Many musicians have changed careers along their road of fame.  The following artists got out of their comfort zones and became actors.  Most of them still remain true to their roots.

Eminem – Although the Grammy award winning, critically acclaimed rappers filmography is not very long, it does include starring in his own drama, 8 mile. He also appeared as a cameo in a couple of films like 2014’s The Interview.

Rihanna – The singer has been in the film Battleship and is part of the cast of Oceans Eight. She really has put in the work in the studio and in front of the camera.

Will Smith – He got his start in the music industry, rapping with his childhood friend and producer DJ Jazzy Jeff.  He starred in the hit show The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and the popular Men In Black series.  More recently, he appears in Suicide Squad alongside cast member, Jared Leto. 

Mark Wahlberg – Formerly known as Marky Mark back in the day, the rapper turned singer is famous for his work on screen, ranging from action films like Transformers to comedies like Ted and Daddy’s Home. He even had a small beef with Eminem.

Justin Timberlake – He first came in the scene as part of the popular boy band NSYNC in the late 90s to mid 2000s,  He then went solo and now is an actor in both films and TV. He has appeared alongside Jessie Eisenberg in the film The Social Network, a film about the start up of FaceBook and has cameos on The Tonight Show: Starting Jimmy Fallon. 

John Legend – He is known for his beautiful hit songs, such as All Of Me. He also appeared alongside Ryan Gosling in La La Land.

Ice Cube – He came ¨Straight Outta Compton¨ and onto the silver screen the Compton MC has had hit after hit from ¨It Was A Good Day,” the Friday movie series, and his family-friendly film, ¨Are We There Yet?¨

Ludacris – The rapper has always been a ¨money maker¨ besides being a hip hop legend. Luda stars in the fast and furious movie franchise .

LL COOL J – Not only is he one of the first mainstream hip hop acts, the legendary rapper has started in a number of films, and is currently a part of NCIS: LA and since April 2015, LL has hosted the show Lip Sync Battle.