Movies Like Gang Signs & Prayer

If you liked Gang Signs & Prayer (2017), a movie directed by Rollo Jackson, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
8 Mile (2002)
★ 7.1/10
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…
2
Teen Spirit (2019)
★ 6/10
A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.
3
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
★ 6.6/10
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
4
All Eyez on Me (2017)
★ 6.7/10
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…
5
Notorious (2009)
★ 7/10
"Notorious" is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers…
6
Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
★ 6.9/10
A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music.
7
Tuff Turf (1985)
★ 5.9/10
The new guy in a Los Angeles high school, Morgan, does some singing and fights hotshot Nick over disco dancer Frankie.
8
Let It Shine (2012)
★ 7/10
A teenage rapper must use his musical talent to help a friend and win the girl of his dreams while overcoming self-doubt and the expectations of his strict religious parents.
9
Hala (2019)
★ 6.3/10
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American teenager Hala struggles to balance desire with her family, cultural, and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her…
10
I Can Only Imagine (2018)
★ 7.5/10
Growing up in Greenville, Texas, Bart Millard suffers physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father, Arthur. When Arthur becomes terminally ill, he finds redemption by embracing his faith and rediscovering…
11
Purple Rain (1984)
★ 6.7/10
A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent…
12
Fire with Fire (1986)
★ 6.2/10
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison…
13
Sneakerella (2022)
★ 5.9/10
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity…
14
The Truth About Emanuel (2013)
★ 6/10
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
15
The Smashing Machine (2025)
★ 6.4/10
In the late 1990s, up-and-coming mixed martial artist Mark Kerr aspires to become the greatest fighter in the world. However, he must also battle his opioid dependence and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend…
16
Savage Streets (1984)
★ 6.3/10
Brenda, vivacious leader of the "Satins", a fun-loving group of pretty high school girls, searches for deadly vengeance against the gang members who assaulted her deaf-mute sister.
17
My Fault: London (2025)
★ 7.4/10
18-year-old Noah moves from America to London, with her mother who's recently fallen in love with William, a wealthy British businessman. Noah meets William’s son, bad-boy Nick, and soon discovers there is an…
18
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)
★ 7.3/10
Based on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.
19
Respect (2021)
★ 6.8/10
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
20
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.