Mahershala Ali Was an Underground Rapper Before He Was an Oscar Winner

While most people know Mahershala Ali for his recent Best Supporting Actor Oscars win for Moonlight or his roles on television shows like Luke Cage and House of Cards, Ali has a wide range of talents that include being able to spit bars with the best of them.

The Fader found that according to his iTunes biography, Ali performed under the name of Prince Ali and founded his own label Eye5 Recordings in 2006 while releasing a mixtape called Corner Ensemble. He was later signed to Hiero Imperium, the label founded by legendary Bay Area hip-hop crew Hieroglyphics with whom he released both the mixtape and a debut album, Curb Side Service.

If you’d like to see Ali spit rhymes for yourself, watch one of his music videos below.