Hip hop found its way into Hollywood pretty early and the results have been mixed. Throughout the years, great movies have emerged from a hip hop culture that was once labeled as a ing fade. Decades later, hip hop has shown it's here to stay the course and help guide the music and possibly film industry to bigger heights.
With the success of such films as House Party, 8 Mile, and Straight Outta Compton, the sky's the limit for this genre. However, with the good, there is always some bad. Here are five hip hop movies that worked, and five that didn't work.
Didn't Work: All Eyez On Me (2017)
There was no reason for this movie to fail. For years, fans of Fast & Furious or Marvel franchise film. The Hip Hop community needed this. With the success of Notorious, many expected All Eyez On Me to blow that out the water—but it didn't.
The casting was exceptional with Demetrius Shipp Jr, Kat Graham, Jamal Woolard, and rising Hip Hop artist Kali Cass. But it was the script in general that failed the movie. There was no real substance for a pioneer who had nothing but substance.
Worked: Notorious (2009)
The life of Brooklyn rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. the Notorious Biggie Smalls was more than what many expected. The casting was great with Derek Luke, Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, and Naturi Naughton. It showcased how Biggie went from street hustler to one of the best to ever spit rhymes on the mic.
The storyline was exceptional, far better than what the studios did with All Eyez On Me. It showcased Biggie from his youth to the height of his fame, Notorious fired on all cylinders and gave a blueprint for rappers on how to handle the game when first entering.
Didn't Work: House Party 3 (1994)
With the success of House Party and House Party 2, New Line Cinema threw their hands in the Hip Hop ring again with House Party 3. This time, Kid N Play were adults moving about life in a mature way. With Kid set to be married, he runs into his old girlfriend Sydney (Tisha Campbell).
House Party 3 failed to deliver on the same musical level that the other two movies did. By this time, Kid N Play was no longer in the public eye music-wise, and that may have turned fans away from the movie aspect of the franchise. In addition, some of the original cast did not appear in this third installment, such as Martin Lawrence.
Worked: Krush Groove (1985)
In 1985, Michael Schultz directed a film loosely based on the early days of Def Jam Records. While Hollywood actors such as Blair Underwood would make his mark in the film, it was the acting roles of such Hip Hop legends as Run D.M.C., LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow and others that made Krush Groove such an awesome film.
Krush Groove focused on the business and personal relationships between two friends as they embarked on a mission as a small label trying to stay afloat where hip hop was just supposed to be a ing fade. Even with untrained actors, the movie never felt forced.
Didn't Work: Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
After the huge success of Breaking, the top studio heads decided to give it another go. A Hip Hop movie getting a sequel was unheard of at the time. But the studios saw something with Breaking and wanted to expand on that they saw as a franchise.
Breaking was a B-Boy movie focusing more on the art of breakdancing in the streets of Los Angeles. Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo was more Hollywood than the original. The script was less about breakdancing and more focused on everything else like the community and romance.
Worked: Beat Street (1984)
If there was ever a movie to describe the raw essence of hip hop of how and when it was born, then Beat Street is the movie for you. A group of friends in the Bronx forged a bond through graffiti, breakdancing, and rapping to begin a movement that shaped the world as we know it.
The acting was led by a young cast that included legendary breakers such as The Rock Steady Crew along with rappers Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five, and DJ Kool Herc. The script was air-tight, and the acting was far better than many anticipated.
Didn't Work: State Property (2002)
Was it a comedy, a dram, a or a description of how life is in the hood? Either way, State Property just didn't work. With Roc-A-Fella at the helm and even led by Hip Hop artists such as Jay Z, Beanie Siegle, and Memphis Bleek, the movie just bombed. While it has garnered some respect in the hip hop community, that was due to the artists who starred in the film.
It was poorly written and the acting... let's just say that it felt like a poorly shot reality show. There was promise there, but, when studios get a bunch of rappers with no experience together, this is what can happen.
Worked: 8 Mile (2002)
Battle rap has always been a fixture in the hip hop community. From the early days in the Bronx, NY, and any place where MCs gathered, a battle was sure to ensue. What 8 Mile did was bring it close to the masses. The story centers around a shy yet hungry battle MC name rabbit (Eminem) who wanted to get his name out there.
He was flanked by a group of friends who offered nothing but encouragement. While it took the entire movie for him to get the nerve, the end battles have gone down in hip hop history. Was it a biopic of Ememin's early career? No, but it served as a blueprint for battle rappers and a platform for artists such as K-Shine and URL.
Didn't Work: Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001)
In 2001, MTV threw their hat into the Hip hop movie ring with Carmen: A Hip Hopera. The cast was loaded with talents such as Beyonce, Mos Def, Mekhi Phifer, Bow Wow, and more, but the storyline just didn't work. It was centered around a cop in Philadelphia who fell in love with an actress named Carmen.
The movie was a remake of the Broadway classic Carmen Jones, but, to do it with a Hip Hop cast, well, it wasn't worth the risk trying. It came across as more of a stage play than an actual movie, and that may have turned people away. The dialogue was all rap, but some of the cast couldn't pull off the feat.
Worked: House Party (1990)
In 1990, Hollywood was forever changed. While there were hip hop movies and some rappers posed as actors, House Party became an instant hit. The movie centered around two friends, Kid N Play. One was raised by an over-bearing dad while the other seemed to have free reign in his life.
Play wanted to throw a house party, but Kid was on punishment and couldn't leave the house. Jokes were plentiful as the two hip hop artists started a movement that took Hollywood by storm. With four movies in the franchise, the duo only starred in three.
