Some of your favorite rappers and R&B artists are much talented than you might think. Outside of delivering amazing music that you love, these artists are also tapping into the film and television scene and bringing their talents to a screen near you.
From Ciara in the remake of The Color Purple to Andre 3000 in an art film entitled Showing Up, there are many films and television shows releasing in 2023. Why do so many rappers and artists even get into acting? It’s simple! They are confident about who they are, they are able to tap into an alter ego, able to easily pretend and take on a different personality.
Artists also have a deep love for story telling and are creatives at heart so being to release this passion in another art form is perfect for them! Method Man said it himself, ““I think a lot of rappers are great liars. I’ll just keep it a buck, a lot of them are great liars and I think that translates on screen. Honestly, it’s more of being able to stand in front of 15,000 people or 1,500 people and command their attention.”
Check out which one of your favorite artists will hit the big screen in 2023!
1. Halle Bailey
If you haven’t heard yet The Color Purple has an all star cast and included in that list is half of the singing-sister duo Halle Bailey! She’ll be playing the role of a young Nettie. However, that isn’t the only film you’ll see her star in, she’ll be playing Ariel in the highly anticipated and groundbreaking new take of The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid hits theaters May 26, 2023.
2. Ciara
R&B singer, amazing dancer, mother of three and wife, Ciara will also appear in The Color Purple as the adult Nettie (sister to Celie). She will star alongside Fantasia, Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson and more.
The Color Purple will arrive in theaters on December 20, 2023.
3. H.E.R.
Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. just gained new fans over with her acting skills as Belle in Disney’s musical special for Beauty and The Beast. New and old fans can also see her star in the forthcoming remake of the 1985 film The Color Purple as “Squeak.”
4. Fantasia
Fantasia Barrino played Celie in The Color Purple broadway show so well that she’ll now be taking her talents to the big screen as Celie in the 2023 remake of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple. We told you it was an Allstar cast! Fantasia will play in the musical-movie alongside Danielle Brooks, Deon Cole, Taraji P. Henson, David Alan Grier and more.
5. André 3000
Everyone’s always asking where’s Andre 3000? Quite frankly fans miss hearing his music and seeing his face on our screens but the wait is almost over! Fans can catch André Benjamin as “Eric” in the A24 film Showing Up — set to release sometime in Spring of this year.
According to Deadline, “The film is a vibrant and sharply funny portrait of an artist on the verge of a career-changing exhibition. As [Reichardt] navigates family, friends and colleagues in the lead-up to her show, the chaos of life becomes the inspiration for great art.”
6. Yung Miami
Not only can you catch Yung Miami in the new season of BMF but you can also see her making a screen appearance in the upcoming Netflix film You People — starring Lauren London, Eddie Murphy, Nia Long and Jonah Hill.
Netflix details that Miami plays a family member of London’s as “A new couple and their families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations and generational differences in this comedy from Kenya Barris.
You People hits Netflix January 27, 2023.
7. Lil Wayne
If you’ve already seen House Party then you know the star studded cameos are elite! Also set to make an appearance in the film is the goat, Lil Wayne. In the trailer viewers can see Wayne attending the wild mansion party at Lebron James’ home, as he tends to two women.
House Party is in theaters worldwide now.
8. Wiz Khalifa
The Black & Yellow rapper Wiz Khalifa will play the role of Funk legend George Clinton in the forthcoming film Spinning Gold.
The biopic is based on 1970s Casablanca Records chief Neil Bogart, his label housing musical acts including Donna Summer, KISS, Parliament, Village People, The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight, and Bill Withers, among others.
Spinning Gold will hit theaters on March 31, 2023.
9. Jamie Foxx
Let’s just be honest, there really isn’t anything Jamie Foxx can’t do! From singing, to stand up comedy, playing the piano and of course acting, Jamie is a beast at all of the above. That’s why Jamie will be starring in not one but two films this year!
Jamie plays “Slick Charles” in the forthcoming Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone. “A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Foxx and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper,” the synopsis reads.
Foxx will also portray the voice of an abandoned puppy in the live-action adult animated comedy Strays.
They Cloned Tyrone will premiere on Netflix sometime this year and Strays will hit theaters June 9, 2023.
10. 50 Cent
Lately 50 Cent has been known to produce amazing television series for Starz Networking. Now he’s coming from behind the camera to star as a character in the new The Expendables 4 film set to hit theaters Sept. 22 of this year.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the movie, “will once again focus on a group of veteran mercenaries.” The outlet also reports that 50 Cent says he and Eminem are working together to create a television show based on the latter’s semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile.