I'm not sure who was more surprised. The somewhat hip-hop insulated Oscar crowd, the millions of fans who where likely tuning in, or 36 Mafia themselves.

In any case, it was refreshing to see Jordan "Juicy J" Houston running up to accept his academy award for best original song. Its not every day that I truly hardcore rap group from the streets of Memphis, Tennessee gets to literally "shine" at the Oscars (they were fully blinged out with jewelry and diamond encrusted grills)

Houston and the rest of 36 Mafia had just finished performing their song "It's hard out here for a pimp" when the word came down that they had indeed won. That prompted "Juicy J" and several of his cohorts to approach the podium and accept the award. I'm fairly sure that as the band went over their victory speech most of the crowd on hand and many of the viewers at home were not aware that this group made a name for themselves starting in the early 90's with songs such as "Sippin' on some Syrup", "Slob on my Knob", "Ridin' Spinners", "Where is the Bud", and "Bin Laden Weed" among others.

36 Mafia is well known in the rap community for extremely deep and strong southern base rhythms and penchant for nimbly describing murder, drug use, and sexual misconduct. They are also well known for accurately depicting the inner turmoil that often grips today's inner city youth, something that most in the regular Oscar crowd know little or nothing about.

I see this as more than just a victory for a commercial rap song that served as the musical accompaniment for an o.k. film. I see this as a lifetime achievement award for 36 Mafia and the hip-hop community in general and a signal that Hollywood is truly accepting and even embracing the multicultural realities of life in America.