Provocative hip-hop artist Azealia Banks will get to make her major acting debut in an upcoming Lionsgate film 'It Doesn't Have to Rhyme'. The musical drama will be directed by 'Wu-Tang Clan' mastermind RZA. Banks will be joined by several other hip-hop stars.
Set in Brooklyn, Banks is going to play the main character Coco, an aspiring twenty-something female rapper who wants a career in hip-hop. She's held back by her parents' dreams that she finishes college. While taking a poetry class, she was drawn to 'the power of the spoken word' - this develops her verbal strength.
The poetry-class professor, played by Jill Scott, believes that rapping and slam poetry cannot co-exist, but Coco will prove her wrong. She ends up propelling toward her rap goals.
Banks herself is a budding artist who made her debut last year with the album 'Broke with Expensive Taste'. Rumor has it that there are other movies lined up for her. She is currently working on her sophomore album, which she says is 'already half-way done'.
RZA's directorial debut was seen in the 2012 Kung-Fu film, 'The Man with the Iron Fists', which he co-wrote with Eli Roth. During a recent interview, he said, "Producer Paul Hall and I have assembled a cool and eclectic cast to surround Azealia. Our story, which is set in today's contemporary youth culture, will bring a new voice to cinema that needs to be heard."
Filming is said to begin soon for 'It Doesn't Have to Rhyme', which is similar in tone to Eminem's '8 Mile'. It will also star Lorraine Toussaint as Coco's mother, known for her role in 'Orange is the New Black'.
Oscar-winner Common, 'Selma' and 'American Gangster', will play as her mentor figure. Other confirmed appearances include 'Pitch Perfect's' Hana Mae Lee, and Lucien Laviscount. The movie will be produced by Paul Hall, and Nicole Jefferson Asher wrote the script.
Will Azealia make it big on her silver screen debut with RZA's "Coco" hiphop movie? Share your thoughts below!
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