a combination of the terms "black" and "exploitation"; refers mainly to sensational, low-budget films in the 1970's featuring mostly African-American casts (and directors), that broke the mold of black characterization in feature films; usually emphasized fads of the time in hairstyles, music and costuming, and also brutality, sleazy sex, street-life, racist and militant attitudes, etc. Examples: Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song (1971), Superfly (1972), and Ralph Bakshi's animated Coonskin (1975); a documentary titled Baadasssss Cinema (2003) from the Independent Film Channel by filmmaker Isaac Julien examined the early 70s and the phenomenon of blaxploitation films

Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many exploitation films were made that targeted the urban African American audience; the word itself is a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation". Blaxploitation films starred primarily black actors, and were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music. Although criticized by civil rights groups for their use of stereotypes, they addressed the great and newfound demand for Afrocentric entertainment, and were immensely popular among black audiences.