Quintessential blaxploitation parody actor, Rudy Ray Moore is best known for his iconic performance is the one and only Dolemite (1975). However before portraying the famed kung-fu fighting pimp, Rudy Ray started out as an R&B singer signed to a number of labels, before making the switch to comedy albums creating several widely received recordings which put him on the map. His records all featured sexually explicate covers making them impossible to be displayed in record stores, however through word of mouth they found a following with the disenfranchised african american communities who embraced his messages of antiestablishmentarianism. Using the earnings from these albums he was able to fund Dolemite, the tale of a wrongfully imprisoned pimp looking to be revenged against those who framed him and with the help of his all girl kung-fu army, take back what is his. The movie was a hit, spawning two sequels and influenced countless individuals including Red Foxx, Richard Pryor and later on many from the rap scene such as Snoop Dogg and Big Daddy Kane. His films would also go on to influence many modern plays on the blaxploitation genre with such works as Undercover Brother (2002) and Black Dynamite (2009).
