WATCH: Oscar-Winning Actor Mahershala Ali Used To Be A Rapper And Is Secretly Good
Before he was soaking up Oscar glory and starring in films like ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Hidden Figures,’ and ‘Luke Cage,’ Mahershala Ali could spit some dope bars.
Back in 2009, the award-winning actor was writing and performing hip-hop under the moniker ‘Prince Ali’. It turns out he was damn good too. Ali was releasing tunes under Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings – an Oakland-based, independent record label known for underground hip hop. Extra 10 points for sweet early-noughties editing visuals!
Check out a taste of his Oscar-worthy performance in ‘The Path / Honor Code’ below, plus some other taste-testers. If you like what you hear, you can check out more Prince Ali tunes here.
Prince Ali ft. Rakaa Iriscience – THE PATH / HONOR CODE
Prince Ali – The Majors ft. Casual, Planet Asia & Keith Murray
Prince Ali – Whom I’m Being