Jaafar Was SHOCKED After DISCOVERING Michael Jackson’s 5 Greatest Magic Tricks – dw

That was the first one that I felt like I was watch I don’t know what I was watch I just knew it was it was magical especially once he he does the lean. That blew my mind seeing him do the lean and I I always thought he had superpowers. Well, you know, as an as an uncle and in until I really thought until I had the knowledge of it was trick it was a trick for with the shoes that he had.

Jaafar and I have one thing in common. We both thought Michael Jackson knew magic. To learn Michael’s secrets, Jaafar built an entire research room just to understand Michael Jackson. Every wall was covered in his quotes, his handwriting, and a full timeline of his life. I’m creating this research room where I put everything I can find on Michael.

All his dislikes, all of his likes, what he what he loves, what he loves to eat, what he doesn’t like, you know, so I just wanted to familiarize myself with everything about Michael in a place where he lived and where I grew up as well. It’s a timeline. From 1962 all the way until 1996, which is the year I was born.

And it’s very inspiring. He studied private journals, poems, and personal affirmations nobody else had access to. And the deeper he dug, the clearer it became. Michael’s performances were never just talent. They were engineered illusions built on psychology and secrets nobody caught. These are some of the secrets Jaafar learned during his research.

When Michael Jackson premiered the 45-degree lean in the Smooth Criminal music video, people around the world lost their minds. It looked like he was floating, like gravity had just given up on him. And for years fans debated how he did it. Some thought wires, some thought of magnets, some thought of pure core strength.

But Jaafar, digging through the archives, discovered the truth. And it’s even more genius than anyone imagined. Little little nuances is you may not know until you really break down every frame for frame. So, that was the most difficult to learn, honestly. Michael Jackson didn’t just invent a dance move. He invented a whole system.

Working with his wardrobe designers, Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, Jackson developed specially designed shoes with a V-shaped groove cut into the heel. Beneath the stage, a metal peg would rise at the exact right moment. The dancer would slide the heel forward, locking the shoe onto the peg. Suddenly, the performer was anchored to the stage, free to lean far beyond what physics should allow.

These boots were made not just for walking. One thing we worked with Michael is if it, you know matter what it was, and I hate to say what it cost or the the processes took to get to it, if it didn’t work the way he danced, it came off. The move was so innovative that in 1993, Michael Jackson actually received a US patent for a method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion.

The patent was filed four years after the move was first performed. That meant anyone could have stolen the idea, but Michael didn’t care about the patent protection. And the lean wasn’t just engineering. It required incredible physical strength. The dancer’s core, back, and leg muscles had to work hard to keep the body straight at that extreme angle.

One small mistake, and you’d fall flat on your face. In fact, during a 1996 concert in Moscow, one of the stage pegs failed to retract from Michael’s heel and he fell on stage. That moment, though embarrassing, proved the engineering was real and dangerous. During the Dangerous World Tour from 1992 to 1993, Michael Jackson shocked audiences with one of the most jaw-dropping stage exits ever conceived.

At the end of every show, during Man in the Mirror, Michael would put on an astronaut suit, strap on what looked like a rocket belt, and literally fly out of the stadium. He’d soar over the crowd, gliding effortlessly before disappearing through the roof. The audience went crazy. It seemed like real magic. But when Jafar started researching, he discovered the truth, and it was straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Michael Jackson didn’t fly that jet pack. The man in the air was a professional stuntman named Kenny Gibson, one of the few people in the world trained to operate a real Bell rocket belt. At the time, Gibson was the only person who had a working rocket belt. He joined the Dangerous Tour for 43 shows. Here’s how it worked.

Michael would put on the helmet and astronaut suit on stage. Then, through a hidden trapdoor, he’d descend into the stage structure. He’d be whisked away in a getaway car while Gibson, wearing an identical suit, would begin the countdown. Gibson would take off, fly over the crowd, and exit through the roof.

The most genius part? Gibson was instructed to keep the mystery alive. For years, he refused to confirm who was flying because Michael wanted the illusion to live forever. Michael Jackson didn’t just perform at the 1993 Super Bowl, he multiplied himself in front of 133 million people. Two giant screens lit up on opposite ends of the Rose Bowl, and out of nowhere, Michael appeared on one, rising up like he’d been beamed down from space.

Smoke, a flash, and suddenly he’s standing there dancing like he’d just materialized. Then, the exact same thing happened on the second screen. Same pose, same reveal, like there were two of them at once. And just when the crowd couldn’t process that, the real Michael launched straight up from the stage itself and stood frozen like a statue for a full 90 seconds.

Three appearances, three different corners of the stadium, and nobody saw how any of it connected. Remember, this was 1993. No CGI, no deep fakes, no editing tricks people could Google and explain in 5 minutes. So, when Michael appeared on that first screen and just rose into frame out of nowhere, the stadium had no idea what they were watching.

On January 31, 1993, Michael Jackson performed at the 27th Super Bowl halftime show at the Rose Bowl. What he did that day changed live entertainment forever. Michael appeared on stage, and then he froze, completely still. No movement, no music, no dancing, just silence for 90 seconds. In front of 72,000 people inside the stadium and 133 million watching on television, Michael stood motionless.

The anticipation was unbearable. And then when he finally moved, the explosion of energy was unlike anything television had ever recorded. This wasn’t just a dramatic pause. This was a psychological weapon, a lesson in crowd control. Michael knew that withholding a performance creates more tension than immediate satisfaction.

By freezing, he forced the entire audience to lean in, to hold their breath, to make the moment matter. That was the greatest Super Bowl halftime halftime show of all time. I love watching them. Michael Jackson. So good. Michael Jackson. You can’t beat that. And it worked. Michael Jackson became the first performer ever to boost television ratings during the halftime break.

He didn’t just perform, he commanded 72,000 people with a single silent pose. This MJ, Michael Jackson, at 133.4 million viewers. 32 years ago. MJ performed at the Super Bowl in 1993 and he pulled these numbers. This is pre-internet, before the internet, pre-stream, before streaming was a thing.

MJ pulled these numbers without the internet, without streaming apps, without social media. You had to have a cable box or a TV set to watch him perform. And MJ pulled this number without all that. No internet, One of the most iconic moments in Michael Jackson’s live shows was his emotional breakdown during Man in the Mirror.

He’d get down on his knees, he’d start to cry. He’d look completely overwhelmed by the message of the song. And the audience would feel it, really feel like they were witnessing something profoundly personal. But when Jaafar dug deeper, he discovered something fascinating. Michael wasn’t just feeling the emotion, he was projecting it. Here’s the truth.

Michael Jackson could cry on command every night, during every performance. He’d tap into his deep feelings about humanitarian causes, about his own struggles, about the message of the song, but he’d also use the moment strategically. One of Michael’s most breathtaking moments was his rise above the audience on a mechanical crane.

During songs like Earth Song, Michael would step onto a metal platform and sweep over the crowd. To the audience, it looked like a miracle. It looked like something else entirely, engineering with invisible safety straps embedded in Michael’s jacket that held him firmly against the steel pole. He wasn’t in danger, but then came Munich.

During a 1999 benefit concert, the mechanical bridge collapsed. Michael fell 27 ft to the floor below. He suffered serious back injuries, but he did not stop the performance and was hospitalized later. The magic had a cost. Every impossible moment Michael created on stage came with risk. He pushed his body to the limit.

He endured pain. He kept performing even when the danger was real. On March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson performed Billie Jean at the Motown 25 television special. When he did the moonwalk for the first time, the whole world was shocked because people had never seen anything like it. Michael didn’t invent the moonwalk.

The move known as the backslide existed in street dancing circles for years. Michael was taught the move in 1981 by soul dancers Geron Casper Candidate and Derek Cooley Jackson. Where did the moonwalk come from, actually? Well, the moonwalk came from these beautiful children, these black kids who live in the ghettos and, you know, the inner cities, who are brilliant.

They just have that natural talent for dancing. Any of the new hot the running man, any of these dances, they they come up with these dances. All I did was enhance the dance. So, what Michael’s moonwalk different? It was the presentation. The way he timed it to the snare drum. The way he moved his shoulders. The calm face.

The setup, teasing with small steps, holding the room with a still glance, and then unleashing the glide in one clean line. He made it feel newly minted. When Michael Jackson released the Thriller music video in 1983, the zombie transformation sequence terrified and amazed audiences. His eyes turned yellow, his teeth sharpened into fangs, his face transformed into something monstrous, all under the full light of the moon.

For millions, it looked like pure magic. Jafar discovered the transformation was entirely practical. It was created by legendary Hollywood special effects artist Rick Baker, who used foam latex prosthetic masks. No CGI, just incredible artistry. Baker’s team created full life casts of Michael’s face, then built progressive stages of the transformation.

The final effect was achieved through stop motion replacement photography and cross dissolves in the editing room. No wires, no computers, just old school movie magic. During his live shows, Michael Jackson would sometimes change outfits in less than 15 seconds. To the audience, it looked like magic.

One moment he’s wearing one outfit, the next he’s in something totally different. Now, look how smooth he get into his clothes for Dangerous. Look how fast bro just go back there and switch into his Dangerous outfit. We 15 seconds in. Look how fast he going. Look at the distractions in the mid- in between. Yeah. And just like that, he in it.

Designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins created specially designed jumpsuits with hidden zippers, Velcro fastening strips, and elastic seams. In the darkness backstage, wardrobe assistants would quickly pull away the outer layers, revealing the new outfit underneath. It was a choreographed dance backstage, just as precise as the choreography on stage.

After months of research, training, and discovery, Jaafar Jackson didn’t just learn how Michael danced. He learned why Michael Jackson became impossible to replace. And that’s exactly what Michael’s fans have always said about him. It’s always funny when people try to compare superstars to Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is the biggest star to ever walk this earth.

If you disagree, think about your star. Okay, you got it? Who is it? Yeah, I I thought so. Yeah, they’re not bigger than Michael Jackson. Every movement had a purpose. Every moment was designed. Every magic trick was actually a carefully engineered illusion built from hours of rehearsal, painful sacrifice, and relentless perfectionism.

And the most shocking thing Jafar discovered, Michael Jackson wasn’t performing magic, he was building it every night for decades. Sacrificing his body, his privacy, and his peace of mind to create moments that would outlive him. Now Jafar walks onto the same stage, dances the same moves, feels the same energy, but he carries something Michael never had, the knowledge of how the magic was made.

And somehow that makes him respect the illusion even more. Which Michael Jackson performance or magic trick amazed you the most? Drop it in the comments. We’d love to hear what blew your mind. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to hit that like button, subscribe to the channel, and turn on notifications so you never miss another video. Thanks for watching.

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