7 Times Rappers Appeared on ‘The Simpsons’

Over the past 30 years, hip-hop has infiltrated pop culture and become a part of everything from movies to fashion and television. Initially, it was the music that bridged the gap between these subcultures and industries, but as hip-hop blossomed, the genre's brightest stars would begin to take center stage. One example of rappers colliding with the mainstream is hip-hop's storied relationship with the long-running TV show The Simpsons.

Already a favorite show for some of your favorite rappers, The Simpsons has displayed their hip-hop card on many occasions, whether it be Ice-T references or having Bart turn Drake's "Started From the Bottom" into his own jam. Snoop Dogg, RZA and Common are slated to be the latest rappers to lend their voices to the animated Fox comedy, which has continued to show major kudos to hip-hop. The episode is scheduled to air this month and is billed as a hip-hop homage to The Great Gatsby. As for the rhyme and reason behind the hour-long special, the mission was to encompass hip-hop's past, present and future.

“We wanted the Mt. Rushmore of rap, and we got it,” The Simpsons producer Dan Greaney, who wrote the episode, explained in an interview. “They represent different moods and different aspects of the history of hip-hop.”

With some of rap's finest MCs set to strengthen The Simpsons' ties to hip-hop, we took a trip down memory lane and highlighted all of the instances in which a rapper made a cameo alongside Bart, Homer, Lisa, Marge and Maggie. From 50 Cent to Tupac and more, check out The Simpsons showing love to hip-hop in the gallery above.