''American Pimp'' is a 1999 documentary that examines the pimp subculture in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was directed by the

Hughes Brothers Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972), known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors and producers. The pair, who are twins, are known for co-directing visceral, and often violent, movies, inclu ...

, the filmmakers behind ''

Menace II Society ''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. The film is set in Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and follows the life of ...

'' and ''

Dead Presidents ''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate and his experience ...

''. The documentary consists of first person interviews of people involved in the pimping lifestyle ("the game"). The interviews are separated by short clips from 1970s blaxploitation films such as ''

Willie Dynamite ''Willie Dynamite'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Gilbert Moses and starring Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, and was released by Universal Pictures. The eponymous Willie Dynamite is a pimp in New Yo ...

'', ''

The Mack ''The Mack'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by California native Michael Campus, starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. The film also stars Oscar-nominee Juanita Moore and Tony-nominated actor Dick Anthony Williams. Filmed in O ...

'', and ''

Dolemite ''Dolemite'' is a 1975 American blaxploitation crime comedy film and is also the name of its principal character, played by Rudy Ray Moore, who co-wrote the film and its soundtrack. Moore, who started his career as a stand-up comedian in ...

''. The first portion of the documentary focuses on pimps working illegally. The illegal pimps that are interviewed are from all over the

, e.g., Charm from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, Fillmore Slim from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and Payroll from

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. These pimps, and many others discuss their theories on the history of prostitution. The pimps go on to talk about their philosophy on pimping, and how they live their daily life. The film also discusses the legal sector of prostitution. Dennis Hof, the owner of the Bunny Ranch in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, is interviewed. He feels that Nevada is much smarter than the other states because they have imposed the proper health and background checks on prostitution, instead of trying to suppress prostitution by making it illegal. The majority of the documentary glorifies the pimping lifestyle. The pimps and prostitutes interviewed mainly discuss the perks of the lifestyle. They talk about the money they have made, and the expensive suits and cars they were able to buy. However, near the end of the film, the interviews involve prostitutes that have died from the lifestyle as well as pimps who have retired and hold straight jobs or those who are now in jail.

Interviews

*Rosebudd (real name: John S. Dickson) * Fillmore Slim (real name: Clarence Sims) * Gorgeous Dre (real name: Andre Taylor) *Mel Taylor *Danny Brown *Ken Red (real name: Louis Kenneth Wright) *Payroll *Schauntté Parker *Charm *Latrice *Jade *Sir Captain *Bradley *Payroll (Lorence Hammond) *

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

*Mr. Ivy (also known as Pimpin' Ken) *Bishop Don Magic Juan *R.P. * Dennis Hof *C-Note *Caleb Devine (real name: Caleb Benn)

TV adaptation

The Hughes brothers In professional wrestling, TNT is a tag team consisting of twin brothers Terrell Hughes and Terrence Hughes (born February 25, 1995), the sons of Impact and WWE Hall of Famer Devon "D-Von Dudley" Hughes. Early lives Terrell and Terrence compe ...

planned to re-explore the themes of ''American Pimp'' in a 2009 HBO drama series called ''Gentlemen of Leisure''. ''Gentlemen of Leisure'' was to examine the world of prostitution in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, focusing on a 35-year-old legendary pimp and his attempts to get out of the business. However, before filming began, the show came under fire from the then Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and other city officials who were worried about the impact that ''Gentlemen of Leisure'' would have had on Oakland's image. Dellums' Chief of Staff, David Chai, said, "It is the mayor's view that this project goes against our vision of Oakland as a 'model city' and does a disservice to residents and visitors alike", and "while the mayor understands that there are certain benefits to having a major film project in our city, he is not willing to support this project at this time. The people of Oakland have come too far to have our city's name trampled upon in the name of entertainment."

References

External links

*
''American Pimp''
at MGM Movie Database
Sfgate:"Pimps Strut in Documentary/Hookers they exploit get less say" by Edward Guthmann; June 16, 2000
{{Prostitution in the United States, state=collapsed 1999 films 1999 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about prostitution in the United States 1990s English-language films Films directed by the Hughes brothers 1990s American films

Interviews

TV adaptation

See also

References

External links