These Rappers Hip-Hopped Their Way Into Memorable Cartoon Cameos
Hip-hop has climbed to the most popular genre in the world. These days, nearly every rapper has grown up watching cartoons, and just about every cartoon fan has dabbled in hip-hop. With that in mind, the two worlds colliding only come naturally. Check out the most awesome rapper cartoon cameos that got viewers grooving.
1. André 3000 in Class of 3000
Between rapping as part of Outkast and making history with a Billboard-topping flute album, André 3000 took the role of Sunny Bridges on Cartoon Network’s Class of 3000. Dissatisfied with the life of a star, Sunny takes over as the music teacher of his alma mater performing arts school in Atlanta, GA. In addition to voicing the character, he sings and raps on many of the show’s songs in one of the most awesome rapper cartoon cameos.
2. Tyler the Creator and More in Regular Show
Pop’s love of poetry attracts him to the rap battle game going on at the park. It also generates some awesome rapper cartoon cameos: Alpha Dog (Donald Glover), Blitz Comet (Tyler the Creator), and Demel-Ishun (MC Lyte). A clash of personalities leads him into a rap battle of his own. He brings some Shakespearean wit to the fight and wins the night with the power of positivity.
3. De La Soul in Teen Titans Go!
All three members of De La Soul, Pos Plug Won, Trugoy, and Maseo, appear on Teen Titans Go! The Titans assist them in defeating an evil space monster who stole the masters to their music in an episode serving as an allegory for the rap trio’s real-life battle with the music industry. The rap group regained control of their masters in real life shortly after they did so in this episode, another reason to consider it some of the best rapper cartoon cameos.
4. Donald Glover in Adventure Time
Within the Ice Kings’ notebooks lives a world in which all the Adventure Time characters have been gender-swapped. Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino plays Marshal Lee, Marceline’s male counterpart. He sings and raps with Fionna in the flirty duet “Bad Little Boy.” He also returns to the role in the MAX Original spinoff Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.
5. GZA in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
In a world where giant mutated animals rule the surface, Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA plays the wolf Bad Billions. Billions leads a pack of wolves dedicated to astronomical endeavors and takes on a nightly ritual of rapping about their accumulated knowledge of the stars.
6. CeeLo Green in The Boondocks
We would be here all day if we went over all of The Boondocks’ rapper cartoon cameos appearances, so for today, we’ll highlight CeeLo Green. Green plays the recurring character Rollo Goodlove, a community activist who repeatedly gains the Freeman family’s trust only to fritter it away for his own profit.
7. RZA and More in The Simpsons
Rapper cartoon cameos have appeared on The Simpsons here and there for most of its run, but the show fully embraced them in the series’ first hour-long episode. “The Great Phatsby” mixes The Great Gatsby and Fox’s Empire as Mr. Burns gets introduced to the business world of hip hop. The episode comes packed with legendary rappers, including RZA, Common, and Snoop Dogg.
8. Kanye West in The Cleveland Show
Back when Kanye West was only a fraction as controversial as he is today, he played a recurring role on The Cleveland Show. He plays the high school student Kenny West, who has a bitter rivalry with Cleveland Jr. until they reconcile through a rap battle. After this, he continues to hang out with the Cleveland family in a few later episodes.
9. Lil’ Romeo in The Proud Family
Lil’ Romeo’s career took off just in time for him to guest star on The Proud Family. He headlines Wizard Kelly’s Halloween party and performs his song “Throw Em Up” while Penny’s friends fawn over the thirteen-year-old rap star.
10. Deltron in Craig of the Creek
Del the Funky Homosapien came to the creek as an alternate version of his persona, Deltron, from the concept album Deltron 3000. Craig and his friends help Deltron upgrade from analog to digital so he can return to the future and free it from its dystopian fate in one of the strangest rapper cartoon cameos.
11. Coolio in Futurama
Kwanzaa Bot stands alongside Santa Bot and Chanukah Zombie as one of Futurama’s three winter holiday mascots. Coolio lends his voice to the Afrocentric android and delivers a rap explaining the principles of Kwanzaa.
12. Logic in Rick & Morty
Rick and Morty needed some relief after a half hour of cynicism, betrayal, and death. Cue the rapper cartoon cameos!
After surviving Rick’s death game in “Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender,” our two “heroes” discovered that Rick planned a party to greet them when they got out. Rapper Logic headlined the party and performed a set to close the episode.
13. Tyler the Creator in The Jellies!
Not satisfied with rapper cartoon cameos on Cartoon Network shows, Tyler the Creator co-created The Jellies! for Adult Swim. While voice acting legend Phil LaMaar plays the show’s protagonist, Cornell Jelly, a human boy adopted by a jellyfish family, Tyler makes various voice appearances in all but one episode.
14. MC Hammer in Hammerman
Celebrity cartoons used to be all the rage in the 80s and 90s, so how could MC Hammer sit out the trend of rapper cartoon cameos? Youth center worker Stanley Burrell transforms into the superhero Hammerman thanks to a pair of magical talking shoes. While MC Hammer didn’t voice Stanley himself, he rapped the theme song’s lyrics and showed up in live-action segments bookending each episode.
15. Jaden Smith in Neo Yokio
Jaden Smith plays the main character, Kaz Kaan, a young aristocrat who has to balance his luxurious bourgeois lifestyle with his responsibility to protect the world by hunting demons. This anime may have faded from the public’s memory, but its choice quote, “You don’t deserve this big Toblerone.” will live on forever.
16. Vince Staples in MFKZ
In the French-Japanese adult animated film MFKZ, Vince Staples plays Vinz, a man with a flaming skull for a head. Vinz lives in the poverty-stricken Dark Meat City and helps his best friend Angelino fend off an alien plan for a global takeover.
17. Tone Lōc in Bebe’s Kids
Bebe’s Kids remains an anomaly 30 years after its release. The adult-oriented black animated feature film features rapper Tone Lōc as the actor for Bebe’s youngest kid, Pee Wee. Tone Lōc’s deep, raspy voice makes a great comedic juxtaposition coming out of the mouth of an oversized baby. Pee Wee gets to spit a verse with his big brother and sister in the movie’s song “Straight Jackin’.”
18. Kid n’ Play in Kid n’ Play
Shortly after the 90s sensations Kid n’ Play starred in the first film in the House Party series, they got their own kids’ cartoon show. Like other celebrity shows in this style, Kid n’ Play appears in live-action segments while different actors voice their animated counterparts. The live-action segments included some of their contemporaries, including Salt N Pepa and Kool Moe Dee.
19. Snoop Dogg in Turbo
Snoop Dogg plays Smoove Move, a member of Whiplash’s snail crew in the 2013 animated film Turbo. He says he moves so fast that the rest of the world moves in slow motion. In addition to playing this role, Snoop Dogg recorded the song “Let the Bass Go” for the film’s soundtrack.
20. Chance The Rapper and Erykah Badu in Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite routinely includes 20th-century cultural icons in its episodes. When it came time to feature Bob and Rita Marley, Chance the Rapper and Erykah Badu performed them, respectively. Honeybee falls for Bob during her vacation in Jamaica only to realize that she’s not the only woman in his life.
21. Killer Mike in Frisky Dingo
Before Archer went down as an all-time great in adult animation, its creator, Adam Reed, created the cult classic superhero comedy Frisky Dingo. Run the Jewels member Killer Mike voices rapper and eventual United States president Taqu’il. He also raps some songs for the show that definitely live up to the network’s name, “Adult Swim.”
