Mahershala Ali is a man of many talents.
But what you probably didnβt know about the Oscar winner is that before he was Remy in βHouse of Cardsβ or Cottonmouth in βLuke Cage,β he used to moonlight (get it?) as a rapper. His stage name was Prince Ali.
Ali founded Eye5 Recordings in 2006, after finishing his graduate program at New York Universityβs Tisch School of the Arts, according to his iTunes biography. He went on to release an underground mixtape, βCorner Ensemble.β Aliβs flow impressed Oakland hip-hop pioneers Hieroglyphics enough for them to release and distribute his mixtape and album, βCurb Side Service,β through Hiero Imperium/Fontana Distribution in 2007.
The βMoonlightβ star, who was also a guard for Saint Maryβs basketball team throughout college, told GQ that he fell in love with hip-hop when he heard Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rickβs βThe Showβ when he was 12. He said that same love has influenced his acting.
βI love hip-hop. Itβs such an appendage for me,β he said. βItβs something thatβs always shaped my experience out in the world. I always make mixtapes for every character that Iβm playing. Sonically, that character has a soundtrack.β
Listen to the rapper-turned-actorβs singles βThe Path/Honor Codeβ and βThe Majorsβ below.