Hollywood Pimping
The winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Song was “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” by Three 6 Mafia. Girls Are Not For Sale posted this on FB today (10/14/2009):
“It’s not hard out there for a pimp. It’s hard out there for a 13 yr old girl who is a victim of sexual exploitation.” - Rachel Lloyd in #VeryYoungGirls about the Academy Awards’ choice to honor a song glorifying pimp culture with its 2006 Best Song Oscar.
Here is a description of the event to which Lloyd is referring (from KeithBoyKin.com):
It was an incredible night in Hollywood when Three 6 Mafia won the Academy Award for best original song. Here’s how it happened. Around 10:17 p.m., rap artist and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (“Crash”) introduced the third nominee in the best original song category. The song was “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” from the movie “Hustle and Flow.”
Said Ludacris, “Now I know that may be a shocking title for some of you, but you got to consider some of the songs that have won Oscars in the past, like ‘The Morning After,’ ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight,’ ‘All The Way,’ ‘Shaft.’ So you can’t judge a song by its title. Can you?”
At 10:19, Three 6 Mafia took the stage and performed their controversial song, changing the word “bitches” to “witches” throughout the lyrics.
At 10:22, Queen Latifah took the stage to announce the winner. “Now how did I manage not to be in that number?” she said. “Yeah it is hard out here for a pimp. Now that might seem like an unusual choice for an Academy Award nominated song, but Chris also forgot Chitty Chitty Bang Bang…”
At 10:24, a stunned Queen Latifah announced the winner by singing the popular hook, “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.”
A visibly excited Three 6 Mafia then returned to the stage and thanked everyone from Jesus to Ludacris to their choreographer. Then host Jon Stewart took the stage again. After a few moments of chuckles, he joked, “You know what? I think it just got a little easier out here to be a pimp.”
Whether or not the intent of the writer of the song was to glorify pimping, Hollywood did pimps enough service by justifying the song and downplaying it’s meaning. Are the actors that made comments about this song so far removed from reality that they can consciously make these statements off the cuff?
In the case you do not believe this is that big of an issue, first consider the definition of “pimp” (from Wikipedia):
A pimp, also called a fleshmonger or pander, finds and manages women (often very young women) who are vulnerable and susceptible, for what ever reason, to extreme manipulation and engages them in prostitution (in brothels and on the streets) in order to profit from their earnings.
Now, keep in mind that many of these “women” are victims of human trafficking (from www.dailycal.org):
Based on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act definition, pimps are defined as sex traffickers because they use beatings, sexual assault, gang rape, lies, false promises, deception and threats to force and coerce women and children to engage in commercial sex acts. Like international sex traffickers, pimps are U.S.-based sex traffickers that use the same tactics against people for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude and sex slavery.
Victims of human trafficking in the sex industry are not referred to as prostitutes, for that term implies consent. Law enforcement and health officials treat victims of this type of trafficking as victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
By giving glory to “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp,” Hollywood minimizes the atrocity of pimping and accuses victims of commercial sexual exploitation of making the lives of pimps difficult. Ludicrous!!! Hopefully Hollywood has lost some of it’s ignorance over the past 3 1/2 years.
Still not convinced? Below are the lyrics to “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp.” Substituted for “pimp” is “trafficker,” and for any reference to a prostitute, “sex slave.”
You know it’s hard out here for a trafficker (you ain’t knowin)
When he tryin to get this money for the rent (you ain’t knowin)
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent (you ain’t knowin)
Because a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)
Will have a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)
In my eyes I done seen some crazy thangs in the streets
Gotta couple [sex slaves] workin on the changes for me
But I gotta keep my game tight like Kobe on game night
Like takin from a [sex slave] don’t know no better, I know that ain’t right
Done seen people killed, done seen people deal
Done seen people live in poverty with no meals
It’s fucked up where I live, but that’s just how it is
It might be new to you, but it’s been like this for years
It’s blood sweat and tears when it come down to this shit
I’m tryin to get rich ‘fore I leave up out this [sex slave]
I’m tryin to have thangs but it’s hard fo’ a trafficker
But I’m prayin and I’m hopin to God I don’t slip, yeahYou know it’s hard out here for a trafficker (you ain’t knowin)
When he tryin to get this money for the rent (you ain’t knowin)
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent (you ain’t knowin)
Because a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)
Will have a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)Man it seems like I’m duckin dodgin bullets everyday
Niggaz hatin on me cause I got [sex slaves] on the tray
But I gotta stay paid, gotta stay above water
Couldn’t keep up with my [sex slaves] , that’s when shit got harder
North Memphis where I’m from, I’m 7th Street bound
Where niggaz all the time end up lost and never found
Man these [sex slaves] think we prove thangs, leave a big head
[Sex slaves] come hopin every night, they don’t end up bein dead
Wait I got a snow bunny[sex slave], and a black [sex slave] too
You pay the right price and they’ll both do you
That’s the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly trafficking
Gotta have my hustle tight, makin change off these [sex slaves], yeahYou know it’s hard out here for a trafficker (you ain’t knowin)
When he tryin to get this money for the rent (you ain’t knowin)
For the Cadillacs and gas money spent (you ain’t knowin)
Because a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)
Will have a whole lot of [sex slaves] talkin shit (you ain’t knowin)
Until attitudes change, until the famous and affluent stand up, until people shake their apathy and reject this type of entertainment, this problem will be “just how it is.”
For more information about human trafficking or to report a tip, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 888.3737.888.
