Three 6 Mafia makes History, Wins Oscar

March 6, 2006 admin Uncategorized 0

Three 6 Mafia

Three 6 Mafia win Oscar

This years Academy Awards was yet again invaded by Hip Hop. Amidst the penguin suits and over priced couture was Three 6 Mafia dressed in baggy gear and glistening teeth.

First and foremost, congratulations to them for not only performing there but taking home the golden trophy as well. Props even further for actually being there to except the award…I’m not saying any names *cough* Marshall *cough*.

For me, Three 6 Mafia performing their song “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” from the Terrance Howard movie Hustle & Flow” at the Academy Awards was a bitter sweet happening. The sweet part is that there was a Hip Hop performance at entertainments pinnacle award show. America has yet another example that Hip Hop can’t be ignored even by Academy. Do you hear that Bill Oreilly? Punk.


Oreilly jab aside, there is a bitter part to mic checking that went on
during Oscar night. Hip Hop’s first ever performance at the Academy
Awards was a song called “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp”. Oh boy. I do applaud Three 6 Mafia for toning it down and performing a “clean” version of the song.

For
those that champion the cause that Hip Hop is more than image the
uphill battle just got steeper. In speaking with Michelle McDewitt,
publicist and owner of Audible Treats (a PR and publicity company that
have ran campaigns for DITC member OC, Hieroglyphics’ Casual, classic
turntablist Rob Swift and currently bay area legend E-40) on her
thoughts about Three 6 Mafia’s oscar performance and win she had this
to say;

It’s great that hip-hop is getting good looks in Hollywood, period.
However, when the publicity reinforces the stereotype that hip-hop is all about
pimping or glorified violence, it can do more harm than good. It’s disappointing (but not surprising) that
the types of hip-hop movies that get the most attention are the ones that
reinforce same ol’ tired hip-hop thug mentality.

Last night, the Oscars featured a song about pimping for the
first hip hop performance. Is that the
kind of image we as the hip-hop community want to present to the mainstream
public? Hip-Hop = pimps and ho’s? Or
Hip-Hop = 50 Cent holding a baby and a gun?
Watching that performance last night made me cringe. People who don’t
normally listen to hip-hop music because they think it’s full of misogyny and
violence watch a performance piece on “pimping ain’t easy” on the Oscars and it
just re-enforces their negative image on hip-hop.

I don’t blame people for not liking hip-hop when everywhere
they turn they see video ho’s, glorified violence, drinking and rubbing at the
clubs, etc on BET, MTV. The press makes it hard for folks to find hip-hop music
that goes beyond the stereotypical themes.
I love a lot of different kinds of music but sometimes I sometimes get
tired of defending hip-hop. I’m always
offering to point “non-believers” to lesser-known, more conscious artists. At the same time, I not saying that not all
negative hip-hop music should be squashed; I’m the first to admit that some of
my favorite songs are ultra-violent and misogynistic. I just wish there was more of a balance of positive
and negative images of hip-hop in the mainstream press. Unfortunately, the bottom line for a lot of
media outlets is this: shock value drives ratings and ratings equal advert
dollars.

So apparently I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. In the ABC News
story the writer says that “Three 6 Mafia enoyed a rare
moment of Oscar glory for the Hip Hop community.” Not all in the Hip
Hop community agree fully.

Now to the defense of Three 6 Mafia, they wrote the song to fit the premise of the film. So ease off the “hater” talk. The bitter feeling are towards what the media latches onto as what is or is not the defining characteristic of Hip Hop music and culture.

Rap music was large and in charge at the 78th edition of the Academy Awards. – ABC News

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