Blaxploitation Dolemite vs The Mack
Blaxploitation - Dolemite vs The MackIn the early 70's, "Mainstream films did nothing to give black people a sense that they were powerful and physically beautiful, or, at least for black women, that they were desired if they were darker than a brown grocery sack." (McKissack). That is why blaxploitation films started to come out. The genre was the most productive period in black film making, but it is often difficult to track the titles down. "At a time when most black men realized a fundamental freedom and power over their lives was denied at every turn, the pimp, for better or worse, was equated with self assertion". (Quoted in McKissack). Two movies, Dolemite and The Mack, are both blaxploitation movies about pimps which clearly show the conditions and inherent social problems behind the blaxploitation phenomenon. Blaxploitation movies affected the music industry as well, because modern hip hop music is derived from these movies.
Dolemite, starring and produced by Rudy Ray Moore, was made in 1975. "Directed by D'Urville Martin, Dolemite deals with a street smart pimp who was framed by the 4th ward's biggest dope dealer, Willie Green (played by D'Urville Martin). After two years in jail, Dolemite is released to help apprehend Willie Green and avenge the death of his nephew, Little Jimmy." (Goodwin). "The self proclaimed 'King of Party Records' pooled his money and produced Dolemite on a "low, low, low, low" budget. 'I was made fun of here in Los Angeles,' Says Moore. 'They called me a fool and said I was spending all my money and the movie would never get shown." (Damiani). "Moore persisted despite his critics. His efforts resulted in a timeless gem of low-budget brilliance filled with rhyming banter, stagy fight scenes, rampant sex, patchwork leisure suits and some of the most quotable lines in movie history." (Damiani).
Dolemite has had a positive influence on rap music. "Rudy uses a short story-telling pattern in his films and it's rap artists who have kept those traditions alive. They (rap artists) have re-invented many of the figures who appeared in Blaxploitation films. Moore has had an amazing influence on the music," (Quoted in Damiani)....
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