She Likes to Watch

Why Ludacris, Queen Latifah and Ice Cube turned to acting careers 

When Samuel Jackson discovered he’d be starring alongside rapper 50 Cent in 2006’s “Home of the Brave,” the Oscar-nominated actor reportedly raised a stink.

It took some conversations with 50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, to straighten the situation out.

“I said to the director, ‘It’s your film. If he’s the best actor you’ve seen, fine,’” said Jackson, who’s professed his dislike of rappers-turned-actors in the past. “‘If you need a built-in audience of some sort… do what you got to do.’”

For the scores of hiphop artists making the leap from stage to screen, having a built-in audience is just one plus of “going Hollywood.” They see film and television acting roles as a way to promote their personal brands and establish themselves in a lucrative  medium with its own special brand of street cred.

Take Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.

A Chicago-based rapper who made his big screen debut in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” Bridges first drew critical attention as inner-city car jacker Anthony in Oscar winner “Crash.”

He’s appeared as Ice T’s ne’er-do-well nephew on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” as platinum-selling rapper Skinny Black in “Hustle & Flow” and as a badass elf in “Fred Claus.” Other acting credits include “Max Payne” and “RocknRolla.”

Bridges stars alongside his “RocknRolla” co-star Gerard Butler in “Gamer,” a edgy, futuristic thriller from the creators of “Crank” and “Crank: High Voltage.” The film opens in theaters on Friday.

Before you flock to the theater to see “Gamer,” here’s a brief list of some of the other hiphop artists currently gracing the silver screen.

50 Cent: Best known for his multiple bullet wounds and checkered criminal past, the rapper made his acting debut in 2005’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” a semi-autobiographical tale about an inner city drug dealer who pursues his passion, rap music. Other credits include “Righteous Kill” and “Streets of Blood.”

Black Eyed Peas: At least two members of this popular hiphop group have tried acting. Taboo starred in “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” and will.i.am played a mutant in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

Common: This Chicago-bred rapper has a better acting record than most. He’s starred in such blockbuster hits as “Smokin’ Aces,” “American Gangster,” “Wanted” and, most recently, “Terminator Salvation.”

DMX: True to his tough guy image, DMX launched his acting career with a trio of action movies: Jet Li’s “Romeo Must Die,” Steven Seagal’s “Exit Wounds” and Li’s “Cradle 2 the Grave.” Since then, he’s appeared in a handful of TV shows and smaller releases.

Eminem: Like 50 Cent,  Marshall “Eminem” Mathers’ claim to acting fame comes from an autobiographical film. He plays up-and-coming rapper Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith in 2002’s “8 Mile.”

Eve: Eve’s self-titled sitcom ran for three years. A fashion icon and actress who made her onscreen debut in “Barbershop,” she’s also appeared in “xXx,” “The Woodsman” and “Flashbacks of a Fool.”

Ice Cube:  When John Singleton approached him to star in 1991’s “Boyz in the Hood,” rapper Ice Cube was initially reluctant. The movie’s commercial success and favorable critical reception may have changed his mind. To date, Ice Cube has starred in a slew of comedies (“Friday,” “All About the Benjamins”), horror movies (“Anaconda,” “Ghosts of Mars”), action flicks (“Three Kings,” “xXx: State of the Union”) and family films (“Are We There Yet?”).

Ice T: Ironically, the artist best known for the incendiary song “Cop Killer” now plays a police officer on TV. Ice T joined the cast of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2000. His role as tough Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola stands in stark contrast to performances in such flops as “Tank Girl” and “Johnny Mnemonic.”

LL Cool J: Currently a cast member on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” LL Cool J’s Hollywood career encompasses both television (“In the House”) and film (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Any Given Sunday”) . Although his acting has improved somewhat over the years, LL’s performances in “Deep Blue Sea,” “Rollerball,” “S.W.A.T.” and “Mindhunters” are almost too painful to watch.

Mos Def: One of hiphop’s most insightful artists, Mos Def made his acting debut at the tender age of 14 in the TV movie “God Bless the Child.” He’s since carved out a respectable career in such films as “Monster’s Ball,” “Lackwanna Blues” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

Queen Latifah: Full-figured leading lady Queen Latifah wowed audiences in  “Chicago,” charmed  in “Hairspray” and tickled funnybones in the popular “Ice Age” animated series. The rest of her lengthy acting career, however, hasn’t been as well received — due to starring roles in such stinkers as “Taxi,” “Last Holiday,” “Mad Money” and “Bringing Down the House.”

RZA: Since his stint with Wu Tang Clan bandmate GZA in “Coffee and Cigarettes,” RZA has appeared in “Derailed,” “American Gangster” and  “Afro Samurai: Ressurection.” Most recently, he played Seth Rogen’s deli counter co-worker in “Funny People.”

Sean Combs: Call him P. Diddy, Puff Daddy or Sean John. The hiphop mogul, fashion icon and marketing whiz goes by his birth name, Sean Combs, these days. You’ve seen him in “Made,” “Monster’s Ball” and the TV movie “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Snoop Dogg: Snoop Dogg’s a movie star?! Fo’ shizzle. He’s hosted a late-night talk show (“Dogg After Dark”), produced his own reality series (“Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood”) and appeared in the movies “Half Baked,” “Training Day,” “Starsky and Hutch” and “Soul Plane,” to name a few.

Tone-Loc: The Los Angeles native made his acting debut in 1990’s “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.” His credits include “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” and “Heat,” plus stints on the TV shows “Thieves” and “Chowder.”

Vanilla Ice:  It took only one movie –“Cool as Ice,” a rap-oriented remake of “Rebel Without a Cause” — to end Vanilla Ice’s short-lived Hollywood career.

Xzibit: He’s appeared in “Gridiron Game” and “X Files: I Want to Believe,” but the only Xzibit movie I care about is “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.” The Nicolas Cage vehicle opens later this month.

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Image courtesy of MovieWeb.com.