10 Legendary Rap Movies That Need Sequels in 2015

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We’re not trying to ruin a happy ending here. We mainly need this film in our lives for another Taye Diggs/Sanaa Lathan team-up, with the backdrop of New York City, set to the sounds of old school hip-hop. The original was sexy and playful, with Lathan and Diggs’ chemistry turnt so high that it was impossible not to be hooked—just like your ear to your favorite beat. The ebbs and flows of hip-hop as a metaphor for the changing tides of their lifetime of friendship made the music that much more meaningful. Maybe those disenchanted with new school hip-hop can use another movie like this to remind them why they fell in love with it in the first place.

For those who haven’t seen the British film, but find themselves asking, “What would Romeo and Juliet look like if, instead of a bloody vicious battle betwixt two families of two people in love, it was a rap battle?” look no further than Life & Lyrics. The sequel could retell other classics, like a rap battle settling the disputes in Jane Austin novels, or perhaps The Scarlet Letter.

You can’t tell the story of hip-hop if it’s not set in the birthplace. Beat Street, set in the Bronx, was one of the first hip-hop films that had a wide release. Legendary artists like Doug E. Fresh, the Furious Five, and DJ Kool Herc performed on screen, introducing a whole new class of MCs and B-Boys to the suburbs. Beat Street’s sequel is desperately needed so kids can stop singing about thrift shops.

Not only is Get Rich or Die Tryin’—which is mostly the autobiography of 50 Cent—an entertaining movie, it’s also a great answer to give when family members ask you what you’re going to do after college. Once upon a time, not that long ago, 50 was the biggest rapper in the game, and his story of becoming a rapper, after being a drug dealer and surviving nine bullets, was made for the movies. Now, we want an update. The sequel can cover 50’s beef with Drake, accusing Floyd Mayweather of being illiterate, and his new underwear line.

Is Hustle & Flow the reason why everyone we know has a mixtape? The movie follows a struggle rapper in his 30s who is sick of being a drug dealer and a pimp. The sequel could be called Hustle & Flow: There My Back Go. It’s about a struggle rapper in his 70s, who’s trying to get back in the game after throwing his back out.

Released in 1983, Wild Style started it all. It’s considered to be the first hip-hop movie, and some even consider it to be the best. Grandmaster Flash, Fab 5 Freddy, the Cold Crush Brothers, and Lee Quinons introduced MCing and breakdancing to a whole new crowd. It’s time to revisit hip-hop’s roots with Wild Style 2.

It isn’t the best script ever written, as the story is jumbled and pretty forgettable. But with Hype Williams, the most impressive music video director of the ’90s, Belly is one of the most visually appealing films ever made. It’s still inspiring rap videos to this day. Two of rap’s biggest stars, Nas and DMX, were the lead roles. Williams is still killing it in the directing game, but he hasn’t had another feature film since. If he teamed up with Kanye and Jay Z for another film noir, the Internet would likely explode.

Krush Groove served as a retelling of how Def Jam Records came to be, which was established shortly before the film was released. If it wasn’t already an amazing film, the cameos would make it one. Guys like Russell Simmons, the producers who found the talent, Run-D.M.C., Rick Rubin, the Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J all show up. It’s inspiring to watch the dramatization of the rising of the record label. A sequel, to document how record labels work today, would be a drastic contrast to the early days of rap.

Thanks to the legendary rap film, Eminem became the first rap artist to win an Oscar. Not for acting though—don’t get crazy. Leo DiCaprio doesn’t even have one of those. It was for the original song, “Lose Yourself,” with lyrics such as, “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti”—truly, a classic. Jokes aside, 8 Mile was an exciting journey of a young, white rapper rising through the ranks of rap battles in Detroit. At the end of the movie, Eminem’s character, Jimmy, wins a battle but simply returns to his blue-collar work with confidence. It’s a feel-good ending, but we want to see him actually become famous, even if he was to sling mixtapes on the streets of NYC until he’s finally noticed.

CB4 is one of the great satires, but it doesn’t get enough credit. Starring the legendary Chris Rock, the film could be considered the Spinal Tap for the hip-hop genre. Based on the idea that rappers have to sell a persona rather than use their actual talent, the residents of Cell Block 4 act like they came from the streets instead of their actual wholesome upbringings. It isn’t until the prisoner who they base their personalities on breaks out of the joint that they drop their act. Nearly 22 years after CB4 was released, it’d be dope to see where the guys in Cell Block 4 are now in their careers: whether they’ve faded to obscurity like MC Hammer, or if they created an acting career on Law & Order, or if they’ve stuck around for the long haul.