Top Five Rappers in Movies

​Making it big on the big screen is rough. Judging by the forgettable attempts by the cast of Friends--sans Jennifer Aniston, whose most memorable roles involve playing some semi-neurotic version of herself in intellectually-gutted rom coms--transitioning to movies isn't made any easier through success in another branch of entertainment.

And though recent rumors surrounding RZA's potential role in the G.I. Joe sequel may have most wondering how well the Wu frontman can actually act (seriously, though?) there are a couple things working in his favor: Musicians are used to the grind, and can you really imagine RZA chasing after some Swift-esque bitch in He's Not That Into You?

In the spirit of positivity, here's the top five rappers who've managed to turn out successful movie careers.

1. Will Smith
​The Fresh Prince had a huge music career way before he ever got to Bel-Air. In 1988, Smith won the first ever Grammy in the rap category (do you feel old now?) before moving on to the silver screen where he starred in head-bashing blockbusters like Men In Black and I Am Legend. Smith earned his first Academy Award nomination for Ali in 2001, and nabbed his second for The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006.

Smith's numerous contributions to the entertainment industry (freakishly talented and fabulously hairdoed offspring included) earn him the top spot on this roundup.

2. Mark Wahlberg
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To be fair, calling Wahlberg a rapper is sort of akin to calling Lady Gaga hot -- maybe, once upon a time, buried under all that new crap they're trying out now. But, despite Wahlberg's seemingly voracious desire to put that past behind him, the new kid on the block was pretty successful in the music biz' before Oscar favorites like The Fighter (2010) and The Departed (2006) were released. Despite the baby talk-ish rap pseudo name, Marky Mark managed to churn out certified-platinum single "Good Vibrations," which rose to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

3. Queen Latifah

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All hail the Queen -- the only femme to make it onto the list. Though Latifah is better known for her pipes than her rhymes, thanks to her work in musical-movies like Chicago (2002) and Hairspray (2007), her albums from the '90s (all four of them) were laden with rap. The sultry songstress was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in Chicago making her one of three hip hop artists to ever receive Oscar acting accolades (the other two are mentioned above).

4. Mos Def

​Mos Def's contribution to the hip hop industry is undeniable -- the artist has racked up several Grammy nominations (six total) and collaborated with industry powerhouses like Kanye West, RZA, Talib Kweli, the Gorillaz and The Roots. But unbeknownst to most Mos Def fans, the Black Star artist also boasts a pretty impressive acting resume -- Mos has had credited roles in popular films like The Italian Job (2003),The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and Monster's Ball (2001). And in 2005, Mos Def got his first Golden Globe nomination for HBO movie Something the Lord Made--which bodes well for the rapper's future big screen endeavors.

5.Eminem/Ludacris

​​To be clear: Eminem and Ludacris are both, undeniably, first and foremost, rap artists (plus they're kinda blowing up on the charts right now and definitely shouldn't quit their day jobs). But their brief forays into cinema went rather well for both -- Eminem racked up a couple MTV awards for his performance in 8 mile (and won Oscar gold in the "Best Song" category) while Luda's work in the critically acclaimed Crash was noted by the SAGs with a win in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category.

Runner Up: Drake. Ok, he's not really a runner up because he hasn't actually done any notable film work. But anyway, props to Drake, who has somehow spun a successful career with Lil Wayne's Young Money after playing a crippled kid on  limp-dick TV teen drama Degrassi.