5 Times Anna Kendrick Displayed Her Impressive Rapping Skills

Kendrick opened up about her first brush with rapping in Pitch Perfect during an interview with Conan O'Brien back in 2012. Joking that "when you think Anna Kendrick, you think hip hop," the movie and Broadway star detailed how she got into the studio to record her rendition of Dr. Dre's "No Diggity" for the film.

"Well, within the context of the movie I'm supposed to be bad at it," she told the host. "In the scene, I'm like embarrassed and I'm bad at it and it's funny and so that's fine, but then for the soundtrack they wanted me to like do it for real."

Kendrick disclosed that she made up a "misogynistic" rapper persona in order to get "in the zone," after being advised by two music producers in the recording studio to "get mad, get angry" and "harness that side" of herself.

"I was like standing like a guy and I was like imagining that I had a penis and I was in a hot tub surrounded by like b*tches," she shared. "I created a whole scenario and backstory, there were like imaginary extras in this story and I was degrading them, it was awful."

Watch her explain it on Conan in the video below.

While her rap performance in the trilogy's first installment was intended to be "bad," Kendrick showed she's got a real knack for rapping while on press tour for Pitch Perfect 2. During an interview with Marie Claire, the actress coyly but charmingly rapped to Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'," revealing it was her favorite pre-party tune.

Further elaborating on her musical preferences, Kendrick shared the one song she's likely to request in clubs is Rihanna's "B*tch Better Have My Money" and that she can't resist dancing to Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious."

Watch her rapping to Jay-Z in the video below.

After first showing off her rapping chops in Pitch Perfect, Kendrick made the ultimate proof of her talent a few years later in 2018's A Simple Favor. Fans fell in love with the movie's famous rap scene where Kendrick's character, Stephanie, demonstrates her mad skills by rapping along M.O.P.'s "Ante Up" while behind the wheel.

Watch Kendrick rap her heart out in the movie below.

Kendrick later proved she was a natural rapper while promoting A Simple Favor in the U.K. In a joint interview with co-star Blake Lively, the Portland, Maine native beat the Gossip Girl alum, 34, in a rap battle while showcasing her abilities to Skee-Lo's "I Wish." Check it out below.

To top it all off, Kendrick displayed her artistry on TV during an appearance on Ellen back in September 2018. Going on the show to talk about A Simple Favor, the star recreated her rap scene from the movie, launching into a perfectly memorized rendition of “Ante Up” in front of a wowed audience.

Watch her stellar performance below.