Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 are considered steller musicians and entertainers who changed the game in major ways. Oftentimes when we speak of them they are presented as if they came out of nowhere and their musical prowess came out of a vacuum.

We sat down with Professor Ricky Vincent aka the Uhuru Maggot, author of the landmark book History of Funk. We sat down and walked through the history of MJ and the Jackson and talked in depth about their influences ranging from james Brown to Stevie Wonder. We talked in depth about their roots. MJ and his brother grew up in Gary, Indiana. Their father Joe Jackson spent alot of childhood and teenage years in Oakland, california. Vincent talked about the vibrant blues scene that was in full gear when Joe jackson was around in West Oakland.

We spoke about Michael jackson and his dancing history. We talked about his signature moves 'The Robot', Moonwaljk and locking and noted how these were popular dance styles well known in various hoods throughout california for years prior to Michael introducing them to the rest of the world.

We talked about the struggles the group had when MJ's voice changed and Motown executives wanted them to follow a particular pop formula while the group pushed to establish a new sound that was more soulful, funky and contemporary. Eventually the tension became so great that the group left Motown and joined Epic. because Motown owned the name The Jackson 5, the group changed their name to the Jacksons. Complicating their situation even more was the fact that older brother jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter hence he went on to stay at Motown and do a solo career.

We talk about the influence James Brown had on Michael and how he went out and pretty much adapted much of Brown's delivery, showmanship and overall style. We explore the music from that time period in the mid 70s and note how the group found themselves under the gun as they tried to keep up with icons like Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Sly Stone BT Express and an array of 'child groups like the Sylvers who had bursted on the scene and were hitting hard.

We end this segment by highlighting the various musical directions the group took.

In pt 2 we are joined by Chuck D of Public Enemy where we have an indepth discussion about MJ and his politics and how Chuck was introduced to Hip Hop via Mike.

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