Mahershala Ali—from ‘royal’ rapper to Oscar-winning actor

Mahershala Ali

While the world now knows Mahershala Ali as the Oscar-winning actor from the film, “Moonlight,” not a lot of people know that he can also spit some mean bars.

Back in the 2000s, the acclaimed artist, who also starred in the TV series, “House of Cards” and “Luke Cage,” used to be a rapper who went by the name Prince Ali in the San Francisco Bay Area. He released two albums: “Corner Ensemble” (2006) and “Curb Side Service” (2007). And, oh, he used to do a bit of breakdancing, too.

“Hip-hop has perhaps the strongest influence on my life,” he told hip-hop magazine XXL in a recent interview. “There are so many people of color—and even white kids—who have been tolerating the stresses of their problems and what not…through the culture of hip-hop.”

Rihanna the humanitarian

Rihanna has won eight Grammy awards, scored 14 No. 1 hits in the United States, and sold more than 54 million studio albums and 200 million digital around the world. Now, the pop star can add the title Harvard Humanitarian of the Year to her resume.

The 29-year-old music artist was recently honored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations for the numerous philanthropic projects she has initiated.

Among them are the Clara Lionel Foundation, which helps poor communities all over the world, as well as a breast cancer treatment facility in Barbados.

“All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return,” she said in her acceptance speech. “You don’t have to be rich to help somebody. You don’t have to be famous or college-educated.”—ALLAN POLICARPIO