Krush Groove

Sheila E. (Actor) .. Herself

Born: December 12, 1957
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States

Trivia: Drummer and pop singer Sheila E. is best known for being a protégée of pop superstar Prince. Her best-known hit remains "Glamorous Life." She made her feature-film debut in Krush Groove (1985). Though she acted in a couple more films, including The Adventures of Ford Fairline, she's appeared in numerous documentaries and performance films including the Prince concert doc Sign O' the Times. In 2007 she was a judge on the reality competition series The Next Great American Band.

Run-DMC (Actor) .. Himself

The Fat Boys (Actor) .. Themselves (Mark Morales, Damon Wimbly,

Kurtis Blow (Actor) .. Himself

Born: August 09, 1959

Joseph Simmons (Actor) .. Run

Born: November 14, 1964

Darryl McDaniels (Actor) .. DMC

Born: May 31, 1964

Jason Mizell (Actor) .. Jam Master Jay

Born: January 01, 1965
Died: October 30, 2002

Mark Morales (Actor) .. Fat Boy Prince Markie D

Damon Wimbley (Actor) .. Fat Boy Kool Rock Ski

Darren Robinson (Actor) .. Fat Boy the Human Beat Box

Born: June 10, 1967
Died: December 10, 1995

Blair Underwood (Actor) .. Russell Walker

Born: August 25, 1964
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington, United States

Trivia: Handsome actor Blair Underwood was born into a military family and studied at Carnegie-Mellon University before moving to New York to pursue his career. Guest-starring work on The Cosby Show earned him a part on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a reoccurring role on the short-lived series Downtown. In 1985 he made his film debut as a record producer in the rap comedy Krush Groove. This was followed by the successful TV docudramas Heat Wave and Murder in Mississippi. His breakthrough finally came about on L.A. Law, playing attorney Jonathan Rollins from 1987 to 1994. Supporting roles followed, as an accused rapist in Just Cause, a well-to-do love interest in Set It Off, and baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the HBO original movie Soul of the Game. Also during the '90s, he tried his hand at screenwriting and producing with the short film Second Coming, a contemporary take on Christ's second coming starring himself as a dread-locked Jesus accused of insanity. In 2000, he starred in the CBS medical drama City of Angels, followed by supporting roles in the military courtroom drama Rules of Engagement, as well as Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal, and the teen movie Malibu's Most Wanted. He consistently found work on the small screen in a variety of TV shows including LAX, the short-lived Dirty Sexy Money, and as a haunted military pilot in the first season of HBO's In Treatment. On the big-screen he could be seen in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, Something New, and The Art of Getting By. He and wife Desiree DaCosta (two-time executive assistant to Eddie Murphy) have three children.

Richard Gant (Actor) .. Jay B

Born: March 10, 1944

Trivia: Salt-and-pepper-haired, frequently mustachioed African-American character player Richard Gant tackled supporting roles in a plethora of Hollywood A-list features during the 1980s and '90s. Among other efforts, his resumé from that period includes Suspect (1987), Rocky V (1990), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), and CB4: The Movie (1993). Gant continued his big-screen roles through the tail end of that decade and well into the 2000s, but also achieved substantial recognition and audience identification on the small screen, with a regular role as Sgt. Bill Dornan on Steven Bochco's hit cop drama NYPD Blue. Gant later appeared memorably as the livery stable owner Hostetler on the HBO Western drama Deadwood, and joined the cast of long-running soap opera General Hospital as Dr. Russell Ford in 2007.

Daniel Simmons (Actor) .. Rev. Walker

Charles Stettler (Actor) .. Terri Beiker

Rick Rubin (Actor) .. Rick

Born: March 10, 1963

Mike D (Actor) .. Beastie Boy

Born: November 20, 1965
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Trivia: Originally formed the Beastie Boys as a hardcore punk group with Adam Yauch (AKA MCA). Switched the Beasties' sound from punk to rap once Adam Horovitz (AKA Ad-Rock) joined the group. Appeared as himself, alongside a number of other rappers and singers, in the hip-hop movie Krush Groove (1985). The Beasties' 1986 debut album, Licensed to Ill, sold several million copies and featured the smash single "Fight for Your Right." In the early '90s, cofounded the Grand Royal record label, which released the Beasties' Check Your Head (1992), as well as albums by Luscious Jackson and Atari Teenage Riot. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beastie Boys) in 2012.

Fat Boys (Actor)

Trivia: The Fat Boys (Damon Wimbley, Dareen Robinson, and Mark Morales) were among the first rap music artists to find mainstream popularity. The talented and portly trio made occasional feature-film appearances as themselves. In 1987, they dabbled in acting with the comedy Disorderlies. The threesome also appeared in Krush Groove (1985) and Knights of the City (1985). The group split in 1989. Plans for a reunion were squashed in 1995 when the 450-pound Robinson (aka "the Human Beat Box" and "Buff Love") died suddenly of a heart attack due to a respiratory ailment.

Adam Horovitz (Actor) .. Beastie Boy

Born: October 31, 1967
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Trivia: Best known as one of the punk/rap group Beastie Boys, Adam Horovitz also occasionally appears in films. Though he and fellow group mates had appeared in films as the Beastie Boys, Horovitz did not make his solo acting debut until he was cast as a mentally disturbed teen under psychiatrist Donald Sutherland's care in Lost Angels (1989). He would go on to appear in a handful of short films.

Adam Youck (Actor) .. Beastie Boy

Born: August 05, 1964
Died: May 04, 2012
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Trivia: Originally formed the Beastie Boys as a hardcore punk group with Mike D in the early 1980s. Cofounded the Grand Royal record label, which released the Beasties' Check Your Head in 1992. Created the Milarepa Fund in 1994 to support Tibet's struggle for freedom from China. Directed the fan-filmed Beasties concert movie Awesome: I Shot That! (2006) and the high-school basketball documentary Gunnin' for That #1 Spot (2008). Formed the music and film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories in 2008. Nicknames include MCA and Nathaniel Hornblower. Was a devout Buddhist and a vegan. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beastie Boys) in 2012, but had to miss the ceremony due to his battle with cancer. He passed away two weeks later.

Donnie Simpson (Actor) .. Contest MC

Karen Moss (Actor) .. Karen

Dr. Jeckyll (Actor) .. Himself

Born: September 26, 1960

Mr. Hyde (Actor) .. Himself

Galaxy (Actor) .. Himself

Chad Elliot (Actor) .. Chad

Michael Lewis (Actor) .. Mandingo

Eron Tabor (Actor)

Paul Anthony (Actor) .. Enforcer No. 2

Born: January 21, 1975

Ralph Tresvant (Actor) .. New Edition

Born: May 16, 1968

Sweet G. (Actor) .. Fever DJ

Mr. Magic (Actor) .. Himself

Russell Simmons (Actor) .. Crocket

Born: October 04, 1957
Birthplace: Queens, New York, United States

Trivia: Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons first branched out into movies when he acted and co-produced in the 1985 rap movie Krush Groove. Essentially a glorified biography of his own life, with Blair Underwood assuming the role of Simmons, the movie didn't score well with critics but was a box-office success. Another hip-hop based movie followed, 1988's Tougher Than Leather, before Simmons assumed full control of Def Jam when co-founder Rick Rubin left. Almost immediately he set up Rush Communications, dipping his hand in nearly everything from a clothing line, to television comedy, to magazine production. At this time Simmons also began producing movies. Pictures he's backed creatively and/or financially include The Addiction, The Nutty Professor and Gridlock'd.

LL Cool J (Actor) .. Himself

Born: January 14, 1968
Birthplace: Bay Shore, New York

Trivia: Innovative rap music superstar LL Cool J made the successful transition to actor/musician in the 1990s, with several major films and a TV series to his credit. Born James Todd Smith in Queens, LL Cool J established himself as one of the major figures in rap music in the 1980s and '90s; he made his movie debut as himself in the 1985 rap movie Krush Groove. Although LL Cool J also appeared as himself in B.A.P.S. (1998), his 1990s movie career revealed that he had the acting chops to go with his musical talent. Following roles in the light-hearted cop movie The Hard Way (1991) and the ill-fated fantasy Toys (1992), LL Cool J spent four seasons as one of the stars of the primetime TV sitcom In the House (1995-1999). During his years on TV, LL Cool J also showed his dramatic versatility in the romantic comedy Woo (1998), crime dramas Caught Up (1998) and In Too Deep (1999), and horror sequel Halloween: H20 (1998). After starring as potential shark bait in the mutant mako actioner Deep Blue Sea (1999), he finished the decade by winning critical kudos as an immodest football player in Oliver Stone's sports drama Any Given Sunday (1999). Hit former career in music all but forgotten, LL Cool J would give action films a shot with Charlie's Angels (2000) and Rollerball (2002) before living up to his real life reputation as a ladies man in the comedy Deliver Us from Eva. Starring as the stud wrangled into taming Gabrielle Union's shrew Eva, LL Cool J notched his first romantic comedy lead and took another step away from his musical past by billing himself under his real name. Following the less than stellar Eva, LL Cool J added his voice to the animated Rugrats Go Wild (2003). Further bolstering his action movie credits (and returning to his street moniker), LL Cool J then joined the multicultural cast of Samuel L. Jackson's elite police squad in the summer popcorn movie S.W.A.T. (2003). Later, the rapper-turned-actor's role as Sam Hanna in a two-part 2009 episode of NCIS led to regular work on the spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles, as well as a crossover appearance as the same character in the 2010 Hawaii Five-O revival.

Michael Kaufman (Actor) .. Loan Officer

Born: July 28, 1950

Elaine Shapiro (Actor) .. Mrs. Ekhardt

John MacKay (Actor) .. Dean

Karl Schroeder (Actor) .. Car Wash Boss

Heidi Smith (Actor) .. Carmen

Leon Stephenson (Actor) .. Scar

B. Fine (Actor) .. Enforcer No. 1

Bennie Reitveld (Actor) .. Sheila's Friend

Haoui Montaug (Actor) .. Danceteria DJ

Sunshine Wright (Actor) .. Kurtis Blow's Girl

Sandra J. Wright (Actor) .. Kurtis Blow's Girl

Raymond White (Actor) .. Hollis Crew Member #5

John A. MacKay (Actor) .. Dean

Lisa Gay Hamilton (Actor) .. Aisha

Sal Abbatiello (Actor) .. Sal

Douglas Hayes (Actor) .. Hollis Crew

Ricky Bell (Actor) .. New Edition

Born: September 18, 1967

Bobby Brown (Actor) .. New Edition

Born: February 05, 1969
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Trivia: Bobby Brown's first few acting gigs were roles to be remembered. He made his debut, as part of his 1980s boy band New Edition, in Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool!, '80s icon Mr. T's bizarre attempt to instill high self-esteem in the children of the decade. New Edition also had a sizeable role in Krush Groove, a biography of rap producer Russell Simmons that also served as the first rock & roll movie to focus firmly on hip-hop. Brown chose to focus on music after these experiences, although he didn't rule out taking the occasional part in movies down the road. Despite his successes in both of these arts, Brown is probably best known as Whitney Houston's bad-boy husband. Brown was born February 5, 1969, in Boston, MA. He grew up in the Boston area and became friends as a kid with Ralph Tresvant. The pair later formed New Edition with three others, which launched Brown into stardom before he quit the group in 1986.Brown took only two acting roles between 1985 and 1995 -- a cameo in Ghostbusters II (for which he also provided a song) and as one of the Three Blind Mice in Shelly Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. He returned to acting in 1995 in Panther, Mario and Melvin van Peebles' look at the Black Panther movement. In between sporadic run-ins with the law and the occasional prison sentence, Brown continued to act, taking roles in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate with Martin Lawrence and Go for Broke with Pras, the least-active member of The Fugees.In 2005, he turned to reality television, starring in his own series, Being Bobby Brown. He frequently dipped back into the medium, with the singing competition Gone Country in 2008 and Celebrity Fit Club in 2010. Brown also appeared on the reality show parody Real Husbands of Hollywood.

Julian Jackson (Actor) .. Man in Bar

Terry Williams (Actor) .. Hollis Crew

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