"Jam" was the opening track and fourth single from Dangerous (1991). The video directed by David Kellogg is legendary, pairing Michael Jackson with Michael Jordan, plus a special appearance by rap duo Kriss Kross. Jordan later admitted he was struck by Jackson's tireless energy and dedication during the shoot, helping cement the collaboration as one of the most talked-about celebrity pairings of the 90s.
Back in September of last year, when we decided to bring Roger back, I sent the team a YouTube link to โthat famous videoโ because I wanted us to recreate it. Some of the younger team members had never seen it before.
I wasnโt personally involved in editing this video, but I heard yesterday that around springtime the team was actually hesitating over whether to include the recreation because they were running out of time. Apparently, Nakatsuโs final direction was, โWe absolutely have to do it.โ
To be honest, I had already given up on it myself. I thought, โThey probably wonโt do that gag anymore. Theyโve probably forgotten about it.โ
So when I saw it yesterday, it genuinely made me smile. I thought, โAh, they actually did it!โ
Great job to both the team and Nakatsu.
The Jackson 5 appeared on American Bandstand on this date in 1975, where they performed โDancing Machineโ and โMoving Violationโ before a solo performance of โJust A Little Bit of Youโ by Michael.
MJ really popularized the robot dance, I wish โDancing Machine was highlighted in the Michael biopic.
Michael's robotic moves and the moonwalk are deeply rooted in Black American 70s dance history. It was two young dancers, Casper Candidate and Cooley Jason, who taught the moonwalk to him directly. Michael had seen their sensational performance on Soul Train and invited the two of them.