NEW YORK - Get Rich Or Die Tryin' co-star Terrence Howard wasn't a hip-hop devotee when he agreed to star in the film based on rapper 50 Cent's real-life story.

"I'm not a fan of hip-hop," he told reporters recently. "Do I think it's necessary to have violence in music? No. And that's where I draw the line with hip-hop. That's why I'm not a fan of hip-hop or most hip-hop. What happened to the days of De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest -- the positive thinkers and the positive images that were associated with telling these stories? When the music died and all was left was this war song with no purpose, that's when I lost the love of it."

Howard, whose work in Crash and Hustle & Flow is generating Oscar buzz, did the movie because it gave him a chance to work with Irish director Jim Sheridan (In America, In The Name Of The Father, My Left Foot).

"The magic leprechaun man! He was a better actor than any actor I've ever met and a better director than any director I could have imagined ever being," says Howard.

"He was so humble. I met him in Malibu and he was working on the script at the time in this little 'bitty room. He could have had a mansion on the beach."

Some of that humbleness appears to have rubbed off.

When asked about his own recent critical accolades, Howard says it's simple.

"I've worked with some great directors this year," says the Chicago-born actor. "But I learned a lesson 'cause every actor works with a great director but you have to be willing to see the greatness in that person and surrender to their vision. Half the time, the director's vision is compromised because the actor's ego gets in the way. When you surrender to what the director wants, then you become a reflection of that director."

He also doesn't put too much stock in Oscar talk.

"I didn't create the roles or create the characters. I didn't write them. If anything comes to me, I'll accept this in (Hustle & Flow writer-director) Craig Brewer's name, I'll accept this in Jim Sheridan's name, I'll accept this in (Crash director-screenwriters) Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco's names."