The nation and particularly rappers have had a special, if peculiar, relationship with movie gangsters that can be traced back in modern times to Vito and Michael Corleone in The Godfather, peaking with Al Pacino’s Scarface, continuing on through cult favorites and classics like New Jack City, Goodfellas and Casino and rolling into the new millennium with the smash TV hit, “The Sopranos.”
Thus, seismic quakes reverberated in Hollywood and throughout the nation when actor James Gandolfini shockingly passed away from a heart attack at the relatively young age of 51.
Gandolfini became an enduring and endearing pop culture superstar when he brought to life the modern Corleone family through Tony Soprano in the HBO series “The Sopranos.”
The series about a powerful New Jersey crime syndicate immediately became a massive hit and and must-see TV, so much so that multiple rappers rhymed about Gandolfini’s legendary Tony Soprano character.
As we pay respects to the fallen Hollywood star Gandolfini, we take a look at some of the rappers and rap songs inspired by Tony Soprano.