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.

Plot

DJay is a pimp and drug dealer living in Memphis, Tennessee, who is dissatisfied with his life. After reacquainting himself with an old friend and sound technician, Key, DJay decides to make hip hop music.

Key and his sound-mixer friend Shelby help DJay put together several songs in which he expresses the frustrations of struggling to survive in the ghetto. DJay proves his talent, and his first song appears to have a decent chance of getting local radio play.

The group experiences setbacks throughout the creative process. DJay must hustle those around him in order to procure equipment and recording time, and Key s relationship with his wife becomes strained. DJay throws out one of his prostitutes, Lexus, along with her infant son, for ridiculing him. DJay s pregnant prostitute, Shug, joins in the creative process, singing hooks. The group eventually records several tracks, including Whoop That Trick and It s Hard out Here for a Pimp . After their first recording, DJay gains romantic feelings toward Shug.

DJay s friend Arnel informs him that Skinny Black, a successful Memphis rapper, will be returning for a Fourth of July party. DJay gains admittance under the pretext of providing marijuana, with the true intention of giving Black his demo tape. Black is dismissive at first, but DJay successfully persuades him into taking the tape.

Before leaving the party, DJay discovers that a drunken Black has destroyed his tape. DJay confronts Black who insults him. In a fit of rage, DJay nearly beats Black to death but attempts to resuscitate him. A member of Black s entourage enters the bathroom and pulls out his gun. DJay shoots the man in his arm with Black s gun and escapes.

DJay arrives home to find the police and Black s associates waiting for him. DJay turns himself in and tells prostitute Nola to safeguard his writing pad with his lyrics on it, also placing her in charge of sending his songs to radio stations. He then exchanges a glance with a tearful Shug before a brawl breaks out after one of Black s crew sucker punches him. DJay is charged with assault and possession of a firearm and is sentenced to 11 months in prison.

While serving his time, DJay is visited by Key and learns that Nola has successfully gotten radio DJs to play his songs, which have become local hits. The pair then prepare to discuss their future business plans. Two correctional officers ask DJay to listen to their demo. Humbled and flattered, DJay accepts.

Cast

• Terrence Howard as DJay
• Anthony Anderson as Key
• Taryn Manning as Nola
• Taraji P. Henson as Shug
• DJ Qualls as Shelby
• Ludacris as Skinny Black
• Paula Jai Parker as Lexus
• Elise Neal as Yevette
• Juicy J as Tigga
• Haystak as Mickey
• DJ Paul as R.L.
• I-20 as Yellow Jacket
• Isaac Hayes as Arnel

Production

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2010)

Terrence Howard initially turned down the role of DJay. He reportedly was attempting to avoid being typecast as a pimp archetype. However, after recognizing the complexity and depth of the character, he reversed his earlier decision and took on the role.

As concepts of both hustle and flow are unique to African American culture, it turned out to be nearly impossible to find proper translations for international release of the film. For example, the Russian translation of the title means The bustle and the motion . The Italian title is appended with Il colore della musica which means The color of music .

The film experienced many years of near-misses and outright rejection from major studios and potential financiers before finally being backed by its longtime supporter John Singleton. In the DVD extras Singleton says that he decided at last to put up the money himself because he was exasperated at his friends not getting what their film deserved.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site s critical consensus reads: Hustle & Flow is gritty and redemptive, with a profound sense of place and exciting music. Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews .

The Boston Globe said, Some will find it chicly inspired, recalling blaxploitation s heyday with its grimy urban realism. Some will find it corny, absurd, and a limited view of options for disenfranchised African-Americans. According to Entertainment Weekly, The home-studio recording sequences in Hustle & Flow are funky, rowdy, and indelible. Brewer gives us the pleasure of watching characters create music from the ground up.

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	March 5, 2006	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Original Song	Frayser Boy, Juicy J, and DJ Paul (for It s Hard out Here for a Pimp )	Won
African-American Film Critics Association	2005	Top Ten Films	Hustle & Flow	7th place
		Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Won
Austin Film Critics Association	2005	Best Film	Hustle & Flow	6th place
		Breakthrough Artist	Terrence Howard	Won
Black Reel Awards	February 18, 2006	Best Film	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
		Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Anthony Anderson	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Taraji P. Henson	Won
		Best Original Soundtrack	Hustle & Flow	Won
		Best Ensemble	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association	January 9, 2006	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Most Promising Filmmaker	Craig Brewer	Nominated
		Most Promising Performer	Chris Ludacris Bridges	Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Awards	February 26, 2006	Excellence in Contemporary Film	Paul A. Simmons Jr.	Nominated
Critics Choice Awards	January 9, 2006	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Song	Terrence Howard (for Hustle & Flow )	Won
Florida Film Critics Circle	December 24, 2005	Pauline Kael Breakout Award	Terrence Howard	Won
Golden Globe Awards	January 16, 2006	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Terrence Howard	Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards	June 1, 2006	Best Drama	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
Gotham Awards	November 30, 2005	Breakthrough Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards	March 4, 2006	Best Male Lead	Terrence Howard	Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards	March 4, 2006	Best Sound Editing – Music – Musical Feature Film	Shie Rozow and Marvin Morris	Nominated
MTV Movie Awards	June 3, 2006	Best Performance	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Breakthrough Performance	Taraji P. Henson	Nominated
		Best Kiss	Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard	Nominated
NAACP Image Awards	February 25, 2006	Outstanding Motion Picture	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
		Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture	Anthony Anderson	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Taraji P. Henson	Nominated
			Elise Neal	Nominated
Nashville Film Festival	April 14–21, 2005	Audience Choice Award for Best Feature	Craig Brewer	Won
National Board of Review	January 10, 2006	Breakthrough Performance by an Actor	Terrence Howard	Won
		Special Recognition For Excellence In Filmmaking	Hustle & Flow	Won
New York Film Critics Circle	January 8, 2006	Best Supporting Actor	Terrence Howard	Runner-up
New York Film Critics Online	11 December 2005	Breakthrough Performance	Terrence Howard	Won
Online Film Critics Society	January 16, 2006	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Breakthrough Filmmaker	Craig Brewer	Nominated
Satellite Awards	December 17, 2005	Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy	Joaquin Phoenix	Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards	January 29, 2006	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Anthony Anderson, Chris Ludacris Bridges, Isaac Hayes, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Taryn Manning, Elise Neal, Paula Jai Parker, and DJ Qualls	Nominated
Sundance Film Festival	January 29, 2005	Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic	Hustle & Flow	Won
		Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic	Amy Vincent	Won
Teen Choice Awards	August 16, 2005	Choice Summer Movie	Hustle & Flow	Nominated
	August 20, 2006	Choice Actor – Drama/Action Adventure	Terrence Howard	Nominated
			Chris Ludacris Bridges	Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle	February 7, 2006	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
Village Voice Film Poll	December 2005	Best Performance	Terrence Howard	9th place
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	December 13, 2005	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Taraji P. Henson	Nominated
		Best Original Screenplay	Craig Brewer	Nominated
		Best Breakthrough Performance	Terrence Howard	Won
			Taryn Manning	Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle	December 28, 2005	Best Comedic Performance	Paula Jai Parker	Won

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on July 12, 2005, by Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records. The album centers on Southern hip hop.

Year	2005
ReleaseDate	2005-07-22
RuntimeMins	116
RuntimeStr	1h 56min
Plot	With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.
Awards	Won 1 Oscar, 25 wins & 47 nominations total
Directors	Craig Brewer
Writers	Craig Brewer
Stars	Terrence Howard, Ludacris, Anthony Anderson
Produced by	Stephanie Allain,Preston L. Holmes,John Singleton,Dwight Williams
Music by	Scott Bomar
Cinematography by	Amy Vincent
Film Editing by	Billy Fox
Casting By	Christopher Gray,Kimberly Hardin
Production Design by	Keith Brian Burns
Art Direction by	Alexa Marino
Set Decoration by	Joni Wheeler
Costume Design by	Paul A. Simmons Jr.
Makeup Department	Bert Reo Anderson,Camille Kauer,Ted Long,Kellie Robinson,Linda Thompson,Denise Tunnell
Production Management	Terra Abroms
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Chris Hayden,Van Hayden,Zac Jackson,Wayne Witherspoon
Art Department	Darian Corley,Will E. Drummond,Frank Gray III,James Harper,Spencer Pharr,Dalton Cole Young
Sound Department	Bobbi Banks,Gregg Barbanell,Nancy Barker,Andy Black,Nathan Black,Michael Camello,Michael C. Casper,Ezra Dweck,Stephanie Flack,Paul Hackner,Greg Hedgepath,Larry Hopkins,Brian W. Jennings,Susan Kurtz,Mark Larry,Daniel J. Leahy,Chris Navarro,James Azizi Penny,Jason Piatt,Jacob Riehle,Will Riley,Brad Sherman,Frank Smathers,Fred Stafford,Eric Thompson,Donald L. Warner Jr.,Lars Bjerre,Zahari Schtonov
Special Effects by	Jim Eikner,Stephen Hall,Ben Ishmael,Jesse Spots,Jason Thomas,Steve Wolf
Visual Effects by	David Booth,John Daro,Rick Lopez,David Rosenthal
Stunts	David Paul Lord,Max Maxwell
Camera and Electrical Department	Tony Arnaud,Peter Budd,Rob Chidester,Alisa M. Colley,David A. Cook,Dan Cornwall,Rusty Edmonson,Tracy Facelli,Dale Fowler,Donny Fowler,Chris Friebus,Richard C. Kerekes,Tommy Maddox-Upshaw,James McMillan,Joshua Miller,Aldo Porras Jr.,Jonathan Stoll,Steve Sudge,Adam Ward,Tom Weston,Matt Zschoche,Greg Morse
Casting Department	Michelle Adams,Cam Deaver,Benjamin Gerry,Barbara Harris
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Meriwether Nichols,Christy Hebert
Editorial Department	Kenny Becker,John Daro,Thanadoul Khunngam,John Nicolard,David Rosenblatt,Bill Schultz,Walter Volpatto,Charise E. Angone
Location Management	Donna T. Giles,Hailey Giles,Dalton Cole Young
Music Department	Scott Bomar,Marc Franklin,Christiaan Gordon,Marvin R. Morris,Charles ‘Skip’ Pitts,Shie Rozow,Julie Sessing,Paul Stewart,Mary Unobsky,Keith Barrows
Script and Continuity Department	Ilene Pickus
Transportation Department	Nalla Black,Robert Brubaker
Additional Crew	Cassandra Barbour,Jackie Bazan,Cassandra Butcher,Betty Chin,Troy Craig Poon,Tyra Dixon,Tyrone D. Dixon,Bennett Fidlow,Aquil Fudge,Ellen Gannon,Erin Hagee,Sueann Han,Steven Hines,Carla Michelle Johnson,Michelle Lesley Johnson,Sims Lawson,DeAara L. Lewis,Christopher A. Malone,Joe Matukewicz,Kevin B. May,Khanya Mkhize,Erik Proveaux,Michael Rapaport,Maya Robinson,Shaun Sanghani,Laura Sevier,Mark Van Horne,Ivana Chubbuck,Corey Wilburn
Thanks	David Dinerstein,Jennifer Kuwabara,Nathan Lux,Sam Phillips
Genres	Crime, Drama, Music
Companies	Crunk Pictures, Homegrown Pictures, MTV Films
Countries	USA
Languages	English
ContentRating	R
ImDbRating	7.3
ImDbRatingVotes	40855
MetacriticRating	68
Keywords	blowjob,electronic keyboard,audio cassette,car,disc jockey