A lasting testament to both rap pioneer / nightclub comic par excellence Rudy Ray Moore and the sun-bleached, smog-covered vistas of ‘70s L.A., DOLEMITE remains one of blaxploitation’s greatest achievements.

When Rudy first took his Chitlin’ Circuit act to the silver screen, few outside black neighborhoods noticed at first -- but DOLEMITE was a box office smash. His films were cheap, quickly made and technically disastrous, but they have something Hollywood could never buy: a one-of-a-kind underground comedic persona. Here, Rudy plays the greatest pimp of them all; after two years in prison on trumped-up charges, Dolemite’s back on the street and ready to settle scores ("I've got an all-girl army that knows what to do! They’re foxy as hell and practice kung fu!"). — American Genre Film Archive