‘Dolemite, Motherfucker’: Rudy Ray Moore, Dead at 81

Rudy Ray Moore, the blaxploitation icon, rap pioneer and generally batshit genius behind Dolemite and roughly 1 million dirty jokes over the last 50 years, died Sunday of complications from diabetes. He was 81 — and he lived every day of it, too, from his early R&B circuit roots to decades of working comedy rooms so blue that his labels couldn’t promote him and record shops had to hide his racy, soft-core album covers behind the sales counter. His cult exploded in 1975 with the release of Dolemite, featuring Moore as a wronged ex-con seeking revenge, redemption, and not just a little sex; the sequel The Human Tornado emerged in 1976, followed by the Moore’s sureally rhyming, ass-kicking apotheosis Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son-in-Law in 1978. His influence touched three generations — often inappropriately and unapologetically, and we miss him already. Follow the jump for an all-too-short (and NSFW) sampling of his finest, and wish St. Peter the best of luck checking Dolemite and Mr. Blackwell in within one day of each other. [LAT]