“The Expendables 4” opens in German cinemas on September 21st. The action film sequel not only brings viewers a reunion with stars Jason Statham (56), Sylvester Stallone (77) and Dolph Lundgren (65). Hip-hop superstar Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (48) also has a fresh face joining the successful film series. In the fourth “Expendables” film, 50 Cent plays a character named Easy Day, a new member of the powerful mercenary group.
The action blockbuster does not mark the rapper’s first screen appearance. Many people may know that 50 Cent made his acting debut in 2005 in the autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’, which is loosely based on his own life. The musician was later seen in other titles, almost all of which fall into the action genre. These include “Criminal Squad” (original title: “Den of Thieves”, 2018) with Gerard Butler (53) or the “Escape Plan” film series (2013-2019), in which 50 Cent already appeared alongside his later “Expendables ” co-stars Sylvester Stallone was seen.
These other rappers also tried their hand at acting.
Rapper Ludacris (46), whose real name is Christopher Brian Bridges, is possibly the most successful actor among the musicians listed here. Not only did he appear in the episodic film “L.A. Crash” in 2004, which won three Oscars. Also from the “Fast
Although he was still missing from “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006) and “Fast
Superstar Snoop Dogg (51) has appeared in numerous films over the years. For example, he had a smaller role in the cop film classic “Training Day” (2001) or played alongside the aforementioned Tyrese Gibson in “John Singleton’s Baby Boy” (2001). What is particularly memorable, however, is Snoop’s charming performance as Huggy Bear in the cult comedy “Starsky
The action genre seems to be particularly suitable for acting rappers. Common (51), whose real name is Lonnie Rashid Lynn, was already in “John Wick: Chapter 2” from 2017, “Wanted” (2008) and the little-loved “Terminator: Salvation” ( 2009).
His performance as Cassian is particularly convincing in the second “John Wick” part. With the title character played by superstar Keanu Reeves (59), Common has a tough duel in which the musician can impress with his physique. He was most recently seen in the critically acclaimed sci-fi series “Silo” (since 2023) on Apple TV.
As is well known, rap superstar Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) died tragically in 1996 at the far too young age of just 25. But in addition to the five studio albums that Tupac produced during his lifetime and numerous posthumous releases, the brilliant artist was also extremely successful as an actor. In 1992 he played his first leading role in the Harlem thriller “Juice – City-War”, and just a year later he appeared alongside Janet Jackson (57) in John Singleton’s (1986-2019) “Poetic Justice” and appeared in recommended basketball drama “Above the Rim” (1994).
O’Shea Jackson Sr. (54), better known as ex-N.W.A member Ice Cube, is a truly distinguished actor. Ice Cube has appeared in almost 40 films since 1991. He initially caused a stir in John Singleton’s ghetto drama “Boyz n the Hood”. He played a leading role in the war film “Three Kings” (1999) alongside George Clooney (62) and Mark Wahlberg (52), and over the years has repeatedly appeared in comedies such as the “Friday” trilogy (1995-2002). or the “Barbershop” franchise (2002-2016), which is very popular in the USA. He also appeared in “21 Jump Street” (2012) and the sequel “22 Jump Street” (2014).
Cardi B (30), whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus, belongs to a different generation than the artists mentioned so far. But the 30-year-old rapper and Grammy award winner has also already caused a sensation on the big screen: in the dark stripper drama “Hustlers” (2019), which was highly praised by film critics, she starred alongside superstar Jennifer Lopez ( 54) and Constance Wu (41) the character Diamond. Also in “Almost
Rapper Eminem (50) is of course known for his autobiographical hip-hop film “8 Mile” (2002), which, with worldwide box office receipts of over 242 million US dollars (the equivalent of around 228 million euros), became a huge one at the box office success became. “8 Mile” even earned the musician, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, an Oscar for “Best Song” (for “Lose Yourself”). But interestingly, the now 50-year-old did not build on this success. It remains Slim Shady’s only significant dramatic film role to date.
The two well-known rap stars Ice-T (65) and LL Cool J (55) occupy a certain special position. They are both big series stars in police shows, especially in their home country of the USA. LL Cool J was in an incredible 323 episodes of the hit series “NCIS: L.A.” (2009-2023), while Ice-T, who also appeared in front of the camera for the 1991 film classic “New Jack City”, has appeared in 516 episodes of “Law
Queen Latifah (53) was the only one mentioned here to have already been nominated for an Oscar in an acting category – for her role as a supporting actress in the musical “Chicago” (2002). The musician later appeared in the comedy “Hairspray” (2007) and “Girls Trip” (2017). She is currently playing the lead role in the crime series “The Equalizer” (since 2021) on the US channel CBS.
