"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is a song written by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

, alongside Cedric Coleman, as the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

to the American drama film ''

Hustle & Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Ta ...

'' (2005). It won the

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 Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

and in 2006 was ranked number 80 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".

Background

The song was performed in ''

'' by

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...

and Taraji P. Henson as their respective characters DJay and Shug.

included their own version of the song with vocalist Paula Campbell on a 2006 special edition reissue of their

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

album ''

Most Known Unknown ''Most Known Unknown'' is the eighth studio album by American hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia. It was released on September 27, 2005, by Hypnotize Minds, Sony Urban Music, and Columbia Records. This album is known for having some of Three 6 Maf ...

''. In 2015, Howard and Henson competed against each other in the Season 1 finale of the Spike series ''

Lip Sync Battle ''Lip Sync Battle'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John ...

'' and, by popular demand, performed the song as the first duet by competitors in the show's history.

Song composition and production

"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is a crunk-style composition. Initially, director Craig Brewer attempted to rap the soundtrack himself before collaborating with Three 6 Mafia through

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...

, who suggested the song's thematic focus on the paradoxical power dynamics of pimp culture. During recording, actor Terrence Howard (who portrayed protagonist DJay) initially struggled to adapt to working with authentic rappers until

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...

facilitated their collaboration. Frayser Boy contributed to the lyrics, titling the track.

78th Academy Awards

At the

78th Academy Awards The 78th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time Zone, P ...

in 2006, Three 6 Mafia and Henson performed the song shortly before it won the

. Howard did not wish to perform at the ceremony, and since two of the song's writers are themselves artists in the form of the trio Three 6 Mafia, they were given the opportunity to perform it. 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 Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's " Lose Yourself" from the film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). This song became the third in five years to win the Oscar without a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nomination. The others were " If I Didn't Have You" from ''

Monsters, Inc. ''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Cobu ...

'' (2001) and "

Al Otro Lado del Río "Al otro lado del río" () is a song by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler from the The Motorcycle Diaries (soundtrack), soundtrack album for the film ''The Motorcycle Diaries (film), The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004). It was released as a single on 15 M ...

" from '' The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004). Critics like Chron.com says it portrayed pimping in a positive light and Harvard ''Crimson'' says it portrayed the

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

community in a negative light.

In popular culture

In 2013, English singer

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

referenced the song in her song " Hard Out Here", in which the word "pimp" is replaced with the word "bitch" to mock sexism in the music industry.

References

{{authority control Songs about procurers 2005 songs Three 6 Mafia songs Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs Songs written by Juicy J Gangsta rap songs Songs written by DJ Paul