Black Caesar (film)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Black Caesar (released theatrically in the UK as Godfather of Harlem) is a 1973 American blaxploitation crime drama film, starring Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry and Julius Harris. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen. Black Caesar is a remake of the 1931 film Little Caesar. It features a musical score (Black Caesar) by James Brown (with heavy input from his bandleader Fred Wesley), his first experience with writing music for film. A sequel titled Hell Up in Harlem was released in late 1973.
Legacy
Prominent rappers have sampled James Brown's score. "The Boss", which is the background music for a scene in which Tommy Gibbs is shot while crossing a street corner, was sampled for Ice-T's "You Played Yourself", Trick Daddy's "Take It To Da House"), Prodigy's album Return of the Mac and Nas' "Get Down" on the album God's Son.
The film is name-checked in Public Enemy's song "Burn Hollywood Burn"; when the cinema announces the movie to be Driving Miss Daisy, guest rapper Big Daddy Kane suggests leaving, saying "I got Black Caesar back at the crib." Kane makes another reference to the movie in his song "How U Get A Record Deal". Kool Keith references the main character in the song "Keith Turbo" from Black Elvis/Lost in Space: "Take off your shirt; I can see your ribs; Fakin' like Tommy Gibbs."
See also
