10 Movies About Rap to Watch in Honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary

In the 2002 rom-com “Brown Sugar,” longtime friends Sidney (Sanaa Lathan) and Dre (Taye Diggs) have both found success in the music industry, albeit on different sides: Sidney as editor-in-chief of hip-hop magazine XXL, and Dre as an A&R for Millennium Records. When Dre meets a woman to settle down with, the limits of his and Sidney’s friendship are tested. Meanwhile, his discovery of a talented young rapper (played by Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def) has him create his own label – with Sidney’s support, which eventually turns into a beautiful romance.

“Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” a 2005 drama, is a semi-autobiographical film, stealing elements from star 50 Cent’s life. In the movie, 50 Cent is Marcus Greer, a drug dealer who leaves crime behind in hopes of making a name for himself in the rap game. The movie’s title shares its name with 50 Cent’s debut album, which was released two years prior.

Pimp and drug dealer DJay (Terrence Howard) lives in Memphis but longs for something more. Prompted by a midlife crisis and reconnecting with an old sound technician friend, he tries his hand at recording a rap album to pursue his hip-hop dreams. With help from one of his pregnant sex workers, Shug (Taraji P. Henson), they record several tracks – one of which becomes a local hit. But is the music enough to turn DJay’s life away from one of crime?

This musical-comedy-drama is loosely based on Def Jam Recordings’s start, with Blair Underwood portraying a version of a young Russell Simmons – named Russell Walker in “Krush Groove.” Numerous hip-hop artists and music acts appear as themselves in the movie, including Rick Rubin, Sheila E., Run-D.M.C. & Jam Master Jay, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and New Edition.

In the 2009 biopic “Notorious,” Jamal Woolard portrays Biggie Smalls, aka The Notorious B.I.G., as the film explores his early days hustling as a drug dealer before earning the attention of Diddy (Derek Luke) as a rap amateur. The ups and downs of the ’90s music industry follow, including highlights of the late artist’s relationships with Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie), Faith Evans (Antonique Smith), and Lil’ Kim (Naturi Naughton), with the film ultimately portraying Biggie’s tragic death.

Sanaa Lathan gets behind the camera for this hip-hop film, her directorial debut. “On the Come Up,” a semi-true story, follows Bri Jackson (Jamila C. Gray) as she aims to achieve her dreams of rap glory – a goal bolstered when her controversial track goes viral.

This 2015 N.W.A. biopic tells the origin story of the famed rap group consisting of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. Notably, Ice Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. portrays the young version of his father in “Straight Outta Compton.”

Eminem‘s semi-autobiographical film, “8 Mile,” follows the rapper’s early life in Detroit as the son of an alcoholic, taking dead-end jobs to make ends meet. After B-Rabbit (Eminem) bombs at a rap battle, he’s discouraged – but friends and a love interest (Brittany Murphy) encourage him not to give up the game.

This 1998 drama follows Ray (Saul Williams), a young man with a talent for poetry and goals to rap, but embroiled in drug dealing and other criminal activities. While incarcerated, his love for the spoken word grows – but will old habits upon his release reverse his progress?

Music video director Joseph Kahn helmed this 2017 battle-rap comedy-drama that was produced by Eminem. In “Bodied,” Adam’s (Calum Worthy) research into rap battles to support his thesis at Berkeley leads to the development of his own skills. But his pursuit of rap upends his life in more ways than one.