Instrumental produced by SickBeats Productions
Hustle & Flow is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It also stars Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, DJ Qualls and Ludacris.
Hustle & Flow was released in the United States on July 22, 2005 by Paramount Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at the performances (particularly those of Howard and Henson), Brewer’s script and direction, and the soundtrack. It was also a commercial success, grossing $23.5 million against a production budget of $2.8 million.
The film received numerous accolades and nominations, and was nominated twice at the 78th Academy Awards for Best Actor (Howard) and Academy Award for Best Original Song for Three 6 Mafia‘s song “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”, winning the latter and becoming the second hip hop song to win an Academy Award, after Eminem‘s “Lose Yourself.”
DJay is a Memphis hustler who spends most days in a parked Chevy philosophizing about life while Nola (Taryn Manning), turn tricks in the backseat. He’s not very good at pimping, but he can hustle almost anything or anyone and makes enough to keep himself and three girls satisfied and housed in his shotgun home. DJay however is in the midst of a midlife crisis; he quietly harbors dreams of becoming a respected rapper. When he learns from a local club owner, Arnel (Isaac Hayes), that rap mogul Skinny Black (Ludacris), is rolling through town, DJay decides to record his flow with the hopes of slipping his demo to Skinny. With little help from his friends and “family” DJay sets in motion the hustle of his life, and galvanizes the lives of those around him as they learn that “Everybody’s gotta have a dream.”
Instrumental produced by SickBeats Productions
