At the risk of restarting K-Lo’s mental record player, The Washington Post has offered two articles critiquing the Oscar-winning “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” song. Avis Thomas-Lester reported that D.C. area black residents were not thrilled. It’s especially jarring to hear one woman claim, “White folks like that. It makes white Americans feel more comfortable with us when they don’t have to think of us as their equals.”
Columnist Courtland Milloy was plenty harsh, too. “Through internationally marketed music videos, especially, African Americans have emerged as the only people on Earth who immortalize their mothers and sisters in the worst derogatory ways.”
I’ve seen Crash, but not Hustle and Flow, but doesn’t it seem there’s great disagreement between Terence Howard’s roles? In one, he’s a slick Hollywood producer, disappointed that white boss Tony Danza makes him dumb down the black character in his sitcom. And in the other, he’s a pimp trying to become a rapper trying to rhyme about “hos” instead of exploiting them. And is Hollywood really saying this is the “best” in film music today?