Fredro Starr
Fredro Starr made the transition from rapper to actor more than 15 years after his former rap group, Onyx, beat out legendary hip hop artist Dr. Dre for Soul Train's Best Rap Album of the Year award in 1993. After multiple small television appearances Starr received his first main role as Quinton "Q" Brooks on "Moesha," as the on-again off-again love interest of the show's lead, fellow musician Brandy Norwood. Starr remained in the role from 1996 to 2000. His portrayal of the troubled Malakai in the 2001 teen drama "Save the Last Dance" brought greater attention and more film and television roles leading him to play Marquis "Bird" Hilton/Bird Hilton on the critically acclaimed television series "The Wire" from 2002 to 2003. Returning to his musical roots, Starr has been credited as a writer, producer, and performer on the soundtracks of multiple films. Starr produced and performed "Shining Through" for "Save the Last Dance" and wrote "Last Dayz" for the 2002 film "8 Mile," starring rapper Eminem. Starr's career has evolved into lead roles in "The Eddie Black Story" about a promising college student who joins a street gang, and in "Diamond Ruff," a film about a con artist whose life of crime catches up to him.