To prepare for his role, Terrence Howard interviewed 123 pimps and 78 prostitutes over two-and-a-half years. He lived with four different pimps, including a month-long stint in a Memphis brothel.
Al Kapone became involved in the film because of a case of mistaken identity. Director Craig Brewer was expecting a phone call from D.J. Paul because he wanted to hire him to write the songs Djay would perform. Kapone, who knew Brewer from the Memphis music scene, called him at the very same time. He told Brewer that the movie needed to have his music in it and Brewer immediately agreed. After a few minutes of small talk, Brewer realized he was talking to the wrong person. Too embarrassed to back out of the deal, Brewer told Kapone that he could audition with one song. Kapone had 24 hours to write a song for Djay. He was sent the script by courier and was given Terrence Howard's phone number to discuss the character. The next day, Kapone performed "Hustle & Flow (It Ain't Over)" for Brewer and producer John Singleton. They loved the song so much, they used three more of Kapone's songs for the soundtrack.
Craig Brewer added several touches from his personal life in the script. His wife worked in a strip club, then got pregnant. He had to turn off the air conditioning to edit or the fuse would blow. He actually saw a black pimp and a white prostitute with braids in a car trying to hustle up some business near a local hotel.
Members of Three 6 Mafia, which won an Oscar for "It's Hard Out Here for A Pimp," appear in the film.
Djay says the word "mane" 221 times.