A Brief History of the Hustle
By Angela Watercutter, Illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton
Your favorite hip-hop hero was far from the first musician to embrace the virtue of hard work, self-reliance, and, er, prostitution. Hustling and pop music have a joint history nearly as long-lived as Stratocasters and 16-bar blues.
“I’m Gonna File My Claim”
Though the lyrics lay claim to an idle life (“A girl should never hustle with a pick and pan to dig for gold, that isn’t her game”), when Monroe belts this brass to the boys in River of No Return, there’s no doubt she’s workin’ it.
“The Hustle”
McCoy was the quintessential hustler, writing songs for Gladys Knight and the Pips before his flute funk track transformed a small-time dance craze into a full-sized disco dance-aster that topped both the pop and R&B charts. Number of words in the 4:10 step-along? Four.
“9 to 5”
Sorry, Ice-T. In our songbook, Ms. Parton is the true O.G. thanks to hardcore rhymes that step to the struggle like “It’s a rich man’s game/No matter what they call it/And you spend your life/Puttin’ money in his wallet.”
“Everyday Struggle”
Many modern-day rappers glorify the game, but Biggie painted a more painful picture in this track from “Ready to Die”: “I don’t wanna live no mo’/ Sometimes I hear death knockin’ at my front do’/ I’m livin’ everyday like a hustle, another drug to juggle/Another day, another struggle.”
“Hustlin’”
Thanks to this Rawse joint, remixed and sampled by everyone from Lil Wayne and DJ Drama to Girl Talk, chances are if you’ve heard “hustlin’” in a song in the last four years it was probably proceeded by “every day I’m.” We’re guessing Ross can afford to take a day or two off now.
“Trans-Continental Hustle”
The punk/Gypsy-esque/something- else-entirely outfit Gogol Bordello took hustling international with this Rick Rubin–produced record that showed hustling can’t be confined to one genre any more than it can a decade.
Angela Watercutter
Angela Watercutter is an assistant research editor at Wired magazine, where she also writes about pop culture and is a contributor to the magazine's Underwire blog. She previously worked as a reporter for the Associated Press and in the stock room of the Banana Republic across the street from the Mother Jones office where 48 Hour Magazine was built.
Wendy MacNaughton
Wendy's ink and watercolor drawings reflect the inner worlds of commuters: the quirks, anxieties, and above all the isolation—despite their proximity to others. She created and illustrated the national campaign for the first democratic elections in Rwanda. Her art has been featured in numerous publications.
