Not One Trick Ponies: Celebrating These Artists Turned Actors!

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Do you remember the first time you watched ‘The WIz?’ Did you realize right away that the woman who had the leading role in the film was the legendary singer Diana Ross? Or did it take a few watches to realize that someone of her stature musically was starring in a feature film? Let’s not forget that Michael Jackson was also a star in that same film. What did you think the first time you seen Method Man and Redman playing the obnoxious duo that got into Harvard University by smoking the ashes of their deceased friend in How High? What was your reaction to the legendary scene in Set It Off when Queen Latifah delivered one of the most gut-wrenching performances we’ve ever seen on screen? Was it shocking to you that someone you heard on the radio could also be that talented in front of a camera?

Source: N/A / HBO

Just as sports and music are synonymous, you can say the same thing for music and acting. For as long as we can remember, artists have always had their eyes on being more than just one trick ponies. Also, in the same vein, producers, directors and filmmakers in general are always looking for what will get their films the biggest draw. This is where the two sides meet and mutually benefit each other. Oftentimes, adding a well known musician to the cast of your movie does wonders. Established names with their own fanbases bring more eyes to films and also gives musicians a chance to show off the skills that fans might not have known they had. There have been countless artists who have started off on the music side and eventually dabbled in the acting world. There are also some who have fully immersed themselves into the life and have somewhat left music in the past.

To celebrate the multi-faceted bunch, we created a gallery of some of our favorite artists turned actors and some of the scenes we love from them and some of their work that you should check out. There are a ton of them. With that being said, we have also included an honorable mentions list for those who might not have as much work under their resumes as some others but still have made noteworthy appearances and are on their way to becoming two way superstars.

Honorable Mentions:

• Cardi B (Hustlers, F9)
• LightSkinKeisha (Power Book II: Ghost)
• Kendrick Lamar (Power Ep 505)
• Ashanti (Coach Carter, John Tucker Must Die)
• Nicki Minaj (Barbershop: The Next Cut)
• Ray J (Moesha)
• Chris Brown (Stomp the Yard, This Christmas, Takers)
• Dave East (Wu Tang: An American Saga)
• Freddie Gibbs (Power Book IV: Force, Bust Down)
• Joey Badass (Power Book III: Raising Kanan)
• Kash Doll (BMF)
• Mary J. Blige (Mudbound, Power Book II: Ghost)
• Rihanna (Battleship, Ocean’s 8)

Let us know who’s your favorite and if you think we forgot anyone in the comments.