Top 10 Rappers Who've Played Bad Guys in the Movies

Sometimes it's a real trip to see our favorite hip-hop stars on the big screen committing the kinds of illicit activities they normally just rap about. (Was it satisfying to see to DMX actually shut 'em down and open up shop in Belly?) And even though we've got emcees claiming to be natural born killers, that doesn't mean they're all natural born actors (perhaps Ice Cube is the exception). But every once in a while, these rhyme-sayers can put on a great bad guy performance that puts them up with acting gods, or devils in this list's case. Grab some popcorn and try not to get shot as we bring to you the Top 10 Rappers Who've Played Bad Guys in the Movies.

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10. DMX as “Tommy” in Belly (1998)
While his counterpart, Nas, read self-improvement books and pondered the meaning of life, Tommy had no regard for the fiends he served or the stop lights he ran midway through a blunt session. Eventually, Tommy would convert to the Nation of Islam, but only after several shootouts and a vicious betrayal of Sincere involving a couple kilos and a bunch of guap. Considering the laundry list of criminal cases DMX has stacked up since the late '90s, the streets may have literally dodged a bullet or two by having this guy make it out of the hood.

9. Tupac as “Birdie” in Above The Rim (1994)
Case in point of this character's validity on this list would be his part in murdering Bernie Mac's character, Flip. Like, who would kill Bernie?! But the drug-dealing Birdie also did one hell of a devilish job by first bribing the high school basketball star to play for him in the playground tournament, to then threatening young Kyle's full-ride scholarship to Georgetown. Birdie was cold on a whole different level and his leg-dragging swagger of a walk would make any of us cross the street if we ever seen him on our block… What a glorious moment when a pre-pubescent looking Marlon Wayans shot Birdie is his grimy ass chest.

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8. Big Boi as “Marcus” in ATL (2006)
Daddy Fat Sacks did well as the town dope dealer capable of ruining the lives of the community's young men in Chris Robinson's portrayal of an adolescent ATLien's life. Not only was Marcus' confrontation with T.I. convincing as hell, but the menacing manner in which he pulled his glasses down before speaking slythernic words from his DopeMobile still sends chills down our spine. The plaid shorts worn by the Outkast co-piece throughout the flick were also pretty damn villainous.

7. LL Cool J as “God” in In Too Deep (1999)
Any street drug dealer, brave and blasphemous enough to call himself God deserves to be on this list. LL's character got his Nino Brown a little by back-handedly “helping” out his community, but he also didn't hesitate to slap a broad and put out hits the way Nino did. LL's calm, deliberate delivery of heinous activity probably added to his character's dark demeanor in the flick. Crazy how his signature lip-lick can both turn on ladies and precede the description of a dirty deed.

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6. Snoop Dogg as “Rodney” in Baby Boy (2001)
From “Fuck yo' fort” to “You sound real hard on the phone nephew”, Rodney in John Singleton's Baby Boy delivers a number of the hard-ass G'd up epithets that many of us still find ourselves saying 13 years after the film's release. Snoop's lanky shower cap-wearing character portrayed a heartless, low-life West Coast gang member like no other.

5. Queen Latifah as “Cleo” in Set It Off (1996)
You can think of Cleo as more a pseudo-villain since she was one of the protagonists in the flick that gave the term “Ride or Die Chick” a whole new meaning. Her bank-robbing and car boosting were always done with the best intentions. And to further her case as an awesome villain, she kept a hot ass girlfriend, a wad of money, and artillery that rendered her one of the baddest broads on screen all time.

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4. Cam'ron as “Rico” in Paid In Full (2002)
Before the brawny Rico switched up on Money Mitch and the gang, we could all sense a little avarice in his character that could turn bad at any minute. It was hard to forgive Cam'ron as an artist after being the sick bastard responsible for cutting off Sonny's finger and jacking Tip Harris' character, Ace for all of his work.

3. Eminem as “Chris” in The Wash (2001)
Though his screen time was sparse, Em was one half-rapping, mainey son-of-a-bitch in the hood occult classic. We all know how white people like to shoot up workplaces after being terminated and Chris' AK-toting ass gave us a closer look into that mindstate. Note: Any grown man down to jump on his bed gripping a machine gun is not to be fucked with.

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2. The Game as “Big Meat” in Waist Deep (2006)
Perhaps it was the vicious manner in which Game's character ate an ice cream bar at one point in the movie before declaring his disregard for one his debtor's baby mama that put Game on this list. The line delivered in the raspy tone, “I don't give a fuck about your baby mama or none of that” might ring a bell. Or maybe it was the muscular 6'4″ figure's sinister look comprised of a creepy looking mangled eye that made him so villainous. Above all, a name like “Meat”, will pretty much put anyone of an all-time gangster list.

1.Tupac as “Bishop” in Juice (1992)
What might've been the scariest part about Bishop in Juice is the young age in which he went full-fledge with his villainy. A lack of temperament in a person whose frontal lobe is not yet fully developed in possession of a firearm can cause disastrous results or dope on screen performances. While Pac is usually always recognized for his acting skills, his role in Juice is questionably one of the most convincing bad-breaking events in movie history.

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