Before You Watch Netflix's Dolemite Is My Name, Read Up on the Incredible True Story

Moore is one of the most influential figures in rap music, known for his dirty stand-up comedy and low-budget films. He was born in 1927 in the small Midwestern town of Fort Smith, AR, before he became an inspiration to Snoop Dogg and earned the title "the godfather of rap." His early years were eventful — he moved to Milwaukee to dance at a nightclub, toured with a black variety show, and served in the military. Then in 1959, his first comedy album, Below the Belt, came out when Moore moved to Los Angeles.

His albums didn't become hits, so he continued to work part-time at a record store in the '60s and '70s. There, a regular named Rico told him dirty, scandalous stories about a pimp named Dolemite. The rumors got Moore's creative juices going, so he conjured up funny characters who bragged about their wicked deeds, often in rhyme with jazz and R&B music. Dolemite, the colorful pimp and nightclub owner, was his biggest character. His later albums, such as Eat Out More Often, became seminal precursors to gangsta rap. The covers and content were pretty X-rated, so the albums were often sold under the counter. Still, Moore's personality became an underground hit, his records edging into the Billboard R&B charts.

Moore had big dreams and wanted to break into the entertainment industry. When Hollywood shut him out, Moore found a way to make his vision a reality through the DIY route. With money from his records, about $100,000 or so, he created a low-budget blaxploitation movie in 1975 called Dolemite, which became, as The New York Times put it, "the Citizen Kane of kung fu pimping movies." Full of sex, violence, and profanity, Dolemite became a smash hit, making $12 million at the box office. Moore filmed mostly at the Dunbar Hotel, a rundown nine-room apartment building that used to be a gathering spot for jazz legends such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Story-wise, the plot revolved around the playboy Dolemite and his crew of kung-fu-fighting prostitutes. After their unprecedented success, the filmmakers behind Dolemite followed up the movie with the sequels The Human Tornado and The Return of Dolemite. Moore also starred in other non-Dolemite movies, including The Monkey Hustle and Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil's Son-in-Law.

Moore continued making movies and albums through the '80s. Dolemite made a return in the album No Limit Top Dogg with Snoop Dogg and in the movie Big Money Hustlas with Insane Clown Posse. In 2008, Moore passed away at age 81, leaving an incredible legacy behind him.