Trivia: Laid-back rapper Snoop Dogg followed in the footsteps of such West Coast colleagues as Ice Cube and Ice-T, and added acting to his repertoire in the late '90s.Raised in Long Beach and nicknamed Snoop due to his resemblance to Peanuts' top canine, Snoop Dogg's troubled teen years culminated in a drug conviction after high school. After he got out of prison, Snoop Dogg turned to rap and soon captured the attention of star producer/rapper Dr. Dre. Introduced on Dr. Dre's seminal album The Chronic (1992), Snoop Dogg's smooth low-key style and lyrical authenticity turned him into one of gangster rap's stars, culminating with the release of his own top-selling, Grammy-nominated debut album Doggystyle (1993). Snoop Dogg's street cred, however, proved too negatively authentic when his involvement in a drive-by shooting led to a murder charge that same year. Battling the charge through the mid-'90s, Snoop Dogg was cleared in 1996, but his record sales waned along with gangster rap's popularity.Still a notable music celebrity, however, Snoop Dogg branched out into acting with a cameo appearance in the stoner comedy Half Baked (1998). Staying true to his urban persona, Snoop Dogg appeared in L.A. crime drama Caught Up (1998) (as Kool Kitty Kat) and Master P's coming-of-age story Hot Boyz (1999), and co-starred with Ice-T in action movies The Wrecking Crew (1999) and Urban Menace (1999). Increasingly comfortable as an actor, Snoop Dogg subsequently took on roles in several prominent 2001 releases. Trying comedy, Snoop Dogg co-starred with Dr. Dre as friends and car wash employees in The Wash (2001). Though John Singleton's Baby Boy (2001) failed to live up to antecedent Boyz 'N the Hood (1991), Snoop Dogg was convincing as the neighborhood troublemaker. After a cameo as a drug dealer paralyzed by Denzel Washington's corrupt cop in Training Day (2001), Snoop Dogg moved to his first solo starring role in the horror movie Bones (2001). As a murdered 1970s superfly community pillar-turned-ghostly avenger, Snoop Dogg earned kudos for his assured, menacing performance. Despite claims that his legal problems were over, Snoop Dogg was busted for marijuana possession during his Puff, Puff, Pass tour in October 2001.2003 marked the release of Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, which featured Snoop Dogg changing his role from gangster to prankster in a series of sketch comedy bits and various on-the-street disguises. Despite its popularity, Snoop's busy schedule prevented the show for lasting more than two seasons, though it helped reestablish the market for smart, African-American satire, which had been left largely unfulfilled since the cancellation of The Chris Rock Show. Luckily, Dave Chappelle proved a more than worthy successor to Snoop Dogg in that area, leaving the rapper more than enough time to make a cameo as himself in Old School (2003), as well as continue his contributions to the infamous Girls Gone Wild series, and thoroughly overuse the never-quite-hip slang suffix "izzle." In 2004, Snoop played informant to Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's Starsky & Hutch, as well as co-starred in director Jessy Terrero's Soul Plane.In 2006 he appeared in and produced Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror, and lent his voice to the animated family film Arthur and the Invisibles. He became a regular at celebrity roasts starting in 2007 when he helped skewer fellow iconic rapper Flavor Flav. He continued to appear steadily in a variety of projects, usually as himself, including Bruno, The Big Bang, and the documentaries Straight Outta L.A. and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

Trivia: One of the founding fathers of gangsta rap, the G-funk style, Death Row Records, and Aftermath, Dr. Dre has been bringing innovation and slick production to the world of rap since the early days of N.W.A. in the late '80s. As with many restless souls in the music industry, it was only a matter of time before Dre decided to expand his role in the entertainment industry to feature films. Born Andre Young in February of 1965, Dre's early work in the film industry involved orchestrating the soundtracks for such films as Above the Rim and Murder Was the Case in 1994. Taking the director's chair for 1993's Hour of Chaos and Murder Was the Case the following year, Dre also turned up in front of the camera for Set It Off (1996), Whiteboyz (1999), and Training Day (2001). Despite his reputation for being so "hard," Dre's first major film role would come surprisingly in the comedy The Wash (2001) alongside longtime friend and fellow G-Funk cohort Snoop Doggy Dogg. With former collaborator Ice Cube having already taken his act to the screen for laughs in 1995's Friday, it appeared as if the ever-serious former N.W.A. killaz had finally lightened up a bit and taken on a more easygoing celluloid existence as opposed to their more dangerous vinyl incarnation.

Trivia: Played Raynell in the August Wilson play Fences at age 6.Signed with Wilhelmina's Kids Division in New York at the age of 10.Was the first African American student body president at her elementary school (Seven Oaks Elementary School, Columbia, South Carolina).Played the daughter of female rap star "Pepa" (Sandi Denton) in her first television pilot, On Our Own aka On Our Way, which was never picked up.Played Omar Gooding's girlfriend in the film Baby Boy (2001).Appeared in music videos like Nelly and the St. Lunatics' "Batter Up" (September 2001) and "Ride wit Me" (April 24, 2001).Best known for her recurring role as attorney Leslie Michaelson on the daytime drama, The Young and the Restless.

Trivia: Hardly diminutive, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. has made his imposing presence felt in a multitude of films since the mid-'80s. Originally a professional wrestler nicknamed Zeus and Z-Gangsta, the 6' 5" 275 lb. Lister retired in 1985 to pursue an acting career. After making his movie debut in director Hal Ashby's final film 8 Million Ways to Die (1985), Lister spent the rest of the 1980s working primarily in A and B movies heavy on action, including Runaway Train (1985), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), and Walter Hill's Extreme Prejudice (1987). Lister earned his first starring role playing his wrestling alter ego Zeus in the Hulk Hogan vehicle No Holds Barred (1989). Lister continued his run of B films in the early '90s, as well as appearing in Walter Hill's higher profile actioner Trespass (1992) with future co-star Ice Cube, and Jean-Claude Van Damme's Universal Soldier (1992). As the 1990s went on, Lister played roles in a more varied assortment of films, including the quirky Johnny Depp/Marlon Brando/Faye Dunaway romantic fantasy Don Juan DeMarco (1995) and the Quentin Tarantino-wannabe noir Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995). Lister got to act for Tarantino himself in Jackie Brown, as well as play the President in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element. Lister's 1990s career also benefited from the decade's surge in African-American filmmaking, beginning with his starring role in Mario Van Peebles' Western Posse (1993). Lister subsequently starred as neighborhood bully Deebo opposite Ice Cube in the sleeper hit comedy Friday (1995). After appearing in comedian Martin Lawrence's A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), Lister played a supporting role in Ice Cube's directorial debut The Players Club (1998), and starred as a hood in Master P's I Got the Hook-Up (1998). Adding to his eclectic credits in 2000, Lister notched another hit reprising his role as Deebo in the sequel Next Friday (2000), and co-starred as one of Satan's sons in the Adam Sandler comedy Little Nicky (2000).

Trivia: A Milwaukee native and father of two who first found fame after moving to Los Angeles with his mother Loyce, an aspiring singer, Lamont Bentley first appeared onscreen in such popular television shows as Family Matters and The Parent 'Hood before making an impression on viewers with a recurring role on the popular UPN sitcom Moesha. In 2001, Bentley appeared as ill-fated rapper Tupac Shakur in the made-for-television movie Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story, with additional appearances in such features as Tales from the Hood and The Wash hinting at a successful future in features. Unfortunately Bentley's career was cut tragically short when, following appearances in the Spike Lee drama Sucker Free City and the Sticky Fingaz musical A Day in the Life, the up-and-coming actor suffered a fatal car accident while driving on the San Diego Freeway.

Trivia: Hip-hop star-turned-actor Xzibit was born Alvin Joiner in Detroit, MI, later moving to New Mexico and Los Angeles with his family before releasing his debut album, At the Speed of Life. The releases 40 Days & 40 Nightz and Restless followed in quick succession, and after touring with the likes of Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg Xzibit was a bona fide hip-hop heavyweight. In 1999, Xzibit began gravitating toward acting, with early roles in The Wash and 8 Mile serving well to show that he exuded as much charisma in front of the camera as he did in front of the studio microphone. More substantial roles in XXX: State of the Union, Derailed, and Gridiron Gang helped to solidify his reputation as a talented screen star, and starting in 2004, Xzibit would highlight some of the most outrageous machines ever to drive the two-lane blacktop as the host of MTV's Pimp My Ride.

Trivia: Has a twin sister called Elaine. Performed with his sister in a music duo called "Elaine and Derek" from the aged of thirteen - released an album in 1961. "Elaine and Derek" became "Odin's People" in 1967 after Larry Johns joined the duo - they released two singles the same year. Worked as Stage Manager in The Nonentities Theatre in Kidderminster during the 1960s. First appeared on Casualty in 1986.

Trivia: Canadian born Tommy Chong could boast a curious mixed lineage: Chinese, French, Scotch and Irish. A musician by inclination, Chong dropped out of high school as a sophomore, frequently working as a band member to support himself. At one point, Chong was playing with The Vancouvers, for whom he helped write a hit song, "Does Your Mama Know About Me?" Chong was exposed to quite a few improvisational comedy groups during his musical career; he developed a knack for getting laughs on his own, forming an improv group called City Works, which performed at a Vancouver nitery run by Tommy's brother. It is here that Chong met erstwhile humorist Richard "Cheech" Marin, who'd left his native Los Angeles for Canada in order to avoid the draft. Breaking away from City Works two years later, Cheech and Chong (as the act was now known) developed several routines built around the characters of two dim-witted dopers who aspired to nothing more than "good grass." By 1972, the team had won a Grammy award for their scatologically hilarious comedy albums. Cheech and Chong's record producer Lou Adler decided that the boys were movie material. The team's first film Up in Smoke (1978) turned out to be one of Warner Bros.' highest grossing films (in every sense of the word). Subsequent Cheech and Chong films didn't do quite so well; perhaps their time had passed, or perhaps their material was just too thin for a stream of comedy hits. In recent years, Cheech and Chong have worked separately and together with variable success, and both have contributed their vocal talents to Disney cartoon features. Chong is the father of actress Rae Dawn Chong.

Trivia: Self-proclaimed "weasel" Pauly Shore was born into a family of comics -- his father, Sammy Shore, opened for Elvis Presley in the 1970s, while his mother owned a prominent Los Angeles comedy club. Banking on having inherited the funny gene, a then 19-year-old Shore began making the rounds at his mother's club and others. Despite landing small roles on 21 Jump Street, 18 Again!, and For Keeps in 1988, Shore was primarily known for three things: kinky hair, geeky California slang, and unflinching, purposely obnoxious horniness. Combined, these traits were a veritable mating call to MTV, who promptly created Totally Pauly to showcase his talents for appreciative teen audiences and fellow sexually charged twentysomethings. Sure enough, Shore's schtick paid off, and 1992 found the young comic starring opposite a young Brendan Fraser in Encino Man. The film's success surprised critics and Shore detractors alike, and led to a series of fish-out-of-water roles in various comedies. In Son-In-Law (1993), for example, Shore played an eccentric L.A. native who was temporarily forced to give up his California style for life on a small-town farm; in In the Army Now, Shore stepped into the shoes of an eccentric L.A. native whose scheme to reap the benefits of military life without ever stepping in harm's way backfires, to the surprise of no one. He had similar roles in Jury Duty (1995) and Bio-Dome (1996). Sadly, the decline of Shore's act coincided with the suicide of his girlfriend, porn star Shannon "Savannah" Wilsey, whose face had been seriously injured in a car crash. Though he continued to perform on television and live comedy showcases, Shore changed his style for The Curse of Inferno (1997), a slightly more serious comedy detailing the crisis-in-conscience of a dim-witted bank robber. In 2000, Shore fared relatively well in The Bogus Witch Project, a joyfully campy spoof of the The Blair Witch Project (1999).

Trivia: One of a number of hip-hop musicians to successfully tackle a career in movies as well, Ludacris began his career as a humble radio DJ working in Atlanta, GA. He used the job as an opportunity to hone his skills as a musician and rapper, eventually hooking up with talents like super-producer Timbaland and getting signed to a subsidiary of Def Jam in 2000. He shortly thereafter released his first album, Inconegro, and soon became a household name, not to mention one of the most important forces in hip-hop. His fame was only boosted when, in 2002, he was signed to do a promotional deal with Pepsi, but the sponsorship was terminated when right-wing TV news shock-jocker Bill O'Reilly complained that Ludacris' image promoted violence. The controversy created much debate and attracted substantial attention, possibly more than the promo contract would have earned on its own, and the rapper's album sales continued to rise.It wasn't long before Ludacris' notoriety had movie directors tapping him to make appearances in their films. After a small role in 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, he was cast in the 2005 film Hustle & Flow, a movie starring Terrence Howard as Djay, an aspiring rapper trying desperately to make it. Ludacris played Skinny Black, a world-famous hip-hop star who started out in Djay's hometown of Memphis. The movie became a critical success, and Ludacris followed it up with a 2006 appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as the stepson of cast member Ice-T. His booming music career didn't make it easy, but Ludacris couldn't help signing onto another project in 2007, parodying his own street-tough image as a disgruntled elf in the Christmas comedy Fred Claus.

Trivia: Shaquille O'Neal is best known as the hulking 7'1", 300-pound center of basketball's Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, but his is the rare sports personality able to cross over, with debatable success, into other areas of entertainment, such as movies and rap music. He has also been a spokesman for such popular brands as Pepsi and Reebok.The NBA's future dominant big man and top attraction was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, NJ, and grew up an army brat, raised on overseas military bases. An All-American and player of the year at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was selected as the top pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Magic, immediately becoming their meal ticket and earning Rookie of the Year honors. As his persona grew toward household name status, Shaq turned his attention toward film work, first appearing as himself in the rap parody CB4 (1993) and then garnering decent reviews as -- surprise, surprise -- a basketball player in William Friedkin's courtside corruption story Blue Chips (1994).By this time, O'Neal had morphed into one of the most popular professional athletes and a Jordan-sized phenomenon, and his rap career was born. Starting to wear ornate jewelry, he recorded a song with Fu Schnickens and soon released his own album, Shaq Diesel (1993), which sold more than a million copies. Although no one has ever suggested he quit his day job to focus on rhyming, O'Neal has continued to release almost an album a year and befriended such legit collaborators as Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, and Common.It was when Shaq first tried to carry a movie and stretch his limited range that he earned his reputation as a laughable novice, unable to attract crowds in the droves that came to watch him dunk and block shots. He received top billing as a larger-than-life genie in the dopey PG-dud Kazaam (1996), which earned more critical hazings than dollars at the box office (a shade under 19 million dollars). When his follow-up, the harder-edged DC comics Superman spin-off Steel (1997) also went belly up, managing a stomach-churning 1.7 million dollars, Shaq basically hung up his high tops as an actor. Although he purportedly signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 off-season to be closer to Hollywood, O'Neal preferred to concentrate on his rapping and winning his first and second NBA championships in 2000 and 2001.

Trivia: A phenomenally successful Grammy nominee whose controversial rhymes earned the ire of the more politically correct while simultaneously topping the charts and selling millions of albums to fans who could appreciate his warped sense of humor and pop-culture satire, rapper Marshal Mathers (aka Eminem) came out of left field to dominate the rap music scene before making the inevitable transition into film in the semi-autobiographical drama 8 Mile. Born in St. Joseph, MO, to a single mother whose father quickly abandoned both her and their future child, Mathers spent the majority of his destitute youth traveling between his hometown and the sometimes harsh streets of Detroit. Inspired to pursue a career as a rap artist after his uncle played the soundtrack to Breakin' (1984) for the impressionable nine-year-old, Mathers quickly became enamored with such popular rappers as Ice T and LL Cool J, performing in front of his bedroom mirror nightly and obsessively lip-synching to their skilled and often complex rhymes. Settling in Detroit when the aspiring rapper was twelve years old, Mathers showed little interest in school and dropped out shortly after failing the ninth grade three times due to lack of involvement. It was then that Mathers decided to fully immerse himself in pursuing a career as a rapper. Impressed by his debut album Infinite (1995), Rap Coalition's Wendy Day helped Mathers (now going almost exclusively by the moniker Eminem) to gain a spot in the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles. Though he didn't take first place, his demo landed in the hands of Interscope Records executives and an appearance on a L.A. radio show resulted in an enduring partnership with legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre. From this point on there was no looking back and Eminem's uniquely obscene brand of humor proved a formidable force in the world of not only rap music, but also popular music (2000's The Marshal Mathers LP was the first rap album ever to be nominated for Album of the Year honors at that year's Grammys). Having made numerous videos in addition to appearances in such films as Da Hip Hop Witch (2000) and Dr. Dre's The Wash (2001), Eminem was no stranger in front of the camera, and would soon take a starring role in 8 Mile (2002). Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential [1997]), 8 Mile loosely detailed Mathers' rise to stardom while struggling to overcome both racial and personal boundaries. An emotional drama that exposed the tempermental artist to a much wider audience, 8 Mile proved a huge hit at the box office and sent DVD sales soaring when released on home video. By the time the 75th annual Academy Awards rolled around and a visibly surprised Barbara Streisand pronounced Eminem the winner in the Best Song category, fans (many likely as shocked as Streisand herself) rejoiced for the success of their favorite underdog rapper.