Movies like Notorious (2009)
The best movies like Notorious (2009) are All Eyez on Me (2017), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005). If Notorious hooked you with its music and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedStraight Outta Compton (2015)7.8/10 from 4,359 votes
- NewestBob Marley: One Love (2024)Released 2024
All Eyez on Me (2017)
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records. Against insurmountable odds, Tupac rose to become a cultural icon whose career and persona both continue to grow long after his passing.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStraight Outta Compton (2015)
In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGet Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHustle & Flow (2005)
With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like this8 Mile (2002)
For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOn the Come Up (2022)
Sixteen-year-old Brianna Jackson is a gifted rapper who plans to take the battle rap scene by storm to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father, a local hip-hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. However, when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose on her.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Get On Up (2014)
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCadillac Records (2008)
The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJust Another Day (2009)
Follows a day in the life of two men living at either end of the music game. A successful rapper, A-Maze, is dealing with the pitfalls and trappings of his success and facing new challenges in the music business to get a check while the other, Young Eastie, is a young man struggling in a harsh world that is threatening to destroy him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFilly Brown (2013)
“Majo” Tonorio, a.k.a. Filly Brown, is a raw, young Los Angeles hip-hop artist who spits from the heart. When a sleazy record producer offers her a crack at rap stardom, Majo faces some daunting choices. With an incarcerated mother, a record contract could be the ticket out for her struggling family. But taking the deal means selling out her talent and the true friends who helped her to the cusp of success.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Salt-N-Pepa (2021)
Salt-N-Pepa details the journey of Queensborough Community College students Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton as they enter the world of rap and hip hop, after recording a song for their friend Hurby Azor. Salt-N-Pepa made a huge impact as one of the first all-female rap groups, changing the look of hip hop and being unafraid to talk about sex and share their thoughts on men. The movie follows the group as they become the first female rap act to go platinum and experience ground-breaking success with multiple awards, including a Grammy award – paving the way for all female rappers to follow. The film will feature performances of Salt-N-Pepa’s greatest hits, including: “Let’s Talk About Sex”, “What a Man”, “Shoop” and “Push It”. The movie stars GG Townson as Cheryl “Salt” James, Laila Odom as Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Cleveland Berto as music producer “Hurby Azor,” Jermel Howard as rapper “Treach” and Monique Paul as “DJ Spinderella.”
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
Selena (1997)
In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young daughter is talented and begins performing with her at small venues. She finds success and falls for her guitarist, Chris Perez, who draws the ire of her father. Seeking mainstream stardom, Selena begins recording an English-language album which, tragically, she would never complete.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeat Street (1984)
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSurviving Compton: Dre, Suge and Michel'le (2016)
Discovered at a young age, the shy, squeaky-voiced Michel'le was plucked straight from South Central, Los Angeles and catapulted into the spotlight while riding N.W.A.'s rocket ride of early success. Surrounded by industry visionaries from Eazy-E to Tupac Skaur, Michel'le quickly climbed the charts, but her musical successes were soon overshadowed by betrayal and corruption. A nearly decade-long romance with the infamous Dr. Dre pushed her into a life tarnished by alcohol, drugs and violence until her savior came in the unlikely form of Suge Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records and Dre's business partner. Friendship would turn into a courtly romance, but the union Michel'le thought they had did not end happily ever after. With children from both men and a career to protect, Michel'le's voice became silenced by Compton's biggest power players. Until now.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Hot Wax (1978)
This is the story loosely based on Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950s. Freed was a source of great controversy: criticized by conservatives for corrupting youth with the "devil's music"; hated by racists for promoting African American music for white consumption; persecuted by law enforcement officials and finally brought down by the "payola" scandals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Krush Groove (1985)
Russell Walker is a young, successful manager of rap performers, handling acts for the Krush Groove label, including Run-DMC and The Fat Boys. When Run-D.M.C. has a hit record and Russell needs more money to press more copies, he borrows it from a street hustler and soon regrets his decision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014)
The story of R&B singer and actress Aaliyah; namely, the highs and lows of her career, her romantic pursuits, and the events leading up to her death in 2001 at the age of 22.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTupac Shakur: Thug Angel (2002)
Documentary examining the politics, music, and life of Tupac Shakur.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music
Ray (2004)
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Cantante (2006)
The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTupac: Resurrection (2003)
Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBodied (2018)
A progressive graduate student finds success and sparks outrage when his interest in battle rap as a thesis subject becomes a competitive obsession.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnipes (2001)
Erik is a hip-hop-lovin' teen living in Philadelphia who'd rather spend time listening to his idol, the rapper Prolifik. One day, Erik finds himself more entangled in Prolifik's life than he ever imagined possible: Prolifik's been kidnapped, his master tapes are gone, and, through a series of twisted events, the same people who are after the musician go after Erik, too.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Beats (2019)
An agoraphobic hip-hop prodigy and a disgraced former music manager cross paths in Chicago’s South Side and help each other face demons of their pasts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCypress Hill: Insane in the Brain (2022)
A smoke-filled journey across the lives and the careers of the groundbreaking, genre-defying Hip Hop group, Cypress Hill. Their unique sound, influenced by their Latin roots and West Coast upbringing, was built on a movement rooted in true authenticity: from cultivating the flower, to smoking it, to rapping about it, their influence is forever burned into the musical landscape of Hip Hop as they continue to stay relevant after 30 years.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both music & drama
The Five Heartbeats (1991)
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Beats Rhymes (2017)
A young woman dreams of making it big in the world of hip hop, but her parents demand that she finish her university degree. She dutifully agrees to complete her education, but her spoken word proves to have a powerful impact in the classroom.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Breaks (2016)
Three friends united by their love of hip-hop work to make their big mark in the music industry. Beginning in the summer of 1990 NYC, Nikki a brilliant recent grad abandons a law school scholarship to pursue her dream of becoming a record exec along with the son of a legendary music producer boyfriend David who’s struggling at the city’s top R&B station. Dee Vee is an aspiring producer on the hunt to find the next big rapper on the come-up.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Notorious?
The closest matches to Notorious are All Eyez on Me (2017), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Notorious?
People who watched Notorious most often go on to All Eyez on Me (2017), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005).
What is the highest-rated movie like Notorious?
Straight Outta Compton (2015), rated 7.8/10 by 4,359 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Notorious?
Bob Marley: One Love (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Notorious?
Yes: All Eyez on Me (2017), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005).
How are movies similar to Notorious chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Notorious, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.