New York Funkin’ City And Harlem, USA
As you know, I love Blaxploitation. What I dig most about these films is that a number of them took place in NYC. With all the jive-talking, gun-toting, leather-wearing, cocaine and heroin sniffin’ pimps, not to mention the outrageous outfits, cars and of course the women, all of these films had a funky inner-city vibe that was quite campy and extremely cheesy. I JUST LOVE IT!!!
These movies have some of the greatest soundtracks, many of which were produced by major recording artists such as Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye and many other soul greats… but it was the movie posters that most often sold the film.
Whether you like Blaxploitation or not, some of today’s Black films have the same reoccurring themes…ballers, gangsters, pimps, hookers, con artists and violence in the streets of cities like New York.
You can still find aging pimps and lost souls in communities that are dying out or experiencing gentrification. The OG’s are there too, chillin’ in their old school rides like the Cadillac Eldorado or the ever stylish Deuce and a Quarter.
And of course there’s cleanest MOFO styling and profiling in his designer grab talkin’ much smack ‘bout “what it is vs what it was”. What!!! Tell me the 70’s wasn’t the koolest decade ever!
Below is a gallery of Blaxploitation movie posters that represent the best of the genre filmed in New York City, Harlem and the outer borough of Brooklyn during the 1970’s.
The posters exhibited below are in the Museum of UnCut Funk Collection.
