Rappers Turned Actors

Hey, remember this Ice Cube? The one from Boyz N The Hood, Higher Learning and Friday? The one who would more than likely bust several caps in the present day Are We There Yet? Ice Cube? From time to time, it's good to remind yourself that, not only was Cube (O'Shea Jackson) one of America's most dangerous rappers, but one hell of a rapper turned actor as well. This was before he realized he could make a ton of money doing the whole family-friendly routine.

Looking back on it now, the actor formerly known as the rapper Marky Mark (with his cotiere of ne'er do well's, The Funky Bunch) was almost comical. Here's a video of The Funky Bunch, in case need a reminder. Not only did Wahlberg have a shady past that would make most hardcore gangsta rappers say "daaayman!" (which included a conviction for attempted murder) there's no arguing with the numbers (his debut album Music for the People went Platinum). Needless to say, these days, Wahlberg is one of Hollywood's top actors and producers with a list of solid performances and credits too lengthy to list.

A hip-hop pioneer not only for female rappers but for the musical genre as a whole, Latifah continues to release albums alongside her award-winning career as a rapper turned actor, err, actress. Much like her music, where she can go from spitting lyrical fire to crooning with the best of them, Latifah has no problem playing it straight (Chicago, Set It Off) or supplying the laughs (30 Rock, Bringing Down the House).

On top of making certifiable rump-shakin' tracks, "Hey Ya!," Andre 3000 has proven he's just as eccentric with his filmography as he is with his only-he-can-pull-it-off look seen on Celebrity Clothing Line. Just try and find a more diverse rapper turned actor repertoire than Dre's roles as Jeremiah Mercer in Four Brothers, Percival in Idlewild, Django in Battle in Seattle and Clarence Withers/Coffee Black/Downtown "Funky Stuff" Malone/Sugar Dunkerton/"Jumping" Johnny Johnson in Semi-Pro.