20 unexpected rapper movie cameos you totally forgot about

Drake is no stranger to the acting world, many folks recall him beginning his career on the teen drama show Degrassi: The Next Generation, before hitting it big as a rap star. In 2013, he made an appearance at the beginning of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, as a character who notices a woman's appearance. 

In 2001, DJ Pooh directed and wrote the comedy film The Wash, starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. While the film has several rapper cameos, one that stands out is Eminem. He plays a disgruntled ex-employee named Chris, who used to work at the car wash where Dre and Snoop work, and makes threatening calls to his former boss. 

At this point in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, there have been plenty of cameos by several celebrities. In F9: The Fast Saga, fans briefly see Cardi B playing the role of Leysa, a leader of a military group who helps Dom (played by Vin Diesel) escape from prison. 

In 2025, Adam Sandler reprised his role in Happy Gilmore 2, as a retired professional golfer who returns to the sport to help pay for his daughter’s ballet school. While there are several cameos in the film, Kid Cudi shows up in a brief scene as an FBI agent. 

There were quite a few cameos in the 2024 Bad Boys: Ride or Die film starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. One of which came from rapper Joyner Lucas, who played a gang leader who eventually gets gunned down during a fight scene. 

Coolio had a very small cameo in the 1997 superhero film Batman & Robin. He plays the role of Banker who appears in a motorcycle race scene with Alicia Silverstone, as the man who fires the gun to start the race.  

Queen Latifah had a brief role in the 1992 film Juice, which starred Omar Epps, Tupac, Jermaine Hopkins, and Khalil Kain. Latifah portrays a nightclub DJ who’s running a DJ audition, in which Epps’ character is looking to land. 

Nicolas Cage starred as Memphis Raines in the action heist film Gone in 60 Seconds. Master P plays the role of Johnny B, a rival gang leader who’s still holding a grudge against Raines. 

In 2013, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, and Kevin Kline star as a group a friends in the comedy film Last Vegas. 50 Cent appears in the film as himself, as a guest who should be staying in a hotel VIP suite, from which the friend group was kicked out, to accommodate him. 

In 1999, Lil' Kim had a small role in the teen romcom She’s All That, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. Kim played the role of Alex, who is part of the popular friend groups at the high school. 

In 2002, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith reprised their roles in the science fiction comedy film Men in Black II. Biz Markie had a brief role in the film that showcased him as a beatboxing alien. 

The 1992 film Stay Tuned is centered around a couple who get sucked into a television hell universe, and they only have 24 hours to get out of it. Hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa appear in a fake show called “Dance to Your Death” in which dancers die as part of their performance. 

In 2013, Will Ferrell reprised his starring role as Ron Burgundy in the comedy film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Kanye West appears in a brief scene as Wesley Johnson of MTV News, who’s looking to battle Burgundy and his crew in a news battle. 

The 1993 film Last Action Hero, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, also had quite a few cameos. One of which was MC Hammer, who plays himself, and he’s talking to a film executive about pitching a soundtrack. 

In 2003, Jessica Alba starred as ambitious choreographer Honey Daniels, looking to make it big in the film Honey. Missy Elliott appears as herself, as someone who wants to hire Honey to choreograph her new music video.

In Scary Movie 3, the film continues its franchise premise of making parodies of other films. One film they spoof is 8 Mile, in which Simon Rex’s character George parodies Eminem’s 8 Mile character B-Rabbit. During a rap battle scene, Fat Joe is one of the rapper contestants who gets roasted by George and then booed by the crowd.

Back when the Fast & Furious franchise was still about street racing, rapper Jin had a small role in the 2003 film 2 Fast 2 Furious. He appears as one of the four street racers who go up against Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner. 

Heavy D had a very small role in the 1999 drama film The Cider House Rules.  His character Peaches is an apple orchard worker who works under Delroy Lindo’s character Mr. Rose.

Although Training Day is one of Denzel Washington’s signature films, there were a few other celebrities who had small roles in it. Dr. Dre played the role of Detective Paul, who was part of a group of crooked cops that ran in the same circles as Denzel’s character. 

Snoop Dogg doesn’t actually physically appear in the 2003 comedy film Malibu’s Most Wanted, but he does provide a voice cameo. In one scene, the main character B-Rad (played by Jamie Kennedy) has a dream in which a rat named Ronnie Rizzat (voiced by Snoop) gives him some life advice.