L.A.'s Top Five Actors-Turned-Rappers, Including Warren Beatty

By Chaz Kangas Mon., Jul. 2 2012 at 3:30 AM

Categories: Hip-Hop, LA Stories

See also:
*Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums Of All Time: The Complete List
*Here Are Pictures of Dr. Dre's New $13 Million House

Only a decade ago everyone was complaining about how the rappers were taking all of the acting roles in Hollywood. But nowadays the pendulum has swung in the other direction, typified by one of the biggest rappers on the planet being a former Canadian teen star. With Los Angeles being synonymous with both Tinsel Town and West coast hip-hop, there's a particular confluence of actors-turned-rappers here. Here are the five best, starting, of course, with Warren Beatty.

5) Warren Beatty
1998

While Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre faux-hip-hop prank a few years back was weird, the rapping in I'm Still Here couldn't compare to Warren Beatty's blistering skills on display in Bulworth. While his lyrics of fury sadly didn't make the film's soundtrack, his cameo in the "Ghetto Superstar" video is the leading evidence in the "Warren Beatty is actually Pras" conspiracy theory.

4) Brian Green
1996

Best known as David Silver on Beverly Hills 90210, Brian (Austin) Green took a shot at hip-hop with his 1996 album One Stop Carnival. Boasting production from The Pharcyde's Slim Kid3 and L.A. Jay, it's telling how many YouTube commenters are flat-out shocked at how "not horrible" it is.

3) David Faustino
1992

TV's Bud Bundy got automatic street cred for having a Nas Illmatic poster in his room. Factoring in his involvement in bringing countless hip-hop shows to the Sunset Strip, why not let him have his own single?