2006 OSCARS: ‘It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp’ Redux

In all the excitement during the Oscars and all the coverage we gave you I completely overlooked the best part of the show… Three 6 Mafia winning the Oscar for Best Original Song, “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow. The acceptance speech was undeniably the most entertaining and you are about to see that these guys are certainly the most appreciative winners of the night based on the backstage interviews that were conducted. I have put in bold my favorite portion of the interview below… I have to say I am praying with these guys as well.

Enjoy!

Oh, my. Hey, we want to thank Keith Young our choreographer. And the whole Sony Records, Lisa Ellis, our moms, our whole families. Thank you, Jesus. And for giving us a chance, the Academy. We love the Academy. You know what I’m saying? Gil Cates. Everybody. I got plenty of time. Ain’t nobody else. I want to thank everybody. Yeah. Donnie Einer. Once again our families. Ludacris. What’s up? Going down. George Clooney, my favorite man, he showed me love when I first met him. We bringing the house. We out of here. Memphis, Tennessee!

Q: Hi. You guys seemed genuinely surprised. Were you?

A: I was so, so, so, so, so surprised, because I was actually ready to clap for the winner and go to the dressing room because I didn’t think we were going to win, and when they said “Hard Out”, I didn’t even write an acceptance speech, so that’s why I was blah, blah, blah, blah.

Q: What do you think that this is going to mean for your group?

A: This is such a blessing right now. Let me slow down for a second. This means, like, more movies to write, write more songs for more movies. We have some independent movies ourselves. We’re going to try to put out our own movies out ourselves. This is so huge for the group. I mean, there’s so much stuff. We make music for other artists, you know, as far as Ludacris and Mike Jones and Powwow, and a lot of production, you know, there is so much I can’t even stop. You know, maybe some commercials, writing music for commercials. I don’t know. Congratulations.

Q: Hi there. I wanted to ask first of all, Jon Stewart mentioned on stage how exciting, and excited, you guys were and you certainly made an impression on everyone. If you can discuss that first, and then I have a second question.

A: When we ran out? I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t stand still. I had to run somewhere. My heart was beating so fast, I automatically just ran. I started to run down stairs and run back and run all over the place. People probably thought the police were going to be chasing me. I was just running.

Q: Do you think you guys are the only award winners to wear diamond grills, or do you expect more to come into the fold of the Oscars, especially with hip hop representation?

A: I know tonight we are obviously the first, and I think there are going to be more after us. I think so. I’m hoping.

Q: Hi. Congratulations. I was wondering if you thought that your winning an award, an Oscar, would have any profound effect on the respectability of hip hop, and do you think it will change its perception among non hip hop fans?

A: Yes, yes, yes. Because like right now when you look around and listen to radio and watch television, hip hop is taking over. I mean, we’re doing a Snicker deal now, Ludacris has got a Snicker deal. Hip hop is taking over. Clothes, underwear, there is so much going on. Hip hop is taking over right now.

Q: Gentlemen, hi. You sang for us on the red carpet, you sang wonderfully on stage. Who were you just texting?

A: I was cutting my ringer off, because people are calling me. I don’t know why people would think I would want to talk to them.

Q: Your friends were calling you?

A: Oh, yeah, friends, mom is calling and dad’s calling. We love you. We’ll answer the phones in a few minutes after we get interviewed for this beautiful press.

Q: Where were you guys a year ago?

A: A year ago we were in Memphis, Tennessee. We still live in Memphis. We were just putting out albums.

Q: So how big a trip is it from a year ago to right now?

A: That’s a big trip. It’s like jumping on a spaceship and going past the moon and going to a planet they haven’t even discovered yet. We’re just a small, small little original rap group from Memphis, Tennessee, and we have, like, ten gold records and maybe two platinum albums and a new one that’s going platinum, but this is come on, man, look how shiny it is. It smells good too.

Q: Congratulations. Just to give people an update on what’s going musically right now. What’s going on?

A: A single we brought out last year, which was “State Flowers”, which was a real big hit for us, it went pop, and we’ve got a new single out that’s called “Popping My Collar”, and it’s blowing up the radio charts right now, and I think it’s going to cross over to pop radio as well.

Q: Hi. Bill from USA Today. Did you know you got bleeped during the song? Or that’s what our editor said.

A: For real?

Q: Yeah.

A: On what lyric? What part?

Q: I don’t know. We’re trying to track it.

A: I didn’t know that.

Q: I think it was witches and bitches or something.

A: No, it wasn’t us. You must be talking about somebody else who was performing. It couldn’t have been us. We changed the lyrics up completely.

Q: You changed them for the show?

A: Yes. I had to because my mom was watching. I didn’t want to say any cuss words. My mom would have been, like, “Hey, boy. I told you.”

Q: Could each of all of you guys give your names.

A: My rap name is Juicy J and my real name is Jordan Houston and the rap group I’m in is Three 6 Mafia. Cedric Frazier Boy, Coleman, D.J. Paul, Three 6 Mafia.

Q: Hi. Jeannie Wolfe from movies.com. Congratulations.

A: Thank you.

Q: We’re real happy for you, but I can promise you that tomorrow I’m going to get calls going, I saw the one with the word “pimp” in it won. How is this for our kids? You know, the whole world is not going to be happy about this, and the signal it sends for artists or for Hollywood. What do you say to people like that?

A: Well, I mean, when you look at the song, you look at the movie. That’s why they chose it. You’re watching the movie, the characters are making the song and the movie so dramatic so what? “Pimp” this, “pimp” that. It’s constantly they chose the song because it was in the movie. You know what I’m saying? It wasn’t really because of the word “pimp”. It was because it went together it was so dramatic in that scene. That’s why they chose this song to be nominated, and that’s why we have these Oscars in our hands. I think I’m going to pray for those people. It’s just entertainment, on the radio, in the street and in the movies, it’s just entertainment.

Q: Are you going to join Itzhak Perlman posse like Jon Stewart suggested, and what does your mom think about some little kid saying the word “pimp”?

A: I don’t know. I need to call and ask her. Actually, I’m going to call her and ask her, I promise you.

Q: Did you hear Jon Stewart say…

A: I’m sorry. I didn’t

Q: Jon Stewart said the famous violinist, that you should join his posse?

A: Sure. Let’s do it. Where’s he at? Do I have to get branded?