It’s no surprise when music artists trade in big arenas for the big screen. After all, it’s almost like shooting a music video. Almost. Some have managed to be successful in it, and others, not so much. But it’s always interesting to watch the talents of musicians-turned-actors develop throughout their careers. They steal our hearts with their hit songs, but also get in our heads through hit movies and TV series. Scroll through to see which of today’s hottest celebs made the best transition from music to acting and what they’ve accomplished.
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1.Mark Wahlberg: Most people forget Mark Wahlberg first hit the scene as a rapper. Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch were commonly known for the 1991 single, “Good Vibrations.” The award-winning, now actor, threw in the towel to star in movies like Four Brothers, Ted, 2 Gunz and more, and even earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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2. Queen Latifah: Some call Queen Lah hip-hop’s first lady, but she’s gone on to star in countless movies and TV series (Living Single was a classic!). She now hosts a self-titled talk show on CBS and produces Vh1’s Single Ladies series through her Flavor Unit Entertainment production company. With one hand still in music, she’ll be singing “America the Beautiful” at the 2014 Superbowl pre-game.
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3. Justin Timberlake: Justin Timberlake juggles music and acting with ease. Over the past two years, he’s co-starred in a movie with Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher), released a no. 1 album (The 20/20 Experience), and went on two tours: Legends of the Summer, with Jay Z; The 20/20 Experience World Tour.
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4. Barbra Streisand: Is there anything she doesn’t do? She writes, directs, produces, sings, acts. Her success in her long-running career has earned her 9 Grammys, 4 Emmys, 1 Tony, 2 Oscars, 8 Golden Globes, and she’s still on the go. Billboard says Streisand may be currently preparing a duet album with features by Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Blake Shelton.
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5. Jennifer Hudson: Jennifer Hudson’s career began as something dual, as she was able to tie in her singing aspirations, which were showcased on the third season of American Idol. Though Hudson didn’t win the talent show, she landed a supporting role in Dream Girls (2008) that resulted in an Academy award. She’s since released two albums and has starred in over four movies. Her third album is slated to release sometime this year.
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6. Will Smith: Will Smith made history with DJ Jazzy Jeff when he won the first ever “Best Rap Performance” Grammy for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” in 1989. He kicked off his acting career afterwards starring in the hit 90s sitcom, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The number of movies that followed are endless.
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7. Mandy Moore: Mandy Moore began as a teen songstress with songs like, “Candy” and “Walk Me Home.” She even appeared in Dr. Dolittle and The Princess Diaries amidst that. But she really stole our hearts in A Walk to Remember. She didn’t limit her acting abilities to the visual presentation, either. She lent her voice over to Rapunzel for Disney’s Tangled.
8. Ice Cube: This hip-hop powerhouse has made a second, third and fourth career out of acting, screenwriting, film producing and directing. From Boyz N the Hood to most recently, Ride Along, Ice Cube has navigated from N.W.A in the 80s and a solo rap career in the 90s to multiple movie sequels (i.e. Friday and Barbershop), TV shows, and more for almost two decades.
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9. Brandy: Brandy was preparing for her first self-titled album that was released in 1994 when she appeared on Call Me Thea and before she starred as Moesha for a 7-year stint in the respectively titled sitcom. She went on to guest star in TV shows like One on One and 90210, and in movies like I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Cinderella with Whitney Houston. She released her Two Eleven R&B album in 2012 around the same she became a cast member of BET’s The Game, which returns to TV on March 4 at 10/9C.
10. LL Cool J: Lip licking LL began his career as one of the smoothest rappers in hip-hop, hence the name, Ladies Love Cool James (LL Cool J). While he still recorded, his acting career really began to take off in the early 90s. He recently hosted the 2014 Grammy Awards and is a regular cast member of NCIS: Los Angeles.
words by: Aliya Faust
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