Random Midday Hotness: Jamming With James, Michael and Prince.

When someone mentioned this to me a little while ago, I thought it was a joke. A sweaty James Brown jams with his band, and then invites Michael Jackson, who is in the audience, to join them. Michael then whispers something to James, and the two of them yield the stage to Prince.

How doesn’t everyone know about this? Why aren’t young children forced to re-enact this in school shows? And how come the world didn’t explode?

G.D.

G.D.

Gene "G.D." Demby is the founder and editor of PostBourgie. In his day job, he blogs and reports on race and ethnicity for NPR's Code Switch team.
G.D.
  • Aris Blevins

    My favorite thing about this is that it seems like James has no idea who or what Prince is. There’s also a look on James’ face toward the end that is slightly annoyed at this kid who has it.

    Amazing moment – no idea why the world didn’t explode.

  • Scipio Africanus

    I found that on Youtube years ago. That is a great clip. I think it was for a James Brown show in LA that was supposedly one of the big shows that year out there, adn everyone anticipated it, hence Senores Jackson and Nelson in attendance.

    I can’t see the clip here at work, but as I recall Prince gets the guitarist’s ax and starts playing. That’s always challending because you don’t know what key the song is in, so you can’t be sure if any given chard you might want to improvise over will work. Although, Prince almost certainly has near-perfect pitch and probably could tell anyway. But it takes alot of courage to play with a group off the cuff like that, especially when they’ve already been moving and grooving for an hour plus.

  • This is incredible. I can’t believe I never heard of it before this.

  • Lemu

    There will never be a blacker moment than this.

  • 8/20/1983: A day that would henceforth be known as the Funk Singularity.

  • MH8D

    I don’t know why I’ve never heard of or seen this before… that was really something special. The only thing that could have made that better is Rick James.

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  • corlista

    Always loved James Brown because he’s the original, the real deal; always loved Michael Jackson because besides his incomparable musical talent, he was a gracious and unselfish human being (he didn’t need to ask James to bring Prince up on stage); never did like Prince for all the reasons you see here – he’s an arrogant, self-absorbed, show off. What a hot dog!

  • That was cramazming. No disrespect to The Godfather of Soul, but Prince kind of killed it. He rode to the stage on the back of the man who played the bouncer in Purple Rain, got shirtless (J.B. only gave us a glimpse of his cleavage), and did a sexy dance. I’m just saying.

  • That was cramazing. No disrespect to The Godfather of Soul, but Prince kind of killed it. He rode to the stage on the back of the man who played the bouncer in Purple Rain, got shirtless (J.B. only gave us a glimpse of his cleavage), and did a sexy dance. I’m just saying.

  • aisha

    That looks like CCH Pounder as one of the background singers.

  • storm

    Awesome. Sick with Funk!

    I only hope that MJ would have stayed on the stage with Prince. Now that would have been thrilling.

  • ava blue

    All i can say is OMG !!!

  • ladyDee

    AMAZING MOMENTS wHY?? HIDE THEM