Rapper biopic movies
The Best Rapper Biography Films (According To Box-Office Earnings)
During the earlier days of its formation, even until now, hip-hop, as a genre, is often seen as a therapeutic way of escaping the unhappy lives of its creators and listeners. Most of the time, it has been serving as the voice of the voiceless.
Biography movies about musicians Whether fictional or based on true stories, these amazing movies about musicians and bands will inspire, enlighten, or even terrify.While hip-hop has risen from a garage in the Bronx to one of the world's most beloved genres today, it wasn't always like that. Many didn't see hip-hop and rap as a form of art at all, and it took us quite some time to see the genre becoming appreciated by the mainstream audience.
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However, rappers live to tell their tales through their music.
Many of them come from a struggle in whatever form it is: some were overlooked in the battle rap community because of their skin color, or were shot nine times yet survived, or just simply raised in a dangerous neighborhood and were determined to make it out. Presented based on box office earnings, here are some of the best biographical films of rappers, ranked.
7 'Krush Groove' ($11 M)
Krush Groove takes us back to the early days of Def Jam Recordings, the same imprint that brought us Kanye West, Nas, 2 Chainz, Jeremih, LL Cool J, DMX, and more.
Rapper biography movies about singers and musicians The movies about rap and rappers on our list are not just about the music. They delve deeper, exploring the socio-cultural contexts, personal struggles, dreams, and motivations of each unique character.The movie stars Blair Underwood as then-up-and-coming producer Russell Simmons (renamed Russell Walker). The plot of the film centers around his struggles to balance between his personal business and keeping the label afloat with artists like Run-D.M.C. and Kurtis Blow.
6 'Hustle & Flow' ($ M)
Hustle & Flow is based on real-life Memphis-based rappers Kingpin Skinny Pimp & Tommy Wright III, the latter often hailed as the pioneer of trap production in the South Memphis area.
The film is a tale of an underdog: a street hustler and a pimp who seeks to make it into the rap game.
Terrence Howard's portrayal of DJay, the lead character, is polarizing to many, making him both villain and protagonist of the story. The film was so successful that it had two nominations at the Oscars, one for Best Actor and Best Original Song, winning the latter. It became the second hip-hop song to win an Oscar after Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from the 8 Mile soundtrack, which we will soon get into in no time.
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5 'Notorious' ($ M)
Notorious takes us to the childhood of The Notorious B.I.G., his rise to fame, his personal struggle of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry in the s, and his inevitable death from a drive-by shooting in It gives as much detail as possible for a 2-hour film to give the audience a clear view of Christopher Wallace's 24 years on earth.
Although Jamal Woodard's portrayal of the rap heavyweight highlights the focal point of the film, Notorious, unfortunately, was not as big as it should have been.
Rapper biography movies about singers list
The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in the mids and revolutionizes hip-hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.It was rather met with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike.
4 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'' ($ M)
50 Cent was an up-and-coming rapper in , signed to Columbia Records, and about to release his supposed-debut album Power of the Dollar. He, then, got shot nine times by a rival yet managed to survive.
This real-life event is what loosely inspires 50 Cent's on-screen debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', which also shares the same name with his debut album. Although the film met negative reviews from the critics, 50 Cent's portrayal of Marcus is simply admirable.
3 'All Eyez On Me' ($ M)
All Eyez on Me takes us to the journey of Tupac Shakur, portrayed by Demetrius Shipp Jr., from his musical beginning with Digital Underground to the ill-fated night of his murder on September 7, The actor himself was still a Hollywood rookie at the time, so this portrayal must have been a big shoe to fill.
It was released on what would have been Pac's 46th birthday. Interestingly, Jamal Woodard also reprised his role as Biggie from Notorious in this film.
Related: How These Celebrities Reacted To The Death Of Tupac Shakur
2 'Straight Outta Compton' ($ M)
As the title of the film suggests, Straight Outta Compton is a story of five young Black kids—Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr.
Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella—forming the legendary rap group N.W.A. that would then shock the world.
Rapper biography movies about singers The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in the mids and revolutionizes hip-hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.It's a story of brotherhood, greed, friendship, and betrayal, all packed beautifully in sequences after sequences. Straight Outta Compton boasted Dr. Dre and Ice Cube as producers, with MC Ren and DJ Yella helming the creative process. Interestingly, Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., went the extra mile to portray his dad in the film!
1 '8 Mile' ($ M)
Eminem takes his personal life and the dues he paid as an underground battle rapper to his music, which translates extremely well in 8 Mile.
Marshall Mathers plays Jimmy "B Rabbit' Smith, a blue-collar worker who lives in the suburb of Detroit and is eager to launch a rap career through rap battles at The Shelter.
The film perfectly captures the gloomy side of Detroit, at a time when a vanilla rapper would always get ridiculed for stepping into the ring.
The film's Oscar-winning soundtrack, "Lose Yourself," seizes the essence of the film before it slowly transcends into Eminem's now-life as he struggles to switch between superstardom and being a father.
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