After a 16-year-old Spears appeared in Malcolm X (1992), he landed other film roles, including Home of Angels, Out-of-Sync, and Jerry Maguire. In 1997, he joined the cast of MADtv, where he remained until its tenth season in 2005. During his lengthy run, he created several recurring characters and impersonated dozens of celebrities, particularly rappers such as Jay-Z and DMX as well as actors including Denzel Washington and Arnold Schwarzenegger. His debut album, the double CD I Ain't Scared!, was released in 2005.
After leaving MADtv, Spears appeared in the 2006 film Hood of Horror, as well as television series The Underground and The Proud Family. He impersonated Shaquille O'Neal on Frank Caliendo's Frank TV, and challenged Soulja Boy Tell Em to a rap battle on the radio talk show Covino and Rich. In 2009, Spears appeared in the All Star Comedy Jam along with Cedric the Entertainer. His standup special Aries Spears: Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling aired on Showtime in 2011. He subsequently fell out of the spotlight for a few years, as he went through a divorce. He appeared in the film Promoted in 2015, and participated in MADtv's 20th anniversary special in 2016. Spears' album Comedy Blueprint, with cover art paying tribute to Jay-Z's Blueprint, was released by Comedy Dynamics in 2017. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi