From Biggie Smalls to Bugs Bunny, hip-hop has made an indelible mark on Hollywood.
The cultural phenomenon, which turns 50 this month, has soundtracked some of the most beloved movies of the last half century, from sports dramas (“Sunset Park,” “Above the Rim”) to family films (“Space Jam,” “Black Panther”) to critically acclaimed classics (“Do the Right Thing,” “Wild Style”). Rappers’ life stories have also taken center stage in recent years, with a slew of biopics about the late Notorious B.I.G. (“Notorious”), 50 Cent (“Get Rich or Die Tryin'”) and Roxanne Shante (“Roxanne Roxanne”).
Here are five more hip-hop movies that are essential viewing:
‘Boyz N the Hood’ (1991)
Named for Eazy-E’s 1987 song, “Boyz-N-the-Hood” tracks a young boy (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who is sent to live with his no-nonsense father (Laurence Fishburne) in South Central Los Angeles, where he’s taught values of respect, honesty and right and wrong. Written and directed by the late John Singleton, the movie thoughtfully examines themes of class, race and cycles of violence. The film was a launching pad for actresses Regina King and Angela Bassett, and earned two Oscar nominations for best director and best original screenplay.
‘Juice’ (1992)
Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me” was a critical and commercial flop in 2017, starring newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr. as the late music icon. Thankfully, Shakur is memorialized in much better films including “Juice,” which marked the rapper’s acting debut. The drama traced the lives of four young Black men in Harlem weathering gang violence and police harassment, and spawned a hit soundtrack featuring Cypress Hill, Naughty by Nature and Eric B. & Rakim.
‘8 Mile’ (2002)
Six months after the release of his best-selling fourth album “The Eminem Show,” the rap provocateur got introspective in his big-screen debut “8 Mile.” The semi-autobiographical movie stars Eminem as white rapper B-Rabbit, who struggles to break into the Detroit hip-hop scene while navigating a tumultuous home life with his alcoholic mother (Kim Basinger). The drama features a star-studded cast including Michael Shannon, Anthony Mackie and the late Brittany Murphy, and won the best original song Oscar for all-time anthem “Lose Yourself.”
‘Hustle & Flow’ (2005)
Ten years before they led a hip-hop dynasty on Fox series “Empire,” Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard played love interests in “Hustle & Flow,” which follows a Memphis pimp named DJay (Howard) who embarks on a hip-hop career. Rap titans Ludacris, Juicy J and Three Six Mafia’s DJ Paul round out the cast of the film, which earned Howard a best actor Oscar nod, and memorably won best original song for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.”
‘Straight Outta Compton’ (2015)
Exactly 20 years after their landmark stoner comedy “Friday,” director F. Gary Gray and producer Ice Cube reunited for box-office phenomenon “Straight Outta Compton,” which tracks the rise of culture-shaking Compton supergroup N.W.A. The biopic helped launch the careers of actors Corey Hawkins and O’Shea Jackson Jr., who plays dad Ice Cube in the drama. Walking onto set, “it was surreal in so many ways,” Ice Cube told USA TODAY in 2015. “It was like being right back there in the hood. It just took me back to ’83, ’84, ’85.”
