Changing the lyrics to Djay's "Beat that Bitch," they record "Whoop That Trick," impromptu, in Key's make-shift studio, and the scene is electric. Brewer shows how dissimilar characters (who, outside of music, might never be friends) mix to make rap: Djay has the impulse Key has the know-how and the recording equipment Shug has "the hook," the melody and backing vocals Nola has the hustle and Shelby (DJ Qualls) has the savvy to fine-tune the final product. It's in forcefully expressing "this is who I am," which, for Djay, is an exorcism via versification. Unlike 8 Mile, the spirit of Djay's rap isn't in humiliating another artist and calling it a victory. What Brewer does with Hustle & Flow is break down the process of creating and recording rap. Henson), "I just got my feeling like this is it for me." He decides he want to get back to this feeling, and music is the means. The scene is perhaps the movie's most memorable after all of his posturing, he's not made of stone. So taken by the soloist's voice, the emotional swing pushes a tear from Djay's eye. Key invites Djay to his current gig, recording a choir performance at a nearby church. It turns out that Key is a sound recordist, ekeing out a meager living putting city council meetings on tape. In spite of this, he sees a light on his horizon after a chance meeting with an old schoolyard buddy, Key (Anthony Anderson), who is buying batteries at a convenience store. Hair greased and curled, eyes glazed from coke, he sits in his Buick pontificating to his prized prostitute Nola (Taryn Manning) with the worldliness of a man ruined by indulgence and daily survival. If someone desperately needed to get in the zone, it's Djay (Terrence Howard), a hard-living Memphis pimp.
The music may be discordant and the rap may be straight-up nasty, but the main thing about crunk is that it's a state of being. That said, the mode for staying in the zone is "crunk" - a rap style with a repetitive lyric and baseline.
To flow is the goal - being lost in the lyrics and the music it's the zone, the place you want to live. In other words, you write it, record it and put it out on the street (hopefully arriving at a radio station or record label's doorstep). To hustle (relatively defined) is to work your music to the listener's ear. The movie's title boils the life of a rap artist down to two words: hustle and flow. Director Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow sticks a needle into rap's hardened veins - not to merely examine its blood, but to live there, swim around in it, and capture its essence.