[Photo: Costello/Redferns/Retna]

We received an urgent e-mail from the Roots bad-ass drummer ?uestlove.

"i could NOT keep this to myself. this MUST be seen.

hey guys.

its me the ultra rare connoisseur of fine treat.

(singular)

this is a never seen before rare docu about

the J5 pilgrimage to africa in 74.

awesome!!!!!

share this."

Click here for a link to the J5 African odyssey.

Don’t have an hour to kill watching some documentary you could’ve seen in your 7th grade Social Studies class? No worries; we got you covered. Take a look at some of the highlights we found from this bizarre and hilarious “tour video.”

The narrator may be out of his mind, and the subtle racism he puts forth is hard to ignore, especially since he seems to think he is doing the African culture good by proclaiming such gems as:

“As the Jackson 5 watched the dancers they found it almost impossible not to get involved as they all tried imitating the dancers’ steps, very successfully too, revealing that there’s something basic in the African personality that all people from the continent share—the ability to pick up a rhythmic beat. It didn’t take much time with Randy dancing like one who has never left.” –Narrator, as ten-year-old Randy Jackson easily mimics the dance steps of a Senegalese dancer. Rhythm, as we all know, is based on race, not on the fact that you’ve been taking dance lessons since you busted out of the womb.

“This is Africa, land of all black people.” – Narrator. Introduction for the film. No shit.

“Even those who could not speak English managed to call their names!” –Narrator, just before the Jacksons go on stage for their first performance in Africa. A true accomplishment for those African savages! We all know how hard it is to pronounce the names of foreigners, especially superstars. Who doesn't have trouble with tongue twisters like Michael, Tito, and Jackie?  

He also gets pretty excited about the mundane and boring. Here, at an African market place, he almost wets his racist pants talking about fruits and vegetables.

“You must stop to hear, to touch, to taste. Everything mingles in the most perfect harmony.”
Um…what? It’s a fuckin’ farmer’s market, dude! The Jacksons would never touch that shit! And just wait until you hear him talk about the spice district:

“One must remain thoughtful in front of all the various boxes filled with powders of all colors. One can find almost anything.” On second thought, boxes filled with colored powder does sound kind of cool.

It’s not all geography and sociology. There are some sweet Jackson moments as well.

Check out Part 3 of the series for some classic live footage of the group performing “Hum Along and Dance.” The scene at the venue looks fucking insane—people climbing the venue walls, the gangstas ticket counters all are wearing shades (at night!), leather jackets, and have hand rolled cigarettes dangling from their mouths, adding a level of intimidation. To top it all off, J5 had some technical trouble, delaying the manic crowd for a few hours.

Part 3 also has Joe “Creepy Dad” Jackson taking up some camera time to talk about what a pleasure it is to be in Africa. You can see Father’s whim being silently administered while Joe plays on stage with his boys, glaring at them like a pimp on a keyboard.

Ten-year-old Randy is interviewed briefly in Part 2. Naturally, his voice is prepubescent and young, and if you listen real closely, he sounds just like his effeminate older brother Mike, 38 years later.

There's lots more in the film, including some great shots of both Northern and Southern Senegalese weaving techniques, an excellent description of mask-making and a great shot of teary-eyed Joe Jackson recieving the Medal of the Lion, the highest Senegalese honor.


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