‘Brown Sugar’ Is the New Blaxploitation Streaming Service We’ve Always Wanted

If you’re a fan of Black Dynamite or Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, you’ll probably want to check out the new streaming service Brown Sugar to see where Hollywood’s blaxploitation era got its start. The Brown Sugar app launched today, and it’s the new go-to service for all the classic blaxploitation films like Shaft, Foxy Brown, Blacula, and Cleopatra Jones, if you can dig it.

African-American network Bounce TV launched the $3.99-per-month app today, which houses all the ’70s blaxploitation films you’ve heard of, and plenty you haven’t. One of the spokespeople for the app, actress Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Coffy), said in a statement (per Variety), “Brown Sugar is just like Netflix, only blacker. These movies are entertaining and fun, but they were also empowering to the black community as they depicted African Americans as strong leading characters and heroes for the first time.”

Brown Sugar has also enlisted the spokesperson talents of rapper Rick Ross and actor Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem). Of the app, Ross said, “You can see the influence of these movies in every aspect of rap and hip-hop; in the music, the lyrics, the fashion and overall style — the blaxploitation genre is where it all began.”

Brown Sugar currently has 111 titles at launch, and is poised to introduce even more to the streaming service in the months to come as it works to acquire the rights. All films are unedited and commercial-free, and full of action, crime, jive turkeys, and plenty of kung-fu treachery.

“You wonder why we call it Brown Sugar? Because it’s bad ass – like me,” said Williamson. “Brown Sugar is the coolest streaming movie service on the planet.”