Lessons from: Hustle & Flow

Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow remains one of my favourite films to date. I absolutely love it! Watching the DVD extras gives even more substance to this film and this post. But beyond pimpin' and hip hop, there are some vital lessons to be learned from this film. Below is a selection of some scenes and corresponding interpretaions. Rent or Buy this DVD and watch it after reading this post; to help relate to the scenes and characters I make reference to.

1. DJay sees Skinny Black's CD and "coincidentally" runs into Keys in the 9-11 - DJay knew (as fact) that there was little to no difference between him and Skinny Black; regardless of Skinny selling 500,000 records. Having a successful person or business which you can relate to, as a reference point, is a great tool is achieving goals. Also, DJay runs into Keys shortly after see the Skinny Black CD. The debate of coincidence vs destiny will always rage on, but being constantly in the right mind frame is always beneficial in either regard. It always makes coincidence seem more like destiny.

2. DJay puts Skinny Black's Poster on his wall - Motivation must never be taken for granted. Refresh it without question. Treat it like a freebie-lover treats free air at a gas station - top up at every chance.

3. DJay goes to Key's house at night time with 2 "hos" - Action, action, action! Dreams and ideas are nothing without action! Just do it. Now! Later is no better than this moment!

4. DJay kicks Yevette and her kid out onto the streets in the middle of the night - Yevette was a negative entity in the mix; contributing nothing but and discouragement and ugliness. Although she had a young child and nowhere to go, DJay did not hesitate to do what he had to do. Tough call, but it had to be done. Take the same approach with likewise matters.

5. "It's hard out here for a pimp!" - The lyrics from one of his hit singles came in the middle of a regular day and at the time seemed like nothing spectacular. Stories from many great dreams and businesses show that the "great" idea never seems so spectacular at the time of occurrence. So don't expect confetti and multi coloured balloons to accompany any "great" ideas. It is more likely than not that there will occur silently without much fuss.

6. "...I've been hearing this beat in my head... like I cant be stopped" - DJay's "mode" is something that we don't all have. Although it is not a prerequisite for success, if you do have a "mode" protect it at all costs! If you can channel this mode into something tangible, the feeling of fulfilment will speak for itself. I truly believe that this is where the most original and spectacular things come from.

7. DJay and keys exchange punches - Disagreements and arguments amongst partners/ associates/ team members means nothing in the bigger picture. Get through and past it as quickly as possible. Do not let pride allow it to grow into more than it should be. Focus on getting back on track.

8. Shug brings the Lava Lamp - She may not have seemed very intelligent, useful or known much about what was going on, but heart was in the perfect place and in the end, she proved more of an asset than ever imagined. Don't be quick to write anything off. If it is not necessarily negative, the positivity may only need to be uncovered and the contribution may be below the surface.

9. Shelby gets Shug to sing/ DJay Pimps Nola to get the mic - Simple: Use what you have to get what you want and once again, do what you have to do.

10. "I'm here trying to squeeze a dollar out of a dime and I ain't even got a cent" - Sound familiar anyone? To me, most definitely! This is where only sheer belief can pull you through. Without belief, you will most surely fail. Also, don't let financial limitations control your dreams. My advice is always "...do everything else you can except make the payments...". When you believe, you will find a way.

11. DJay gives a Peace offering to his neighbour - Often, we let petty things interfere with the bigger picture. Always try and keep your interest "in the bigger picture" in mind. Once again people don't let your "feelings" or ego or other bits of nonsense keep you from achieving your goals. Do what you have to do!

12. "I ain't spitting s*** on s***!" - Keys asked DJay to compromise on his lyrics and later on, DJay asked Keys to compromise on the microphone. Both parties respectively desired the best and refused to settle for less, even though they were being asked by people on their team! This meant the finished product had component elements which were the best they could be. This is how a good team delivers a good product.

13. "Every man has the right to contribute a verse..." - Dont let anyone take this right away from you.

14. DJay put his mix on a cassette tape - Effectiveness. The music would have been "better" on a CD, but they used what they had and went with a cassette instead. The alternative? They could have not recorded and waited till they could afford to record on a CD, thus missing the window of opportunity with Skinny Black. Don't let the devil (who lives in the detail), prevent you from being effective. Focus on capturing the "essence".

15. DJay gets through to Skiny Black, then Skinny throws the tape in the toilet, before DJay gets arrested - Anyone would bet 100 bucks that Skinny was going to help DJay. Be careful with people, you can never be too sure. Then just after getting on his high, thinking he was in, DJay was instantly slammed to the ground seeing his mixtape in the toilet and double slammed shortly after, laying in a jail cell. The truth about every pursuit is that we can only do our best. And that's what our man did. But even when all seemed lost, look how things turned around eh?

16. Big 5.0 and Block C give DJay their mixtape/ "Everybody gotta have a dream..." - if you didn't understand this, you wouldn't still be reading this post

18. The Music - The soundtrack to the film is laced with goodies "Keep hustlin'... it ain't over for me" "I'm praying and hoping to God I don't slip" "This is the gift I was given, so I just live out my hustle" Uhh, goosebumps! For me this is motivation!

If you have observed anything from the film, do share your thoughts.

Keep hustlin, Dreamers! It ain't over for you!