Rappers' Breakout Film Roles

Many MCs followed 2Pac's path from hip hop to Hollywood.

Juice (1992) - In this vehicle that launched Tupac as a film star (and cinematic thug soldier), Jackson was the perfect street info man in the role of Trip. His keen ear to the street would put Starsky & Hutch's Huggy Bear to shame.(Photo: Courtesy Island World)

1 / 11

Rapper's Breakout Film Roles - 20 years ago today, Juice hit theaters. Not only did the landmark film give a then-rare look at hip hop and New York street life, it also introduced us to the stormy, intense acting skills of one Tupac Shakur. The movie was a breakthrough vehicle for the young star, propelling both his acting and music careers to new heights. Two decades later, many MCs have followed Pac's trailblazing path from hip hop to Hollywood. Here, we take a look back at rappers in breakout film roles. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

/content/dam/betcom/images/2011/08/Music-08.01-08.15/080311-Music-Rappers-In-Movies-Tupac.jpg

2 / 11

Tupac Shakur, Juice - Tupac's brilliant, chilling turn as arch-villain Bishop in Juice immediately established him as a credible actor, helping him later land roles in films like Poetic Justice and Above the Rim.  (Photo: Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection)

8 Mile, Thursday at 1:30P/12:30C - Eminem's saying: "Yes" to his dreams.(Photo: Universal Pictures) 

3 / 11

Eminem, 8 Mile - Slim shattered expectations with his star turn in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile.  (Photo: Universal Pictures)

ATL, T.I., Jason Weaver, Jackie Long, BET Star Cinema, Flicks of the Week

4 / 11

T.I., ATL - T.I. cracked his Hollywood seal with a starring role in the coming-of-age flick ATL in 2006. The king of the South took off his crown to play a rollerskating teen trying to make it in the tough streets of the A.(Photo: Warner Bros.)

Ice Cube in Boyz N the Hood - Both Cube and first-time director John Singleton made history with this gritty, real film about Southern California 'hood life, but the rapper's ability to reach into his past and infuse his character, Doughboy, with his memories made this an unforgettable debut.(Photo: Courtesy Columbia/ Everett Collection)

5 / 11

Ice Cube, Boyz N the Hood - Before he was a Hollywood mogul with several hit film franchises under his belt, Cube killed it as Doughboy in Boyz N the Hood.   (Photo: Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection)

ADVERTISEMENT
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005) - Following in his mentor Eminem's footsteps, 50 Cent released his own semi-autobiographical film highlighting the rise of Marcus, a rapper from the South Bronx who is left to die after being shot in front of his grandparent's house. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

6 / 11

50 Cent, Get Rich or Die Tryin' - Fif followed Em's 8 Mile blueprint by launching his own film career with this 2005 film that closely mirrors his life.  (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

Paul in Six Degrees of Separation - In Six Degrees of Separation, Will Smith played Paul, a young man who cons a wealthy white family into allowing him to live with them by pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier and claiming he went to school with their kids. (Photo: MGM)

7 / 11

Will Smith, 6 Degrees of Separation - Will Smith proved he was more than just a sitcom star with his shocking — and shockingly good — star turn in this 1993 indie drama.   (Photo: MGM)

Class Act - Lauryn Hill began acting at an early age and appeared in soap operas ("As the World Turns"), plays and a number of films, but she grabbed the nation's attention in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as the "Joyful, Joyful" power performer Rita Louise Watson alongside screen veteran Whoopi Goldberg. (Lauryn Hill, 1993Buena Vista Pictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection)

8 / 11

Lauryn Hill, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit - Before she emerged as the star of the Fugees, Lauryn Hill showed off her pipes — and acting skills — alongside Whoopi Goldberg in this 1993 sequel.(Photo: Buena Vista Pictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection)

Set It Off, Wednesday at 7P/6C - Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Kimberly Elise and Vivica A. Fox are women on a mission. Encore presentation on Thursday at 3P/2C.(Photo: New Line Cinema)

9 / 11

Queen Latifah, Set It Off - Latifah had already landed small roles in Juice and Jungle Fever, but her turn as a bank robber in 1996's Set It Off showed that she was ready for more screen time, leading the way for her Oscar-nominated role in Chicago and other acclaimed films. She doesn't have a star on Hollywood Boulevard for nothing. (Photo: New Line Cinema)

Ludacris, Crash - Ludacris had already logged screen time in The Wash and 2 Fast 2 Furious, but his supporting role in the 2005 Best Picture Oscar-winner Crash proved he could hold his own in more serious fare.   (Photo: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films)

10 / 11

Ludacris, Crash - Ludacris had already logged screen time in The Wash and 2 Fast 2 Furious, but his supporting role in the 2005 Best Picture Oscar-winner Crash proved he could hold his own in more serious fare.   (Photo: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films)

Ice-T, New Jack City - Ice-T has been killing it on the big and small screen for 20 years now, but his best performance still may be his first, as an undercover cop in the 1991 crime classic New Jack City.  (Photo: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)

11 / 11

Ice-T, New Jack City - Ice-T has been killing it on the big and small screen for 20 years now, but his best performance still may be his first, as an undercover cop in the 1991 crime classic New Jack City.  (Photo: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)