10 Rap Songs That Should Be Turned Into Movies

When we listen to music, we often find ourselves visualizing movies in our minds. As the level of story detail increases in a song, our imaginary films become more comprehensive and real. So, instead of letting these movies live in our heads forever, we decided to finally write them down and come up with a list of ten rap songs we'd love to see turned into feature length films. For each track, we’ve picked the cast and director and outlined a quick overview of plot. Oh, and if you’re a Hollywood producer or screenwriter wanting to use one of these ideas, we're expecting a "story by" credit.

Movie title: It Was A Good Day

Director: Hiro Murai

Genre: Coming-of-age

When Ice Cube dropped “It Was A Good Day” in February 1993, it was unlike anything he had released up to that point. With its instantly recognizable Isley Brothers sample and unabashedly positive verses, the song stands out in his discography and holds up today as a bona fide hip-hop classic. Cube’s ultra-specific, play-by-play documentation of his day lends itself perfectly to film.

Plot synopsis: Have you ever had a day where everything seems to go your way? Days like that were rare for recent college grad Shea Jackson. He was back at his mom’s house, working nights at a studio as an engineer, while trying to catch a break as a producer. After one particularly late night, he woke up to an unusual silence. There were no sirens, no dogs barking outside, and the sky was the clearest he had ever seen in South Central. Inspired by films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Dazed & Confused, director Hiro Murai gives you a richly detailed look at a pivotal (and good) day in the life of young Shea Jackson.

Starring: Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta) as Shea Jackson

Movie title: The Last Adventure of Easy Rider

Director: Coen Brothers

Genre: Comedy

Over a psychedelic rock-inspired beat by Party Supplies, Action Bronson waxes poetic on religion, acid trips, and outlandish world travel on "Easy Rider." Bronson is such a real life renaissance man that, coming from him, all of these conquests are actually completely believable. Based on what we imagine life is like for Bronsoliño and the tales weaved on “Easy Rider,” we present The Last Adventure of Easy Rider.

Plot synopsis: Before The Most Interesting Man In the World, there was Easy Rider. A myth born atop the Korab Mountains in Albania, Easy Rider had never known an easy life. When his family abandoned him at an Insane Clown Posse concert when he was 7, he vowed to never become attached to something that could hurt him so much. And from then on, he stayed loyal to the road. Alone but at peace, he had many adventures: all too spectacular and unbelievable to be properly put to film. Except one, which also happens to be his last one. This is the Coen Brothers’ The Last Adventure of Easy Rider.

Starring: Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) as Easy Rider and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) as Easy Rider's lover, Clarita

Movie title: STAN

Director: David Fincher

Genre: Crime drama

Featuring a haunting chorus by Dido, Eminem raps on "Stan" from the point-of-view of an obsessive fan who has written him several letters, each progressively more disturbing than the previous. Told in graphic detail, the story works as a warning against celebrity worship and a startling depiction of untreated mental health issues. This song could have made for the most straightforward movie adaptations on the list, but we’ve decided to update the story to fit the times.

Plot synopsis: STAN is a real crime drama that focuses on the titular character’s excessive fandom of social media influencer Manny Michaels and its effect on his mental health and his relationship with his girlfriend. Over the course of the film, you watch Stan transform from a seemingly normal guy to a raving murderer.

Starring: Evan Peters (American Horror Story), Brie Larson (Room) as Stan’s girlfriend, and Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) as Manny Michaels

Movie title: DAMN.

Director: Ryan Coogler

Genre: Drama

Out of all the songs on this list, “DUCKWORTH” is perhaps the most cinematic. On the record, Kendrick Lamar weaves the coincidental real-life tale of a fateful meeting between Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the man who signed him, and Ducky, his father. Kendrick had been waiting his entire career for the opportune time to reveal this story, and, on the closing track of his excellent 2017 album DAMN., the stars aligned and he blew the minds of every Kendrick fan around the world. DAMN, the movie, takes this story and runs with it even further.

Plot synopsis: Directed by California native Ryan Coogler, DAMN. recounts the lives of Anthony Tiffith, a Los Angeles native who works his way from a small-time hustler to a street millionaire, and Kenny “Ducky” Duckworth, a Los Angeles transplant who moves his family from Chicago in hopes for a better life for his son. Their lives intersect at a local KFC, where Ducky works to make extra money outside of hustling and Anthony frequents regularly. One day, Anthony is determined to rob the KFC but changes his mind at the last second. The film then flashes forward to Ducky and Anthony meeting for the first time in many years, as Anthony tries to sign Ducky’s son, Kendrick Lamar, to his label Top Dawg Entertainment.

Starring: Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) as Ducky and Jamal Woolard (Notorious) as Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith

Movie title: Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers vs. the World

Director: Edgar Wright

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy

An argument could be made that Lil Uzi Vert’s “Scott and Ramona” is one of the most romantic songs of the 2010s. On Lil Uzi Vert Vs. The World track, the Philadelphia rapper compares his love for then-girlfriend Brittany to the love between Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers. Naturally, our idea for this movie is a sequel to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Plot synopsis: Two years after the original movie, Scott and Ramona are set to be married. However, the rehearsal dinner is interrupted by Scott Pilgrim’s evil exes (Knives Chau, Envy Adams, Kim Pine, and Lisa Miller). Ramona must defeat the four exes in order to marry Scott. During the ensuing battle, the ghost of Ramona’s ex-boyfriend Gideon Graves takes control of Scott’s mind. Ramona is left to fight the evil ex-girlfriends, as she concurrently tries to save Scott from Gideon’s ghost.

Starring: Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers, and Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves (all appear in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Movie title: Berghain, Berlin

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Genre: Thriller/Romance

A few things make “Hell of a Life” a legendary entry in the Kanye West discography. There's the interpolation of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” on the hook, Ye’s prescient prediction that he’s going to marry a pornstar, and the simple fact that the song appears on his classic 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy—widely considered to be his magnum opus. The song's bare-bones narrative gives us plenty of creative freedom with a movie translation.

Plot synopsis: Taking place during one night at the iconic Berghain nightclub in Germany, Quentin Tarantino’s Berghain, Berlin tells a story of passion, jealousy, and deceit. When an American rapper is caught dancing with a famous German pornstar, a domino effect of events spring into action—causing danger and mayhem in the historic techno nightclub. 

Starring: Michael B. Jordan (Creed) as The Rapper, Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) as The Pornstar, Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) as The Businessman, Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Sven Marquardt (The Bouncer), Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as Norbert Thormann (The Owner), and Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane) as The Federal Agent

Movie title: Black Beatles

Director: Taika Waititi

Genre: Mockumentary

In the fall of 2016, the world froze (literally) for a moment in celebration of “Black Beatles,” a youthful, endlessly catchy song by Mississippi brothers Rae Sremmurd. Thanks in part to the hysteria surrounding the #MannequinChallenge, the track spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and went quadruple platinum in the U.S. It all presents a perfect opportunity to film a Beatles mockumentary.

Plot synopsis: Inspired by Taika Waititi’s What We Do In the Shadows (highly recommended, if you haven’t already seen it) and Rob Reiner’s legendary This Is Spinal Tap, Black Beatles is a mockumentary-style comedy based on the lives of the actual Beatles, starring Swae Lee as Paul McCartney and Slim Jxmmi as John Lennon. The film follows the group’s rise from young lads in Liverpool to achieving the international stardom that would rock the world and change the course of music history forever.

Starring: Swae Lee as Paul McCartney, Slim Jxmmi as John Lennon, Reggie Watts (The Late Late Show with James Corden) as George Harrison, Hannibal Buress (Broad City) as Ringo Starr, Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live) as George Martin, and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) as Yoko Ono

Movie title: 3k

Director: Alejandro Iñárritu

Genre: Biopic

“A Life in the of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete)” closes Outkast’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which highlighted the disparate solo work of Big Boi and André 3000. While Speakerboxxx foreshadowed Big Boi’s successful solo career, The Love Below did not prepare us for the unpredictable back half of André 3000’s career. The final song may have given us an early peek at the plotline to André's biopic, however.

Plot synopsis: André Benjamin is one of modern music’s most elusive and fascinating figures. Directed by the revered Alejandro Iñárritu, 3k takes us through Benjamin’s early life, the rise of Outkast, his relationship with Erykah Badu, and an unprecedented look at his post-Outkast career.

Starring: Donald Glover (Atlanta) as André 3000, Y’lan Noel (Insecure) as Big Boi, and Zoë Kravitz (Dope) as Erykah Badu

Movie title: JUKE

Director: Justin Simien

Genre: Coming-of-age

“Juke Jam” is one of the many highlights from Chance The Rapper’s celebrated 2016 mixtape Coloring Book, and it was the second of the Chicago artist’s three total collaborations with Justin Bieber. The song is a nostalgic musing on young love during childhood and adolescence—the perfect set-up for a nostalgic coming-of-age film.

Plot synopsis: Set in Chicago in the late 1980s, JUKE follows the relationship between a girl and a boy from childhood to young adulthood. In the film's climactic scene, bad boy protagonist Chance (playing himself) finally catches the eye of his love interest under a glowing disco ball at the roller rink—winning her over with his surprisingly graceful moves as Nico Segal plays trumpet in the background.

Starring: Chance The Rapper (Slice) as himself and Kiersey Clemons (Dope) as Chance's love interest

Movie title: The Mortal Men

Director: Steve McQueen

Genre: Drama

To close his career-defining album To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar clipped together portions of an unreleased Tupac interview to create a posthumous discussion between Pac and himself on "Mortal Man." The talk sheds light on the album’s core themes, examining the internal and external struggle between the metaphorical “caterpillar” and “butterfly.” This deep examination of motive and psyche (plus the fantastical element of a talk with the ghost of Tupac Shakur) would translate perfectly to film we're calling The Mortal Men.

Plot Synopsis: Mr. Nelson is a tenth grade English teacher at an inner-city school. He believes in exercising a tough love with his students that is, perhaps, more tough than love. When a heated argument with a student turns physical, director Steve McQueen takes us through the surreal aftermath of the event. An upset Nelson drags his student to the principal’s office only to find Tupac Shakur sitting at the head desk. The resulting conversation between the three men uncovers the deep-rooted reasons preventing each of them from being their best selves.

Starring: William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) as Mr. Nelson, Demetrius Shipp Jr (All Eyez on Me) as Tupac Shakur, and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) as the student

Movie title: Death of a Supermodel

Director: Ava DuVernay

Genre: Slasher/Thriller

We’re breaking our own rules here for this bonus round. Technically, “Supermodel” is an R&B song, but part of what makes it so special is SZA’s rap-like cadence and delivery. The track, which opens SZA’s exceptional debut album Ctrl, is an empowering airing of grievances that finds SZA owning up to her insecurities as she leaves a toxic relationship behind.

Plot synopsis: When Selena finds out on Valentine’s Day that her boyfriend is cheating on her, she drives from New Jersey to his hotel in Las Vegas and kills him. Feeling unsatisfied after her boyfriend’s death, she decides to drive to her hometown of St. Louis where she finds her dead boyfriend’s best friend, and she starts up a relationship—planning to eventually kill him. Unexpectedly, she falls in love, but, when he starts asking suspicious questions about his missing friend, she feels forced to kill him, too.

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) as Selena