Film / Hustle & Flow

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Hustle & Flow is a 2005 drama written and directed by Craig Brewer and starring Terrence Howard. It tells the story of a small-time hustler, DJay (Howard), who yearns to express himself artistically and pull himself out of the North Memphis ghetto.

Rounding out the cast is Anthony Anderson as DJay's producer "Key", Taryn Manning as rep "Nola", Taraji P. Henson as Love Interest "Shug" ^note pronounced "shoog" like sugar, and DJ Qualls as recording tech "Shelby".

It won an Academy Award for Three 6 Mafia's theme song "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp."

“It’s hard out here for a tropes”:

• Anti-Hero: DJay is a pimp and drug dealer who'll do just about any other low-level crime to get by. However, he's very dissatisfied with this lifestyle and genuinely wants to turn his life around via hip hop music. He also sincerely cares about both Shug and Nola.
• Aroused by Their Voice: It’s heavily implied that Djay attraction to Shug kicks off after he hears her sing for the first time.
• Asshole Victim: Although the punishment might not have fit the crime, Skinny Black qualifies. DJay angrily confronts and beats Skinny Black when the latter shows no remorse for drunkenly tossing the former's mixtape in the toilet.
• Big Damn Kiss: Shug plants a giant kiss on DJay to wish him luck before his meeting with Skinny Black. It's the first overtly romantic gesture between them.
• Bittersweet Ending: DJay goes to prison for 11 months, but on the outside, his songs are starting to get airplay, suggesting that he may become a success after all.
• Bowdlerise: Key suggests that DJay tone down the lyrics in one of his songs so that it can be radio-friendly. They settle on "Whoop That Trick."
• Call-Back: DJay tells the prison guards who give him their demo "Everybody's got to have a dream, the same dismissive observation that Skinny Black gave him, albeit presumably in a more sincere tone this time around.
• The Cameo: Musicians Isaac Hayes, Ludacris, Juicy J and Haystak all have small roles.
• Get Out!: DJay kicks Lexus out of his house when she openly disrespects him.
• Gold Tooth of Wealth: Inverted. DJay has a gold tooth. It, along with the gold chain he wears with pride, are supposed to show that he's still small-time in comparison to the platinum-bedecked stars.
• Hidden Depths: The meek Shug turns out to have a strong and passionate voice when she's singing.
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Shug proves to be one. She’s cordial with the other girls and Djay and she is much more caring and motherly to Lexus’s child than Lexus herself and even pleads with Lexus to not aggravate Djay out of concern for her baby.
• Jerkass:
  • Lexus, who neglects her young child and is openly rude and disrespectful.
  • Skinny Black. Fame has made him forsake his Memphis roots.
• Misogyny Song: "Whoop That Trick" is about disciplining your prostitute.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: DJay beats up a drunken Skinny Black as revenge when he finds out that the latter flushed his mixtape in the toilets.
• The Reveal: When Key asks DJay if he really knew Skinny Black, DJay admits that he lied.
• Vocal Tag Team: DJay and Shug on their single "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp."
• Wham Shot: DJay finds his mixtape in the toilet, which was tossed in by a drunk Skinny Black.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Nola calls DJay out on the fact that he manipulates her to get the things he wants – specifically, asking her to service the music shop owner so that he could get a better deal on some microphones.