Three 6 Mafia Take Home Oscar

Memphis rappers Three 6 Mafia -- Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard -- won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," performed by actor Terrence Howard in the hip-hop film Hustle and Flow, at last night's 78th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Rapper turned Oscar-nominated actress Queen Latifah presented them with the award.

"For anyone keeping record," host John Stewart said, "Martin Scorsese, zero Oscars. For Three 6 Mafia, one."

The rappers' song, with family-friendly lyrics substituted for the ABC awards show, beat out Dolly Parton's "Travelin' Thru," featured in Transamerica, and singer-songwriter Kathleen "Bird" York's "In the Deep," from Best Picture winner Crash.

The trio also made history as the first rap group to perform at the event. In 2002, Eminem became the first rapper nominated in the category for his Oscar-winning song "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile, but declined to perform.

Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon was awarded Best Actress for her role as country legend June Carter Cash in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter