The 78th Academy
Awards were announced Monday (Jan. 30) in Beverly Hills, California and Hip-Hop
received a fair share of nods, some expected and others surprising.
Three 6 Mafia,
mostly known for an underground sensibility, was nominated for an Original song
Oscar for their Terrence Howard-executed song "It’s Hard Out Here For A
Pimp” from Hustle & Flow.
Hustle &
Flow is a film that centers on a Memphis, Tennessee pimp that turns to rap
music in an attempt to escape the street life.
"We [are]
just happy as hell," DJ Paul told AllHipHop.com. "We knew they said
it might be nominated, but we didn’t think it would be. It’s good to find out
it’s true."
DJ Paul said he
was honored to part of a legacy of Memphis history in the music business. "This
is just a step further to the roads of Hollywood that we’ve been traveling since
our first movie, Choices I."
Others nominated
for an Original Song Oscar include "In The Deep" from Crash
and "Travelin’ Thru" from Transamerica.
The Academy also
nominated Terrence Howard for Best Performance for his role in the film Hustle
& Flow.
Howard faces hefty
competition from Heath Ledger, star of the year’s most nominated film Brokeback
Mountain, Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line, Philip Seymour Hoffman
in Capote and David Strathairn in Good Night and Good Luck.
Ludacris, who stars
in Hustle & Flow, also has a role in the movie Crash, which
was nominated for Best Picture by the Oscar committee. Luda and the cast of
Crash received a Screen Actors Guild Award Sunday for Outstanding Performance
by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
The Academy Awards
air live on Sunday (Mar. 5) at the Kodak Theatre and will be televised by the
ABC Television Network.
