andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Rapper-actor Mos Def has some big shoes to fill with his next movie role — those of legendary rock and roll musician Chuck Berry.

Mos Def will play the singer in “Cadillac Records,” a biopic which documents the rise and fall of Chess Records in 1950s and ’60s Chicago.

Gabrielle Union has also joined the cast as Geneva Wade, a girlfriend of blues musician Muddy Waters.

As previously reported, Adrien Brody is slated to star as label co-founder Leonard Chess, while the rest of the cast includes Beyonce as Etta James, Jeffrey Wright as Waters and Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon.

Written and directed by Darnell Martin, “Cadillac Records” is currently filming in New Jersey and will hit theatres in 2009.

The multi-talented Mos Def already has numerous stage, TV and movie credits to his name, including appearances in “Spin City,” “Brown Sugar,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “16 Blocks” and most recently, “Be Kind, Rewind.”

He has a number of film projects lined up for the next couple of years, including “Next Day Air”(2008) and “The Brazilian Job” (2009), where he’ll reprise his role from 2003’s “The Italian Job.”

Alicia Keys has succeeded in making another one of her dreams come true. The nine-time Grammy winner just finished taping a special episode of MTV ?Unplugged? and will now join the likes of Nirvana, Elton John, and Alanis Morissette ? musicians who comprise an exclusive list of big-name artists to have graced the show?s stage.

“As a child, in my wildest dreams ? and I dreamed so big ? but you never think it’s going to happen,” Keys told MTV. “So to be here, on the set that we’re going to record ‘Unplugged’ on, it’s amazing and beautiful and everything I’ve ever dreamed of.?

The R&B sensation brought the show back from MTV retirement last week in New York, where she serenaded fans with new renditions of songs off her two studio albums (Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys), a few covers (including Brenda Holloway?s ?Every Little Bit Hurts?) and also two new originals.

The MTV Unplugged series first debuted in 1989 and showcased popular bands in intimate, stripped-down performances, sans electric guitars, keyboards, and special effects. The show was credited with bringing about an ?acoustic revolution? in mainstream music.

?’Unplugged’ is my thing, it’s really my style, it’s what I’m all about,” said Keys. ?To have strings, to have percussion, to have all these elements to put in the piano base that I have, this is so much fun, man.?

Joining in on the fun were some of Keys? famous friends, whom she brought on stage to sing with her. Maroon 5?s Adam Levine joined Keys for a cover of the Rolling Stones? ?Wild Horses? while rap stars Common and Mos Def are featured in ?Love It or Leave It Alone.? Keys also performed with Damian Marley (son of reggae legend Bob Marley) for a unique rendition of his single, ?Welcome to Jam Rock.?

Fans can also look forward to hearing two new tracks on the show: “Stolen Moments” and “Unbreakable.” Keys describes ?Stolen Moments,? which she co-wrote with soul icon Al Green, as being about a romance “that shouldn’t exist, but it’s so perfect in how they relate to each other.” Meanwhile, “Unbreakable” is about “how life and love can be unbreakable.?

“Once people see this ‘Unplugged,’ I just want them to feel the spontaneity, to feel passionate,” Keys said. “I want you to see another side of me, that’s free, and feel where my head is, where whatever happens, happens. I want you to feel inspired.”

“Alicia Keys: Unplugged” is tentatively scheduled to air on MTV September 9.