Stax recording artist Isaac Hayes has joined the cast of "Hustle & Flow," John Singleton's first independently financed and produced feature. Based on a script by Southern filmmaker Craig Brewer, who also will direct, the $2.8 million film is set to start shooting early next month in Memphis. The story centers on DJay (Terrence Howard), a thirtysomething Southern hip-hop artist and hustler who enlists a cross section of the local community to help him realize his dreams of making a record.

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