It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
Encyclopedia
"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is an Oscar winning song, written by hip hop
band Three 6 Mafia
and Cedric Coleman
, for the film
, Hustle & Flow
. It was ranked #80 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".
and Taraji P. Henson
. Three 6 Mafia included their own version of the song, with vocalist Paula Campbell, on a 2006 special edition reissue of their platinum
album Most Known Unknown
.
At the 78th Academy Awards
, Three 6 Mafia, along with Coleman, and Henson, performed the song shortly before it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
. Howard did not wish to perform at the ceremony, and since two of the song's writers are in Three 6 Mafia, they were given the opportunity to perform it. In the live performance, the word "bitches" was replaced by "witches" in the chorus. Three 6 Mafia became the first hip hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and the first hip hop artists to perform at the ceremony. It was the second hip hop song to win an Oscar, after Eminem
's "Lose Yourself
", from the film 8 Mile
(2002).
This song became the third in six years to win the Oscar without a Golden Globe Award
nomination. The others were "If I Didn't Have You
" from Monsters, Inc.
(2001) and "Al Otro Lado del Río
" from The Motorcycle Diaries
(2004). In subsequent years, "I Need to Wake Up
" from An Inconvenient Truth
, "Falling Slowly
" from Once
, and "Jai Ho
" from Slumdog Millionaire
have each won Best Original Song at the Oscars, but were not nominated for a Golden Globe.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
band Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning, American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as Triple 6 Mafia, by DJ Paul, Juicy J, & Lord Infamous, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca...
and Cedric Coleman
Frayser Boy
Frayser Boy is an Academy Award-winning rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was formerly signed to Hypnotize Minds, the label run by Three 6 Mafia members DJ Paul and Juicy J. He had released 3 albums under the Hypnotize label: Gone on That Bay , Me Being Me , and Da Key .-External links:...
, for the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Hustle & Flow
Hustle & Flow
Hustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper...
. It was ranked #80 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".
Academy Award
The song was performed in the film by stars Terrence HowardTerrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
and Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
. Three 6 Mafia included their own version of the song, with vocalist Paula Campbell, on a 2006 special edition reissue of their platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
album Most Known Unknown
Most Known Unknown
Most Known Unknown is the eighth full length studio album, as well as the second platinum album from Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia. It was released in 2005, and is the follow-up to the 2003 album Da Unbreakables...
.
At the 78th Academy Awards
78th Academy Awards
The 78th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2005 and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, with Tom Kane making his first appearance as the show's announcer...
, Three 6 Mafia, along with Coleman, and Henson, performed the song shortly before it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. Howard did not wish to perform at the ceremony, and since two of the song's writers are in Three 6 Mafia, they were given the opportunity to perform it. In the live performance, the word "bitches" was replaced by "witches" in the chorus. Three 6 Mafia became the first hip hop group to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and the first hip hop artists to perform at the ceremony. It was the second hip hop song to win an Oscar, after Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "Lose Yourself
Lose Yourself
"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award winning song by American hip-hop artist Eminem, released as the first single from the original soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile on October 22, 2002. It was written and produced by Eminem himself, along with longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the...
", from the film 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
(2002).
This song became the third in six years to win the Oscar without a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
nomination. The others were "If I Didn't Have You
If I Didn't Have You
Hannah Montana co-stars Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso recorded a cover version of the song for the Disneymania 6 album. The song was produced by Bryan Todd...
" from Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated film and the fourth feature-length film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman, and written by Jill Culton, Peter Docter, Ralph Eggleston, Dan Gerson, Jeff Pidgeon, Rhett...
(2001) and "Al Otro Lado del Río
Al otro lado del río
"Al otro lado del río" is an Oscar winning song, written and performed by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler for the film The Motorcycle Diaries...
" from The Motorcycle Diaries
The Motorcycle Diaries (film)
At the end of the film, after his sojourn at the leper colony, Guevara confirms his nascent egalitarian, anti-authority impulses, while making a birthday toast, which is also his first political speech. In it he evokes a pan-Latin American identity that transcends both the arbitrary boundaries of...
(2004). In subsequent years, "I Need to Wake Up
I Need to Wake Up
"I Need to Wake Up" is a song by Melissa Etheridge, written for the 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth. It is the first instance of a documentary film winning the Best Song category, and it notably beat three other nominated songs from the musical film Dreamgirls.Etheridge received the...
" from An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
, "Falling Slowly
Falling Slowly
"Falling Slowly" is a song written and performed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, as well as by Hansard's band, The Frames. It appeared in their 2007 film Once, from which it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards....
" from Once
Once (film)
Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney. Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as musicians...
, and "Jai Ho
Jai Ho
"Jai Ho" is a Hindi song composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar, for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. It accompanies a choreographed dance sequence at the end credits of the film. The song also features vocals by Mahalakshmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Prakash, and Sukhwinder Singh, who is...
" from Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
have each won Best Original Song at the Oscars, but were not nominated for a Golden Globe.