Must successful rapper turned actor?

[slackerinabox]

Regarding Eminem's acting ability:

"I have to go back to James Dean in Elia Kazan's East of Eden and Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause in 1955 to find a comparably jolting piece of male aggressiveness coupled with bottled-up vulnerability."
-- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER

"[Eminem] does a lot of things right. So does the movie."
-- Desson Howe, WASHINGTON POST

"After just a few years in the spotlight, Eminem has accomplished something Elvis, Madonna, Michael and Mariah have not: He?s made a great movie."
-- Jon Niccum, LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD

"Even [Eminem's] most devoted admirers likely will be surprised by his ability to keenly render and compellingly sustain a character throughout a feature-length film."
-- Joe Leydon, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

"Eminem manages to take all that we think we know about Eminem and inject it into his character without turning the character into a simple screen version of himself."
-- James Kendrick, Q NETWORK FILM DESK

"Eminem gives a focused, intelligent performance."
-- Kim Linekin, EYE WEEKLY

"...while it's premature to call Eminem a James Dean for the 21st century, he makes an impressive debut as one white kid who really does have something to be angry about."
-- Jill Cozzi, COZZI FAN TUTTI CELLULOID MUSINGS

 

[Dedpuhl]

Most successful = Will Smith
My favorite = Tupac...followed closely by Ice Cube

 

[UglyCasanova]

Regarding Eminem's acting ability:

That's nice, but he is still a horrible actor imo. I'm not just saying that because he's Eminem (I like his music), but I just think that he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.

 

[UNCjigga]

Queen Latifah?

Only one with an Oscar nomination if I can recall...

 

[codeyf]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Regarding Eminem's acting ability:

"I have to go back to James Dean in Elia Kazan's East of Eden and Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause in 1955 to find a comparably jolting piece of male aggressiveness coupled with bottled-up vulnerability."
-- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER

"[Eminem] does a lot of things right. So does the movie."
-- Desson Howe, WASHINGTON POST

"After just a few years in the spotlight, Eminem has accomplished something Elvis, Madonna, Michael and Mariah have not: He?s made a great movie."
-- Jon Niccum, LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD

"Even [Eminem's] most devoted admirers likely will be surprised by his ability to keenly render and compellingly sustain a character throughout a feature-length film."
-- Joe Leydon, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

"Eminem manages to take all that we think we know about Eminem and inject it into his character without turning the character into a simple screen version of himself."
-- James Kendrick, Q NETWORK FILM DESK

"Eminem gives a focused, intelligent performance."
-- Kim Linekin, EYE WEEKLY

"...while it's premature to call Eminem a James Dean for the 21st century, he makes an impressive debut as one white kid who really does have something to be angry about."
-- Jill Cozzi, COZZI FAN TUTTI CELLULOID MUSINGS

Does anyone here, or in the press for that matter, know how he is in real life? When he isn't in front of the camera or behind the mic? Does the media just think that how he is on his albums, is how he is all the time? I don't claim to know, nor did I ever say playing one's self is easy.

Bottom line, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just cuz someone's name has "Eye Weekly" next to it, doesn't mean they're right. And in this case, no one is right or wrong.

IMHO, Em is NOT a so called "great" actor based solely on his role in 8 Mile. Em is a rapper. And his character was....(surprise!) a rapper. That's like Shaq playing a basketball player in a movie (oh wait...)

While many may disagree with my OPINION, I think just as many will say the same thing.

 

[RossMAN]

If you had to choose between Will Smith and Ice Cube as an overall favorite actor, who would you choose?

Tough decision for me because I like both.

 

[anxi80]

what about busta rhymes? his acting ability from higher learning to playing reptar on the rugrats movie was a vast improvement.

another vote for cube

 

[GasX]

until eminem plays a character other than himself, he can't really be considered a good actor...

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Regarding Eminem's acting ability:

"I have to go back to James Dean in Elia Kazan's East of Eden and Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause in 1955 to find a comparably jolting piece of male aggressiveness coupled with bottled-up vulnerability."
-- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER

"[Eminem] does a lot of things right. So does the movie."
-- Desson Howe, WASHINGTON POST

"After just a few years in the spotlight, Eminem has accomplished something Elvis, Madonna, Michael and Mariah have not: He?s made a great movie."
-- Jon Niccum, LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD

"Even [Eminem's] most devoted admirers likely will be surprised by his ability to keenly render and compellingly sustain a character throughout a feature-length film."
-- Joe Leydon, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

"Eminem manages to take all that we think we know about Eminem and inject it into his character without turning the character into a simple screen version of himself."
-- James Kendrick, Q NETWORK FILM DESK

"Eminem gives a focused, intelligent performance."
-- Kim Linekin, EYE WEEKLY

"...while it's premature to call Eminem a James Dean for the 21st century, he makes an impressive debut as one white kid who really does have something to be angry about."
-- Jill Cozzi, COZZI FAN TUTTI CELLULOID MUSINGS

its not acting when you're playing yourself.

ice cube is definitely the best actor of all rappers-turned-actors

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: jumpr
L.L. Cool J.?

Good gawd, NEVER him!! I'm still pissed off at the mother fvcker for not having the decency to be eaten by the damned shark in Deep Blue Sea! That's what really p!ssed me off about that movie. Samuel L. Jackson not only died in that movie, but had one of the coolest death scenes in ANY recent movie.

I can't really fault the shark for not wanting to eat L.L. Cool J, though. I mean... it's Cool J. I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat him. Shark could have at least nibbled on him a while longer before spatting him back out, make SURE he was dead.

-- Jack

Police Commissioner Unte - He believes in shooting first and continuing to shoot until it is dead.
-- badmovies.org, 20 Million Miles to Earth

 

[styelers]

Ice Cube

 

[FatJackSprat]

Originally posted by: IamElectro
What about Ice-T he went from cop killer to being a cop on Law and Order.

My wife and joke about him everytime we go to the video store and how he probably sleeps on piles of money without anyone knowing. I swear there are no less than 7 different movies with him on the cover at any given time - and that's just in the new releases section. There are probably a lot more in the old sections. He is in a lot of things that look like they go straight to video.

I wouldn't say he's the most successful, but he has definitely appeared in many different things.

 

[billandopus]

Originally posted by: uncJIGGA
Queen Latifah?

Only one with an Oscar nomination if I can recall...

Didn't Smith get nominated for a bunch of awards for 6 degrees of separation?

 

[Atlantean]

I am thinking it is Will Smith... how many other rapper turned actors make as much as he does?

 

[Aquaman]

He will become the most successfull rapper turned actor

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[stormbv]

I'm going to say Mos Def, Eminem, and Mark Wahlberg (if he counts as a rapper). Will Smith is lame...did you know he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix to be in Wild Wild West? What a moron.

 

[xEDIT409]

Will Smith

 

[xEDIT409]

Will Smith

 

[cavemanmoron]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal

Originally posted by: Eli
Did Will Smith rap before being in movies?

Yes, he used to rap with DJ Jazzy Jef. His name was Fresh Prince back then.

yes and the Rap they did was not Crap,it was actually intelligable {sp.?}

I could understand Most of it,LOL

 

[dtmbb92]

Originally posted by: t60
Eminem, even though he's only been in one movie.

I think if given the proper role, he'd do a good job. Maybe a bank robber or something?

 

[DanTMWTMP]

will smith, mark walberg....(mark's breakthrough was boogie nights? who saw that movie!? :Q :Q :Q :Q last scene WTF!!!!!)

 

[her209]

You guys are forgetting the female rappers like Aaliyah and Queen Latifa.

 

[atom]

A lot of the people saying that Will Smith can't rap nor act seem to be forgetting that he got an Academy Award nomination as best actor for "Ali". Ask people in the know and I doubt anyone would not list Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff at least in their top 25 as hip hop pioneers. But I'm guessing most of the people here haven't heard his pre-jiggy songs.

I would put 2Pac second. He is without a doubt one of the most well known rappers and he got pretty solid praise for the movies he was in.

 

[LeeTJ]

Will smith. who else is even close?

 

[Shawn]

Will Smith definitely.