Part of Music City Mondays
DJay, a Memphis pimp and drug pusher (Terence Howard) facing a mid-life crisis, tries to fulfill his dream of rap stardom in this gritty musical/drama. Aided by a sound engineer (Anthony Anderson), a local musician (D.J. Qualls), and one of his own working girls (Taraji P. Henson), DJay plans to cut a homemade demo to give to a childhood friend (Ludacris) who’s become a hip-hop success. Earning acclaim from critics and audiences alike — winning both the Audience Award at Sundance and the Oscar for Best Original Song — it’s an inspiring portrayal of redemption on life’s mean streets where “everybody’s gotta have a dream.” Written and directed by Memphis native Craig Brewer and co-produced by John Singleton (BOYZ N THE HOOD).
“In a world of movies that try far too hard to move, entertain and dazzle us, the artistry of Hustle & Flow lies in the way it waits for us to come to it. We can walk as slowly as we want, but sooner or later, it's going to get us.” —Stephanie Zacharek, Time “Speaks in the raw mumble of the dirty South. A regional film in the truest sense, it does for Memphis what its producer, John Singleton, once did for South Central Los Angeles.” —Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
