10 Best Acting Performances By Musicians

He may be more well known these days for his money-grabbing run as a family friendly angry dad, but in his screen debut, O'shea “Ice Cube” Jackson turned in a performance of such genuine intensity, anger, and power that, decades later, he's hardly recognisable as the same actor.

Starring as Doughboy opposite the oft-underrated Cuba Gooding jr, Cube gives the film its edge of legitimacy. No sense of a cash grab is to be seen here – he's fully invested, eager for white America to witness the strength of street knowledge. Again, perhaps, the role of a tearaway teen on the dangerous streets of Compton is not the biggest test for the performer (though given Cube's diploma in architecture, who can say), but the NWA leader quickly proves himself to be an adept actor with charisma to boot, and there's little denying he steals the show from Gooding jr's milquetoast lead character.

In later years Cube found a surprising knack for comedy, perhaps best displayed in 21 Jump Street, and the relatively versatile actor has worked steadily in film since the late '80s, but he's never bettered Boyz N The Hood. One might surmise that the project was somewhat emotionally draining, or that he just felt like taking it easy in his secondary career. But when you have a debut performance of this calibre, maybe there just isn't much point trying to top it.