their character, not what you know them for. (Come on, Tyrese as Jodi, priceless.) Even if you love them you can hate them, or if you hate them you can love them if they play the role right. To be believable, there has to be a combination of drive and that willingness to be vulnerable on screen.

Here are my favorite double threats with a few of my favorite roles from them.

Tupac -I preferred him at his calm introspective states when he wasn't the wild, loose cannon spitting at video cameras and throwing up W's. He's immortalized with his music, but willl always be remembered best on screen as Bishop, the troubled teenager from a dysfunctional home with a "do or die mentality" who felt he had nothing to lose - not even his friends. Bang. Bang.
Juice
Above the Rim
Poetic Justice
Gang Related
His cameo as Picolo on A Different World (yes, only one episode, but one of my favorites nonetheless)


Ice-T - Ice-T is the coolest former rapper turned actor who doesn't have to really sacrifice his everyday swag for movies or the television screen. He still has charisma, but he's not really that versatile of an actor. Ice-T's list of movies he's been in is actually quite long, but he's best known for his current role as Detective Fin in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and as Scotty in the early 90s film, New Jack City.

New Jack City
Law & Order: SVU
New York Undercover (Throwback! He was that trademark ruthless drug dealer. He even ended up killing J.C's fiancee which really made me hate him.
Stealth Fighter



Will Smith - Not even sure he should be on this list; his acting career has completely dominated his recording career when he learned long ago acting was his golden ticket. Yeah, he won the first rap award at The Grammy's, but we know as much as we love Will he's not on any of our top 10 rappers list. In Ali, he garnered a new appreciation for his acting skills by being able to portray a living legend with intensity and believability.
Ali
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Independence Day
Bad Boys
Hitch
Enemy of the State


Ludacris - He's actually an artist I wouldn't mind seeing in more movie roles; he hasn't done numerous roles, but the ones he has portrayed he's convincing. In Crash he wasn't a main character, but he represented that lost, "I'm a victim of the man" mindset. There was also that complexity in terms of him being a product of his environment and how he felt he could do what he wanted because the world owed him something. I love when Terrance Howards character said to him, "you disgust me". (He may have said, "now get out my car, but I don't remember)


Crash
Hustle and Flow
Guest role on Law & Order:Special Victims Unit (very surprised by his performance)

Mos Def - Who would of thought the guy formerly exchanging rhymes with his little brother and sister in the hip-hop group, Urban Thermo Dynamics ( oh yeah, I'm familiar with Manifest Destiny) and later collaborating with Talib Kweli for Blackstar would become known not only for his conscious style rhymes, but for acting as well? STLM, is maybe not my favorite movie he's in, but the fact he steps outside some of his earlier roles for a distinguished mature one that beefed up his acting resume was impressive.

Something the Lord Made
Bamboozled
Brown Sugar
16 Blocks



Ice Cube: We all know how hardcore Ice Cube was, and perhaps deep down maybe he still is, but writing scripts, co-starring alongside George Clooney, starring in family-oriented films (Are We There Yet?) is officially in the safe zone". People can watch his movie and not think N.W.A or West Side Connection. Not to get it twisted, he definitely could still pull off another Friday movie, although I hope he doesn't. My pick is his role as Doughboy in Boyz in the Hood, because gangsta mentality, gun toting, jerry curl, and all, he just wanted to be loved. lol.
Boyz in the Hood
Friday
Barbershop
Anaconda

Andre 3000 - Forgive me, I may be biased. No scratch that - he nailed it in Idlewild. The reserved son of a mortician who eventually broke out of being suppressed musically made for a good storyline with his character. and the scene at the end when his girlfriend is killed and he dresses her up for the funeral like with "She Lives in My Lap", playing? Pure genius.
Idlewild
Four Brothers

Whitney Houston (No matter what Whitney, I'll always love you) Longtime Whitney rumors and substance abuse problems aside, Whitney has always be a strong performer in my eyes. Whether through her vocal strength or through acting there has always been something authentic about her. Or maybe it's a native Jersey thing and I'm just biased. j/k.
The Bodyguard
Waiting to Exhale
The Preacher's Wife



Queen Latifah- She went from this harsh, out with an attitude take no nonsense young female rapper to a woman who has had her own sitcom, daytime talk show, makeup line, and who has appeared alongside many mainstream Hollywood actors. She is Hollywood. For me, the best testament of her talent is how was she so convincing as the hardcore, brash, go get'em and run lesbian, Cleo, in Set it Off. So all other movies aside my pick is Set it Off.

Set it Off
The Bone Collector
Bringing Down the House
Beauty Shop
Living Single



Honorable Mentions:
Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, and Common.
Tyra Banks - Only for her role in Higher Learning and Jackie on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; her small part in Love in Basketball was kind of weak and didn't really have any impact.

Snoop - For Bones, horrible movie, but gets a mention because he portrayed a pimped out drug peddler from the 70s and I love the 70s. Bad movie, but Khalil Kain was in it. And also, Snoop's never portrays anyone deep on screen but his humor and charisma have made way for him to expand beyond just being a rapper.

Janet Jackson - Not good at all in Nutty Professor II, but she was cute as Penny in Good Times and I liked her in Why Did I Get Married?

T.I - I liked ATL and his small role in American Gangster, but I'd like to see more from him.