Musical Mondays Week 32 Hustle & Flow

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

The Oscars can't be racist. They gave an award and several nominations to a movie about a pimp!

 

We saw

[SaraK 1980]

I have a bunch of thoughts, but my main question is how do you cast Ludacris as a rapper/hip hop artist and not have him perform? Did I miss something? I will admit, my attention wasn't full on the whole time.

[tomspanks 9039]

I have a bunch of thoughts, but my main question is how do you cast Ludacris as a rapper/hip hop artist and not have him perform? Did I miss something? I will admit, my attention wasn't full on the whole time.

 

Tbh, I've never thought, "more Ludacris."

[Cameron H. 23786]

I really admired the writing in this. The main character is completely despicable, yet you still root for him. When he finds the tape in the toilet it is absolutely heartbreaking. To make the audience care so much about a character who is virtually irredeemable is no easy thing.

[tomspanks 9039]

This movie made me root for someone who evicted a baby.

[Cameron H. 23786]

That baby had it coming...

[SaraK 1980]

I had a hard time with the actual pimping of it all, but that might just be willful ignorance on my part. I got the whole wanting to rise above his station and using music to get there. I got the drug dealing situation. I did not understand why one prostitute, one stripper (who I also assume was a prostitute, we just never saw her in action) and one pregnant prostitute were living with him (I guess to save money?). Is that a normal set up? The entire storyline of a belligerent stripper with a one year old didn't make any sense. What was her end goal? To be evicted?

 

I do like a lot of the people in the movie. DJ Qualls, Taryn and Taraji were all great.

 

 

Tbh, I've never thought, "more Ludacris."

 

I always want more Ludacris. But I suppose I'm alone in that.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

I always want more Ludacris. But I suppose I'm alone in that.

That's good of you to try and build bridges.

[PollyDarton 1807]

So I have to start out by saying I feel like everything I'm about to talk about will sound a lot like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEMGfR_BtQ

 

I had a hard time with the actual pimping of it all, but that might just be willful ignorance on my part. I got the whole wanting to rise above his station and using music to get there. I got the drug dealing situation. I did not understand why one prostitute, one stripper (who I also assume was a prostitute, we just never saw her in action) and one pregnant prostitute were living with him (I guess to save money?). Is that a normal set up? The entire storyline of a belligerent stripper with a one year old didn't make any sense. What was her end goal? To be evicted?

I had less of a hard time with the pimping and more with the general misogyny and the liberal use of the word "bitch." I don't remember feeling as much that way when I first saw it, but we live in a different world now I think? I guess it's realistic.

That being said... DJ is not a great guy and definitely a product of his time (ugh.) He is a deep thinker though and I guess that's why we like him.

I think they all live with him because that's their setup for the Pimp/Ho operation. He offers them protection and a place to live. He pimps them, they make money, and then they all live off that money. He sells drugs too... specifically weed, right? I can't remember if there was anything else. Anyways - they are practically living in poverty. Sug is out of commission since she's pregnant, and she's his "bottom bitch." (which means his best prostitute) Lexus dances, but I feel pretty confident she's doing some street work too... even though we don't see it, and of course Nola is a total hustler.

 

I think Lexus being kicked out just shows how down and out they were... none of them really respect him anymore and she was the most firey. Nola says things about not respecting him, too... but she just approaches him differently. They are in a shitty situation - no money, no prospects... nothing even to look forward to except what new hip hop is on the radio.

 

I was moved by this movie this time around by its portrayal of the pure act of creation. From the ground up, we see the lifestyle lead to the inspiration which leads to creation of something that is actually very beautiful in its own way.

[Cameron H. 23786]

So I have to start out by saying I feel like everything I'm about to talk about will sound a lot like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEMGfR_BtQ

He is a deep thinker though and I guess that's why we like him.

 

I definitely wouldn't call him a "deep thinker" - lol.

 

I think what we respond to is the feeling of, "I had dreams once. This isn't how my life was supposed to turn out. I'm going to do something about it." It's basically Hip-Hop Seabiscuit.

 

So while I don't like him, on a fundamental level, I get where he's coming from. We like to root for the underdog, even if that dog has rabies.

[tomspanks 9039]

I was just looking at the movie poster and....who the hell is that?

 

 

(ETA: my circle is shit)

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

I always want more Ludacris. But I suppose I'm alone in that.

 

So I have to start out by saying I feel like everything I'm about to talk about will sound a lot like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEMGfR_BtQ

Oh my god, this is my fear whenever I talk about hip-hop.

[PollyDarton 1807]

I was just looking at the movie poster and....who the hell is that?

 

 

(ETA: my circle is shit)

 

I’m pretty sure that’s Pensatucky, which is funny since she’s never on the mic in the movie.

[tomspanks 9039]

I’m pretty sure that’s Pensatucky, which is funny since she’s never on the mic in the movie.

 

Oh you know what, she did kiss the new microphone. Still, that's weird she would be featured on the poster twice.

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

So, I lived in Memphis for 2 years ... I moved there the summer after this movie came out. Just a few Memphisy things of note that might not register otherwise:

 

1. During the credits after the cold opening, Djay drives through Memphis and you can see shots of Beale Street, Front Street, Southern Ave (where they're sitting when the john rolls up), Union Ave (where the Backyard Burger is), and Summer Ave (Coltharp's Piano World is visible. That's down the street from the utility board -- I drove that street a hundred times just to pay the power bill). Those are a few of the city's main arteries.

 

HOWEVER, you can't actually drive by Beale Street from the view he gets ... at least, when I lived there, Beale was pedestrian only from Front St. to 4th Ave, and it looks like he's driving down 2nd Ave.

 

2. The movie mentions Millwood Ave (Skinny Black's story when he's getting drunk with Djay), which is a somewhat notorious neighborhood in South Memphis, near the airport and Graceland (Elvis Pressley's home). You might not know that Graceland is in one of the rougher parts of town, which is just one of the many delicious ironies about life and race in Memphis.

 

3. Key's wife mentions that she gets her hair done in Germantown, which is the rich, mostly white suburb on the east side. Therefore, her hairdos are an assertion of class within the context of the film (along with nearly everything else about her character).

 

4. Djay tells Nola that he wants to hear his music playing "in the yard at 201." He's referring to 201 Poplar, the main jail in town. The jail is downtown, a few blocks away from the tourist parts. So when he says he wants to hear the music from jail, it's not that the jail is super-cool and plays music for its inmate population -- he could probably hear it from the clubs down the street.

 

5. DJ Qualls' character is named "Shelby" ... Memphis is in Shelby Co.

 

6. I am all too familiar with the "dirt weed" that one typically finds in Memphis. I don't think I bought a bag of bud that wasn't full of seeds and stems the entire time I lived there ... but goddamn, it was cheap and got you high.

 

EDIT to add 7. The accent is just about right-on.

 

Sorry if I'm blissing out, taking y'all down memory lane with me ... I love that city and loved living there.

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

I had a hard time with the actual pimping of it all, but that might just be willful ignorance on my part. I got the whole wanting to rise above his station and using music to get there. I got the drug dealing situation. I did not understand why one prostitute, one stripper (who I also assume was a prostitute, we just never saw her in action) and one pregnant prostitute were living with him (I guess to save money?). Is that a normal set up? The entire storyline of a belligerent stripper with a one year old didn't make any sense. What was her end goal? To be evicted?

True story: One of my jobs in Memphis was a manuscript editor for a local printshop. One of the manuscripts was from a former pimp entitled "M.E.M.P.H.I.S.: Makin' Easy Money Pimpin' Hoes in Style." Despite that title, most of the manuscript recounted endless examples of this guy moving place to place, living in squalor with 5 or 6 different women he pimped, and in the end, he finds Jesus and leaves the life and becomes a local community pillar with an inspirational story of redemption. I'm 99% sure he wrote that autobiography because Hustle and Flow had come out. I met him once and told him that it was ironic that he wanted to say "pimping in style" in the title since he had such a hard life, and he told me that it was all part of the act you had to put on to make it in that kind of business ... he spent every spare dollar he had on his clothes and car, just to put out a front that he was doing better than he actually was -- said, "Most pimps you meet are totally full of shit, but they look good, so fuck it. No one cares about the pimp except the other pimps." He was a wild dude.

[Cinco DeNio 5290]

So, I lived in Memphis for 2 years ... I moved there the summer after this movie came out. Just a few Memphisy things of note that might not register otherwise:

 

3. Key's wife mentions that she gets her hair done in Germantown, which is the rich, mostly white suburb on the east side. Therefore, her hairdos are an assertion of class within the context of the film (along with nearly everything else about her character).

Did she get some South Street Souvlaki?

[SaraK 1980]

I’m pretty sure that’s Pensatucky, which is funny since she’s never on the mic in the movie.

 

She is my favorite part of this movie. I loved her interpretation of a business outfit at the end.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Despite my unnecessary griping in the Picking Thread, I did end up watching this, but it sort of confirmed my worst fears. I find Terrence Howard totally unappealing and uncharismatic as a performer. DJay is, to me, an utterly detestable character, someone who, like many abusers, takes his own frustrations of his own broken life and broken dreams out on the vulnerable people around him. He's just been able to turn this emotional and physical abuse (as well as financial manipulation) into a way to make a profit, i.e. Pimping. I can sympathize with a character who has done terrible things, especially someone striving to be better or seeking redemption, but I don't really get any of that from Djay. He's not running away from pimping, he's just using that as fodder for his music, music in which he whines about how hard his life is when he's constantly terrorizing the woman pregnant with his child and forcing a woman to have sex in cars on a daily basis because, hey, those cars might have air conditioning.

 

I don't feel that this was intentional by the filmmakers, either. Maybe partly, but it felt like the movie expected me to sympathize with this dirtbag and I was just not having it. There were some things interesting about his character, yes, but definitely not enough to keep me from rolling my eyes in disdain every time he talked. I mean, this movie has the balls to have Taraji P. Henson break down in tears and thank Djay for "letting" her sing on his song? Motherfucker, he should be on his knees thanking her.

 

And I find Ludacris equally unappealing as an actor, but Skinny Black was at least only naive about his talents and the people around him, not exploitative of the weakest of them (unless you count the groupies he surrounds himself with, I guess).

[tomspanks 9039]

He's not running away from pimping, he's just using that as fodder for his music, music in which he whines about how hard his life is when he's constantly terrorizing the woman pregnant with his child...

 

Small correction: Keisha (Shug's baby) isn't Djay's daughter. During the prison visitation scene, Djay tells Key that Keisha "got a ho for a mama and a trick for a daddy that nobody even know where he at."

[grudlian. 4725]

True story: One of my jobs in Memphis was a manuscript editor for a local printshop. One of the manuscripts was from a former pimp entitled "M.E.M.P.H.I.S.: Makin' Easy Money Pimpin' Hoes in Style.

I legit laughed out loud at this title.

 

There was an article in The Onion years ago titled something like "tow truck driver has idea for tow truck movie" which I was reminded of by your anecdote. But it also makes me think that, if the life of a pimp is projecting false wealth, D Jay must be doing very badly. Maybe worse than is even put forth in the movie. His car doesn't even have matching panels.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

 

Small correction: Keisha (Shug's baby) isn't Djay's daughter. During the prison visitation scene, Djay tells Key that Keisha "got a ho for a mama and a trick for a daddy that nobody even know where he at."

Ah, ok. When I first saw that scene, I thought he was referring to himself in the third person, as in, "nobody even know where he at" because he, Djay, is in prison. But I was wrong because he would not have referred to himself as a "trick." Thanks for your alert ears!

[tomspanks 9039]

Ah, ok. When I first saw that scene, I thought he was referring to himself in the third person, as in, "nobody even know where he at" because he, Djay, is in prison. But I was wrong because he would not have referred to himself as a "trick." Thanks for your alert ears!

 

I mean, that doesn't excuse his behavior at all. However, he is going to raise Keisha as his daughter (or so he promises), so there's that at least?

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

I definitely wouldn't call him a "deep thinker" - lol.

 

Let me clarify. He's not exactly an eloquent speaker - that is definitely true - but I think his opening monologue shows that he does have some pretty existential thoughts for a man in his situation. He actually has a few moments where he expounds upon life and death... and I think that's why we as the viewer are supposed to like him. He's definitely a terrible person in many ways and his deep thoughts do not forgive any of his actions, but I think we are supposed to be drawn to the fact that he has a philosophical side.

 

 

She is my favorite part of this movie. I loved her interpretation of a business outfit at the end.

 

I adore her in this movie. She gives such a genuine performance. That outfit is fire.

 

True story: One of my jobs in Memphis was a manuscript editor for a local printshop. One of the manuscripts was from a former pimp entitled "M.E.M.P.H.I.S.: Makin' Easy Money Pimpin' Hoes in Style." Despite that title, most of the manuscript recounted endless examples of this guy moving place to place, living in squalor with 5 or 6 different women he pimped, and in the end, he finds Jesus and leaves the life and becomes a local community pillar with an inspirational story of redemption. I'm 99% sure he wrote that autobiography because Hustle and Flow had come out. I met him once and told him that it was ironic that he wanted to say "pimping in style" in the title since he had such a hard life, and he told me that it was all part of the act you had to put on to make it in that kind of business ... he spent every spare dollar he had on his clothes and car, just to put out a front that he was doing better than he actually was -- said, "Most pimps you meet are totally full of shit, but they look good, so fuck it. No one cares about the pimp except the other pimps." He was a wild dude.

 

F*cking hilarious.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Despite my unnecessary griping in the Picking Thread, I did end up watching this, but it sort of confirmed my worst fears. I find Terrence Howard totally unappealing and uncharismatic as a performer. DJay is, to me, an utterly detestable character, someone who, like many abusers, takes his own frustrations of his own broken life and broken dreams out on the vulnerable people around him. He's just been able to turn this emotional and physical abuse (as well as financial manipulation) into a way to make a profit, i.e. Pimping. I can sympathize with a character who has done terrible things, especially someone striving to be better or seeking redemption, but I don't really get any of that from Djay. He's not running away from pimping, he's just using that as fodder for his music, music in which he whines about how hard his life is when he's constantly terrorizing the woman pregnant with his child and forcing a woman to have sex in cars on a daily basis because, hey, those cars might have air conditioning.

 

I don't feel that this was intentional by the filmmakers, either. Maybe partly, but it felt like the movie expected me to sympathize with this dirtbag and I was just not having it. There were some things interesting about his character, yes, but definitely not enough to keep me from rolling my eyes in disdain every time he talked. I mean, this movie has the balls to have Taraji P. Henson break down in tears and thank Djay for "letting" her sing on his song? Motherfucker, he should be on his knees thanking her.

 

And I find Ludacris equally unappealing as an actor, but Skinny Black was at least only naive about his talents and the people around him, not exploitative of the weakest of them (unless you count the groupies he surrounds himself with, I guess).

 

Maybe I'm misreading, but are you saying that the filmmakers intended for DJay to be, I don't know, cool or aspirational? Because I didn't get that at all. I felt like they were intentionally portraying him to be a pathetic ass from T to B. I mean, the fact that he thinks handing a cassette as a demo is in anyway acceptable in 2005 and wearing a gold chain with his name on it (no matter how well-intentioned) is cool, just kind of shows how much of an out of touch loser he actually is.

 

Even in the end, the message of the movie isn't so much "work hard and achieve your dreams" so much as "infamy equals instant notoriety." When they announce his song at the end it isn't "this song is great" it's "the guy who wrote it beat up a celebrity and got in a gunfight with his entourage."

 

Talent has nothing to do with his success.