How 1970's Kung Fu Films Revolutionized Black Culture
Kung Fu is heavily respected by Black culture and has influenced a lot of film, music, and visual art that populated the 70s and the 80s.
It’s also been a major influence on American culture in a way that has altered the way we story tell. Asian culture has been a big part of our lives and it is also widely respected in hiphop.
THE ORIGIN STORY
A common misconception about Kung Fu is that it originated in China, however, its true birthplace is India.
A Buddhist monk by the name of Bodhidharma traveled to China in the 5th century where he taught Shaolin Monks about the art form. From there it was popularized in China, where it emerged as a form of martial arts that also includes spiritual aspects as well.
The practice as it is widely known in America, is largely because of martial artist Bruce Lee.
Bruce was an incredible martial artist, athlete, and philosopher on many levels. Though he passed before he could see the full measure of his impact, kids rushed to sign up for martial art classes in hopes of being like him. They wanted to be like the water.
As Bruce Lee rose to fame in the 70s, another film genre in black communities began taking form: Blaxploitation. With that, a prominent black actor from the 70s who was a renowned martial artist began appearing in said Blaxploitation films. His name was Jim Kelly.
In 1973, Jim Kelly & Bruce Lee shared the screen for the cult classic: Enter The Dragon marking the first time that the worlds of Kung Fu & Blaxploitation would collide. The film released proved to be historic as it was Bruce Lee’s first American film debut and one of Jim Kelly’s most remembered roles (see below for a taste of the action)
KUNG FU’S POPULARITY REACHES NEW HEIGHTS IN 1985
In 1985, Berry Gordy produced a movie encapsulating Black Culture’s affinity for Kung Fu entitled “The Last Dragon.”
The movie starred Vanity, a prominent Motown artist who had just starred in Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and Taimak - an actor and professional martial artist who went on to appear in series like A Different World.
Its impact is still present today, most recently being mentioned in Issa Rae’s Insecure, when Issa & Molly went to attend an outdoor screen during the season 3 finale. Issa also walked up the street to “When You Got That Glow,” which is one of the main songs from the soundtrack.
Netflix Showed How Strong the Connection in on The Get Down
The official birthdate of hip-hop is August 11th, 1973 which if you remember, 1973 was the same year that “Enter The Dragon” hit movie theaters.
This is where it gets interesting.
On one hand, Bruce Lee & Jim Kelly’s influence spread across New York influencing Black culture. On the other hand, a wave of young black kids getting turn tables and other music equipment, at the same time. This literally led to Kung
Kung Fu, and to a larger extent Chinese culture becoming hip-hop’s partner in crime.
The Get Down shows just how strong of an influence Eastern Asia influences hip-hop. For reference the two come together take a look at this clip where choreographers who worked on The Get Down discuss the heavy Kung Fu influences.
In short:
The DJs were inspired by the precision and technique Kung-fu displayed.
The B-Boys created dances like the “crazy legs” which were inspired by kung-fu movies.
Rappers used sample Kung-Fu samples and references in their music - inspired by the messaging & storytelling of the movies.
And… The influence is still seen today because:
BOBBY DIGGS DISCOVERED KUNG-FU FILMS… AND CREATED THE WU-TANG CLAN
Bobby Diggs aka RZA, for those who don’t know, is the founder of the Wu-Tang Clan and the executive producer of a lot of their projects.
When you look at the design aesthetic of Wu-Tang’s logo, the vision for the group, and other aspects of their brand, you can clearly see that they’ve been influenced by martial arts, specifically Kung Fu.
RZA got into Ku-Fu films when he was just 9 years old according to what he said on the Joe Rogan podcast. The first film he saw was a double header featuring Bruce Lee & another featuring Jim Kelly —
His intrigue in martial arts led to the foundations of one of hip-hop’s most famous group acts, and in the video below, RZA talks about the different times he’s sampled Kung-Fu films while producing for Wu-Tang.
And the 90s golden era hiphop is what every rapper from today’s era grew up listening to. That’s why it should come as no surprise that one of today’s rap super stars is also into Kung Fu films.
I’m talking about none other than:
KENDRICK LAMAR
YEP. that’s right.
KENDRICK LAMAR BECAME KUNG-FU KENNY
“New Shit, New Kung-Fu Kenny”
You could hear that phrase all over Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album DAMN. and at first glance it seems... out of place. Is this another alter ego? Where is Kendrick drawing his inspiration from?
But, after seeing K Dot’s video for DNA (see the video below), and watching Kendrick’s tour set from DAMN. it starts to click — Kendrick has a deep reverence for martial arts. As Highsnobiety and other platforms point out — the story of DAMN. mirrors that of another Blaxploitation/Kung-Fu film that is heralded by black culture as a classic: The Last Dragon (produced by Berry Gordy of Motown)
THE AFTERMATH
Kung Fu is still a huge part of hip-hop culture and it’s influence continues to grow. The Wu-Tang Clan still references Kung Fu films in their work, rappers, actors, and even directors continue to rely on the storytelling devices introduced in Kung Fu films to bolster their work creatively, and the list goes on.
There’s a ton more to the story that I couldn’t tell (ran out of time, lowkey) but just know… The connection exists, and it’s a strong one. Light one for Bruce Lee. And For Jim Kelly.
Me? I’m watching Enter The Dragon this weekend.
Peace.