Blaxpoitation

blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the united states circa 1971 when many exploitation films were made specifically (and perhaps exclusively) for an audience of urban black people

 the word itself is a mix of the words 'black' and 'exploitation'

blaxploitation films were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music

 these films starred primarily black actors

when set in the northeast or west coast of america, blaxploitation films tend to take place in the ghetto, dealing with hit men, drug dealers and pimps

the genre frequently takes place in an atmosphere of crime and drug-dealing. ethnic slurs against whites (e.g., 'honky')

negative white characters like corrupt cops, politicians, prostitutes and gullible gangsters were common

blaxploitation films set in the south often take place on a plantation, dealing with slavery and miscegenation

blaxploitation includes several subtypes of films, including crime, action/martial arts, westerns, horror, comedy, nostalgia, coming-of-age/courtroom drama and musical

many of these films featured funk and soul jazz soundtracks with heavy bass, funky beats and wah-wah guitars

these soundtracks are notable for a degree of complexity that was not common for radio-friendly funk tracks and rich orchestration that included uncommon instruments such as flutes and violins

these films were accused of stereotyping blacks—their target audience—as pimps and drug dealers

 this dovetailed with common white stereotypes about black people, and as a result, many called for the end of the blaxploitation genre