Pimp talk

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 3/6/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> On 3/6/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> > On 3/6/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Almost forgot: In the most edifying media moment since Janet
> > > Jackson's bra malfunction, last night's Oscars featured a big
> > > production number with Taraji P. Henson rappin' a nominated
> > > song all about how hustlin' really takes a toll on pimps.
> > >
> > >   But the Academy said she can't use the f-word on TV.
> > > "We know there will be children watching and we want it to be
> > > family-friendly," said songwriter Jordan "Juicy J" Houston :
> > >   http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=11398244&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews
> > >
> > >    Awwwwww.
> > >
> > >   "Bitches" was fine, though.
> >
> > I distinctly remember Henson singing "a whole lot of witches talkin
> > sh..." in the chorus instead of "a whole lot of bitches talkin shit."
> > So maybe the Oscar folks enforced a last-minute crackdown on the
> > b-word.
>
> Just caught it again here (on a very slow video feed):
>
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vkhp8i1adFQ
>
> It actually sounds more like "a whole lot of witches jumpin ship."
>
> Aha, the Village Voice agrees:
>
> http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/statusainthood/archives/2006/03/three_6_mafia_o_2.php

Just to follow up, it looks like this really was a case of self-censorship...

-----
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,18499,00.html?fdnews
The controversy count was low. According to ABC, its censors went to
work just twice, briefly dropping out the audio during the live
performance of the Oscar-winning composition, "It's Hard Out Here for
a Pimp," and briefly dropping out the audio again during Three 6
Mafia's exuberant Jesus-, Gil Cates- and George Clooney-praising
acceptance speech.
Backstage, Jordan Houston, aka Juicy J, of Three 6 Mafia was unaware
of the deletions. He told reporters the group changed its lyrics
"completely" to accommodate the network, if not his elders. ("My mom
is watching," Houston said. "I don't want any cuss words.")
And while ABC signed off on the use of "bitches," the group decided on
its own to go with "witches" on show night. The audio deletion
apparently concerned an unscripted spoken word at the beginning of the
performance that the censor thought sounded like a no-no.
What might have sounded like a no-no, but wasn't, per ABC, was actress
Taraji P. Henson's "Pimp"-sung chorus. While the ear might have heard
Henson repeatedly complaining of "witches talking sh-t," ABC said she
was actually bemoaning "witches jumping ship."
-----

And Entertainment Weekly had a pre-Oscar article where Juicy J
discussed how they might change the lyrics:

-----
http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1169405_1|32235||0_0_,00.html
In addition to maintaining their standard delay, they're all over
Mafia's lyric sheet. On their no-fly list: the N-word and sundry
expletives. Says Juicy J, ''They actually said we could keep [bitches
and ho's] in there.'' What?!? ''But I wanna change it to women.
There's gonna be kids watching.''
-----

So I guess they decided "witches" fit the song better than "women".


--Ben Zimmer

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