June is Black Music Month and to pay homage to the melodic contributions of some of our favorite artists we’re taking a look at a few of our favorite celebrity singers turned actors who make it tough to decide which role we like them in best. For more on the artists here, head over to XFINITY CelebrateBlackTV.com. From The Wiz to Dreamgirls, check out great films with even better soundtracks, plus interviews, music videos and more all month long.
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Jamie Foxx
When he put on a dress, blonde wig, fishnet stockings and pursed up his lips as In Living Color’s ugly Wanda, he stole the show. The character helped launchJamie Foxx’s career in Hollywood and he became so popular, he earned a show of his own. But before he became a household name as a bona fide actor, Foxx’s first love was singing. He began playing the piano at five years old and after he graduated from high school, the Texas native went to college on a scholarship to study classical music and composition. Foxx brought home an Oscar for his role playing legendary singer Ray Charles in the film Ray and he’s also released four albums dating all the way back to 1994.
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Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah emerged on the musical scene in 1989 demanding respect with her debut album All Hail The Queen. Paving the way for a lot of female rappers to follow, her songs would often contain women-centered themes. Soon after her rap career took off, Queen Latifah switched hats and starred in the 90’s sitcom Living Single. After having proved her acting chops, the Queen, real name Dana Owens, continued to flourish in Hollywood by starring in Chicago as matron Mama Morton. The role helped her earn mainstream success and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Latifah also expanded her musical expression into soul and jazz music as a singer. These days she’s seeing a resurgence in her career by having another go round as a talk show host.
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Will Smith
When he released the funky tongue-in-cheek album Parents Just Don’t Understand in 1988 with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith first made a name for himself. But it wasn’t until they released their monster smash and summer classic hit Summertime three years later that Smith earned respect as an artist. By that time, NBC had snagged the Philly native and created the show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Proving himself a box office sure thing, Smith became known for starring in blockbuster hits. However, his last big budget movie, After Earth, also starring his son Jaden in the lead, wasn’t received as well by his audiences or critics.
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LL Cool J
James Todd Smith proved the ladies loved him with his Adidas suits, gold rope chains and fuzzy Kangols in the ’80s. LL Cool J released his first single I Need A Beat in 1984 and the hard-spitting lyrics immediately won fans over. LL’s first album Radio went gold in just five months and a rap legend was born. Early on in his rap career, the Queens native performed his first hit in the 1985 cult classic film Krush Groove and after sharing some screen time with Robin Williams in Toys, snagged his own sitcom, In The House. He also capitalized on his growing popularity by starring in films like Halloween H20 and Deep Blue Sea. When LL flexed his muscles in the action-packed movie S.W.A.T. it was the perfect preparation for his current role as Special Agent Sam Hanna in NCIS: Los Angeles.
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Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson wowed audiences with her strong pipes during the third season of Fox’s American Idol before finishing in a shocking seventh place. Several years later J. Hud had the last laugh by winning an Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls. Two years after taking home the Oscar, Hudson released her debut album and since then she has juggled both singing and acting, starring in several movies, including taking on the title role in the 2011 film Winnie Mandela. The Chicago native earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year and has been engaged to her fiancé David Otunga, the father of her son, since 2008.
Source: Amaru Entertainment
2pac
Tupac Shakur was bit by the acting bug early on. The East Harlem native graced the stages of the famed Apollo Theater at just 12 years old when he was cast in the play A Raisin In The Sun. He bounced around with his family to Maryland then California where he took up with the rap group Digital Underground. But soon 2Pac would go out on his own as a solo artist. His debut album 2Pacalypse didn’t feature any chart-topping songs but it did help him earn critical acclaim as a lyricist. In 1992, Shakur went back to his roots as an actor and starred in the classic New Jack Swing film Juice as Ronald Bishop. Although he starred in several other movies and recorded hundreds of songs in his short career, the Me Against The World rapper’s life was cut short when he was gunned down after a 1996 Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas.
Source: Epic Records
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson stole the show from his older brothers when he joined their group, The Jackson Five. After becoming an international star with his siblings, Jackson branched out on his own and his career hit astronomical heights. A year before he would release his critically-acclaimed chart-topping album Off The Wall, Jackson shared the big screen with Diana Ross in the 1978 musical adaption The Wiz. He followed that up several years later with the 3D sci-fi film Captain EO. But his acting career was nowhere near as successful as when Jackson was singing and dancing in front of a microphone. His Thriller album sold more than 29 million copies in the U.S. alone. The global icon suddenly passed away June 25th, 2009, leaving millions to mourn his loss.
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Drake
Like most rappers, Drake began his career by releasing mixtapes. It was his third release, So Far Gone, that included the catchy track Best I Ever Had, which helped the Toronto native snag his first radio hit. But before he made it big as a rapper, Drake was honing his time in front of the cameras by starring on the Canadian TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation. Once he signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money camp, Drake became a household name, and now has three platinum albums under his belt. Earlier this year Drake played double duty as host and musical guest on SNL and showed off his acting skills and amazing comedic timing.
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Diana Ross
There’s no discussing Motown Records or their impact on the music industry without talking about Diana Ross. She first rose to fame with the group The Supremes before launching her own solo career. Two years after dropping her first solo album, Ross made her film debut with Lady Sings The Blues. Beginning in 1970, the legendary singer went on to release an album almost every year until the early 90’s — and she still managed to squeeze in a few more acting roles with Mahogany and The Wiz. Two of her children, Tracee Ellis Ross and Evan Ross, have followed her footsteps into the world of entertainment, as they pursue acting careers.
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Ice Cube
When he formed N.W.A. with Dr. Dre and Eazy E and released their controversial, groundbreaking album Straight Outta Compton in 1988, who knew 20 years later Cube would be starring in family movies? But the South Central native successfully transitioned from a hardcore gangsta rapper selling millions of albums into an actor. He first starred in the 1991 cult classic Boyz In The Hood as Doughboy before building his resume with numerous films including Higher Learning, Barbershop, and All About The Benjamins. Being a family man himself, Ice Cube decided to star in 2005’s Are We There Yet? and the film did so well at the box office it spawned a sequel and a television show. These days the married father of four still juggles his movie roles with his music career and is expected to release a new album this year.
