WARNING: SPOILERS FOR TRAP FOLLOW.
Summary
- M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap features real-life singers and rappers like Saleka, Kid Cudi, and Russ in major roles.
- Saleka shines as fictional pop star Lady Raven, performing original music throughout the film Trap.
- Despite mixed reviews, Trap met box office expectations and has the potential to be profitable with its low production budget.
There are several real-life singers and rappers in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest horror-thriller TrapJosh Hartnett plays a serial killer disguised as a caring father in Trapwhich also includes the film debut of Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka, as pop singer Lady Raven, as a major part of the cast of TrapAllison Pill plays Cooper’s (Hartnett) wife and Riley’s mother, played by Australian actress Ariel Donoghue. Pill’s character, Rachel, doesn’t appear until later in the film. Trap after Cooper reveals himself to be the serial killer known as The Butcher backstage after his concert.
Saleka’s Lady Raven sings and acts throughout the play. Trap in a concert hall where Hartnett’s Cooper is being staged. Most of the original music Trap It was created specifically by Saleka under her fictitious pop star name Lady Raven. Trap It received mixed reviews upon its release on August 2, 2024, but met opening weekend box office expectations by grossing $15.6 million worldwide. Trap It may not go down in history as one of Hartnett’s best films of all time, debuting with a 44% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it still has a strong chance of making a killing at the box office with its relatively modest production budget.
Traps The critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes has improved to 53% at the time of writing, accompanied by a positive audience score of 65%. Despite having a history of high and low ratings from critics, Shyamalan’s films almost always find a way to make money due to their low production costs. Split starring James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy was arguably Shyamalan’s most recent big film, although the 2023 Knock on the hut It was also generally well received. Hartnett’s star power is certainly a major draw for TrapBut Saleka Night Shyamalan ends up getting most of the attention in his father’s latest film.
5 Saleka
She plays Lady Raven
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Saleka Night Shyamalan plays Lady Raven in the film, but actually has a stage name in real life as pop singer Saleka. Saleka Shyamalan is one of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughters. Born in 1996, she made her film debut in TrapHer character, Lady Raven, is essentially a fictionalized version of her real-life stage name, Saleka, as a singer and recording artist. Saleka released a full-length debut album to accompany the release of Trap titled LADY RAVEN, which features rappers Russ and Kid Cudi, who have roles in the film as sort of fictionalized versions of themselves.
Saleka also provided some of the original music for his father’s Apple series. ServerBoth albums and all of Saleka’s music can be found on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music. Saleka sings and performs all of the songs on her LADY RAVEN album in real life. Trapwhich ends with the heartfelt piano ballad “Where Did She Go,” which she performed moments before Cooper was outed by his family as The Butcher. Saleka has much more than a background singing role in Trap and has the most screen time in the film after Hartnett, which is impressive for his first acting role.
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4. Kid Cudi
Play the thinker
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Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, is one of the most successful rappers in the world. He rose to stardom after the release of his debut album in 2009. The man in the moon: the end of the day With hit singles like “Day ‘n’ Nite,” “Soundtrack 2 My Life,” and “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare),” Kid Cudi began acting in 2010 when he appeared as himself on A hill of treesHe made his recurring television debut on HBO How to succeed in the United States (2010-2011) and since then has starred in numerous films and series such as Need for speed (2014), Western world (2020), We are who we are (2020), Don’t look up (2021), and X (2022).
Kid Cudi also created and starred in the Netflix animated series Entergalactic who won an Emmy for Best Character Design. He sings and acts as a fictional singer named “The Thinker” in Trap on a song with Saleka/Lady Raven called “Divine,” which features plenty of Cudi’s signature humming. Cudi’s persona, “The Thinker,” is nothing like the real-life Scott Mescudi, who is celebrated for his laid-back vibe and eccentric personality. The Thinker is a full-fledged diva on Trapyelling at the PA for choosing the wrong flavor of kombucha and making suggestive gestures toward Hartnett’s Cooper while backstage with Riley.
Cudi is also a successful film and television producer, and has executive producer credits on Mia Goth and Ti West’s critically acclaimed horror series, including MaXXXina, Pearland XHe released two full-length albums, UNUSUAL and INSANE (NITRO MEGA)in early 2024 and recently released the single “DREAMS I SEE” as the first song on his MOON MAN soundtrack for his newly released comic book. Cudi is undoubtedly a Renaissance man with a wide range of artistic talents. He is set to star in Ursa Major, an upcoming sci-fi thriller alongside Jessica Beal.
3 Russian
He plays Parker Wayne
Russell Vitale, better known by his stage name Russ, is another real-life rapper who appears in TrapIn his first professional acting role, he plays a character named Parker Wayne, a fictional pop singer. Russ performs the song “Hiding” with Lady Raven/Saleka in the film, appearing from a hidden platform in the audience, causing the fictional crowd to go wild. “Hiding” is currently one of the most popular songs on Saleka’s LADY RAVEN album on Apple Music. The lyrics of “Hiding” focus on an exchange between the two singers and their true selves hidden beneath their larger-than-life personalities.
Russ rose to fame in 2017 with his entirely self-produced album. There really is a wolfwhich he wrote, rapped, sang and composed entirely. Many of Russ’ most popular songs come from that album, even though he had released three albums prior in 2014. Songs like “What They Want,” “Losin Control,” “Ride Slow,” and “Cherry Hill” made Russ a worldwide sensation. There really is a wolfRuss has released four more albums, the most recent being 2023’s SANTIAGO. He also just released a single on July 17, 2024, featuring Jaden titled “WORK OF ART.” Russ is seen backstage at Trap waving to Riley as he waits for Lady Raven.
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2 Teo?
Play Papa’s Boots
As Cooper and Riley enter the concert venue, an opening group called Papa’s Boots plays shortly after at Lady Raven’s concert. While Papa’s Boots is a fictional pop group created specifically for TrapMateo “Téo?” Arias is a real-life pop singer and actor living in Los Angeles. Arias has been acting for years and got his start on the Disney XD series Kicking it as one of the main characters Jerry Martinez. Kicking it aired for 84 episodes over four seasons from 2011 to 2015. His other acting credits include The first girl I lovedfrom 2016 Good children which also stars Nicholas Braun, and from 2018 The Samuel Project.
Arias also starred in the 2020 American coming-of-age story. Rhythmic explosion like Carly Andres before making his appearance in TrapIn the musical field, Arias released her debut album Teo? in 2018, which has received over 50 million streams on Spotify. Téo?, also known as Téo, has worked with top singers such as Jaden Smith, Post Malone, Lido, Willow Smith, and Kali Uchis. Since 2018, Téo? has released two more albums, Sun in 2021 and Moon in 2023, the latter of which features her most popular track titled “Magic Hour.” Arias does not have a major role in Trap and only appears in a brief scene acting as the opening act for Lady Raven.
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1 Amaarae
Appears on the soundtrack
Amaarae does not appear onscreen in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, but does appear on the final song of the Lady Raven/Saleka soundtrack album, titled “Pieces,” which plays during the title credits. Amaarae is a Ghanaian-American singer whose debut album THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW Released in 2020. Her song SAD GIRLS LOVE MONEY It was her first big hit and helped her rise to prominence in the pop music arena. She has since released two full-length albums, 2023’s Baby fountain and 2024 Roses are red, tears are blue – A Fountain Baby Extended PlayThe 30-year-old singer is known for fusing pop, R&B and Afrobeat music genres.
Amaarae also appears on two songs on Childish Gambino’s latest and final album.Bando Stone and the New WorldDonald Glover, who started his musical alter ego Childish Gambino in 2011 with his debut album To campannounced that she plans to officially retire her Childish Gambino persona. Amaarae appears on “Talk My Sh*t” and “In The Night,” two of the album’s most popular songs. Amaarae is not an actress and has never appeared on screen before, either in film or television. Her contribution to Traps However, LADY RAVEN’s soundtrack stands out and definitely gives it the attention it deserves.
Trap 
3.0 Not yet ratedSuspenseMystery
Trap is a film by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan under his Blinding Edge Pictures banner. The film is part of a deal with Warner Bros. for him to direct and produce several films under his banner.
Director M. Night Shyamalan Release date August 2, 2024 Studio(s) Blinding Edge Pictures , New Line Cinema Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema Screenwriters M. Night Shyamalan Cast Josh Hartnett , Hayley Mills , Marnie McPhail , Vanessa Smythe , Saleka Shyamalan , Malik Jubal , Jonathan Langdon , Peter D’Souza , Ty Pravong , Kaitlyn Dallan Main genre Thriller Expand