21 Movies About Black Music Icons You Should Watch ASAP

On Friday, the  "Nina" movie controversy will culminated with the film's release. Since 2012, the biopic chronicling the life of Nina Simone has been plagued with legal drama and criticism from people who took issue with Zoe Saldana, a light-skinned black actress, playing the dark-skinned Simone.

The backlash only got worse when trailers cropped up in March, featuring Saldana wearing blackface and a prosthetic nose. 

The film's director (a white woman) still stands by casting Saldana , and says the makeup used to darken her skin and make her look more like Simone is just a part of the movie business. Many early reviews of the film are saying that while it's not very good, Saldana's performance (blackface aside) is decent . 

That said, there are many people who are still planning to boycott "Nina" on principal -- her estate has urged fans to avoid the film , and online petitions have even been made in protest . If you're choosing to boycott the movie, or if you just don't feel like seeing it, don't worry. We got you. Below are 21 movies about black music artists that you can watch instead of "Nina." And if you're still in the mood for bad movie makeup, the 2005 VH1 movie "Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story" (starring Flex Alexander) is highly recommended.