Side Hustle: Actors Who Turned to Music

Sanaa Lathan connects with Dej Loaf and rocks the mic.

Tatyana Ali - We know her as little "Ashley Banks" from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but in 1999, Tatyana made the transition to music, releasing her gold-selling debut, Kiss the Sky.(Photo: Rob Loud/Getty Images)
Wayne Brady - Wayne Brady has released not one, but two albums. Yes, two albums. One of which was a moderately well-received R&B album, the second being a children's album. Not bad for a man that was politely turned down by Mary Jane Paul. (Photo: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) 
Terrence Howard - As the star of the acclaimed film Hustle & Flow, we knew Terrence could rap passably. But we didn't know he was an aspiring singer as well until he released his 2008 debut Shine Through It.(Photo: Rob Loud/Getty Images)
Jennifer Lopez - J.Lo took over the entertainment world one medium at a time. She started out as a dancer on the '90s comedy show In Living Color before making her name as an actor in films such as Selena and Out of Sight. She wasted no time in using her new buzz to launch a mega-successful music career with her 1999 debut On the 6, which has sold a whopping 8 million copies.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images)Raven-Symoné  - Raven-Symoné has been towing the line between music and acting for years. She started out as Olivia in the waning years of The Cosby Show and released her first album, Here's to New Dreams, in 1993, when she was just seven years old.(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Black Stars Who Slayed at the 97th Academy Awards

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Wayne Brady - Wayne Brady's jump from acting to music was a little more natural — he rose to fame as a frequent face on the improvisational acting/comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway, where he'd often steal the spotlight with his made-up musical numbers. He released his debut album, Long Time Coming, in 2008.(Photo: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) 

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