Kanye West, rapper, artist, visionary, and Kanye West expert, might be poised to add some acting credits to his resume. TheWrap reports that Spike Lee has struck a deal with Amazon Studios for his new film, Chiraq, and is seeking not one, but two rappers from Chicago to join the cast. Lee is apparently courting both West and Common for key roles in the film, along with Jeremy Piven and Samuel L. Jackson. (Piven is also from Chicago, whereas Jackson just happens to be Samuel L. Jackson.) Details on the film are scarce right now, but Chiraq is the nickname many have given to Chicago due to its gun violence.
Common recently won a Best Original Song Oscar and appeared in Selma, but even with West’s film-stealing cameos in serious dramas such as The Love Guru, Anchorman 2, and presumably Zoolander 2, it remains to be seen how well Kanye can handle a larger role as part of an ensemble. There’s also the question of whether he can be part of an ensemble of any kind without making it all about him, but we’ll let Lee deal with that one.