As Anna Hathaway proved recently on the Conan O'Brien show, it's not just rappers who can bust a rhyme. Whether it's to laugh at themselves, make a point,or prove their love for the genre, a whole host of famous women have tried their hand at rapping along to their favourite MC's lyrics, or even penned their own rhymes, resulting in a string of viral video hits.

Whilst we won't be encouraging these ladies to give up their day jobs in pursuit of rap superstardom, these videos of their efforts certainly make for entertaining viewing...

Anne Hathaway

On a recent episode of the Conan O Brien show, Anne Hathaway unleashed her inner rap-star, debuting her self-penned tirade against the paparazzi to the bemused talk show host. In a style she likened to rapper 'Lil Wayne, her rap went a little something like this: "Yo I’m a paparazzi, I don’t play no Yahtzee … Pop pop pop pop pop, my camera’s up your crotch. Don’t call me scuzzy, making money, that’s my job."

Gwyneth Paltrow

Actress, model, chef, country singer, creator of Goop - and rapper? A self-confessed hip hop addict and friend to Jay Z, Gwyneth showcased her 'skillz' on The Graham Norton Show, rapping Straight Outta Compton by NWA.

Natalie Portman

This Saturday Night Live sketch was a huge viral hit, and showed that you really wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Ms Portman.

Britney Spears

Appearing on an episode of Ashton Kutcher's MTV prank show Punk'd, Britney was originally supposed to dupe Busta Rhymes, pretending she was serious about starting a rap career. Instead, she performed her skit for Ashton and his crew - even sporting a bandana to make her look more "street".

Miley Cyrus

When singer Miley Cyrus decided to leave twitter, she didn't go quietly - instead she composed an entire rap about leaving the social networking site, and then posted it on Youtube. She's since returned, regailing her 2 million followers with tweets such as this: "Woke up w a bruise on my forehead an I vaguely remember running into the screen door in the middle of the night taking the puppies out! Ha!".

Paris Hilton

We're not overly familiar with Snoop Dogg's TV show Dogg after Dark , but this chat show from the famous rapper seems to inspire comedy gold. In this clip, heiress Paris Hilton plays barmaid, and rapper - let's just say we can see why the singing career didn't take off.

Michelle Trachtenburg

She may have played the backstabbing best friend in Gossip Girl, but Michelle Trachtenburg's impression of Nicki Minaj is quite sweet - and can we spy James Van Der Beek in the background?

Taylor Swift

Squeaky clean country star Taylor was a little shy when asked to rap Nicky Minaj's hit Superbass on a US radio station recently, but judging by this video, she's already a seasoned pro. Filmed for the CMT awards in 2009, this funny video shows Taylor, or "T Swizzle" team up with T Pain for Thug Story - which includes such choice lyrics as "I'm so gangsta you can find me baking cookies at night/You out clubbing, but I just made caramel delight".

Did we miss any wannabe celebrity rap-stars off our list? Let us know in the comments below.