legacy, repression and influence
–Artists Pictured (from left to right, down): Rico Nasty, Ravyn Lenae, Rihanna, Doechii, Ayra Starr, Megan Thee Stallion, Kelela, Kari Faux, FLO, Amaarae, SZA, Kehlani, Shaybo, Janet Jackson, JT, Jennie, Ella Mai, Kelis, Toni Braxton, Tink, Sudan Archives, Shygirl, Dula Peep
(4 min read + videos)
I didn’t really know why I was such fan of Janet’s music at first. One afternoon in December, my super-senior year of college, I was in the throws of finishing up final exams. I was all math-ed out and had no brain capactiy left to read or produce anything. I needed a break. Cozied up my futon, surfing through student-discount Hulu, I saw the Janet Jackson documentary show up on the front page. I was curious. From time to time, on social media and from other black people, I had always heard of Janet as being a major pop music icon. A legend. But I didn’t know what else to make of her work. I was pretty unfamiliar with her music. Even my parents who were in the same generation hadn’t really listened to a lot of her work. My Dad did tell me though that Control was a great album and that he really liked the song “What Have You Done for Me Lately.”
Then I watched the doc and frankly was flabbergasted. I learned about her success and her hardships. About growing up in Hollywood, in the Jackson family and in the shadow of Michael. About the infamous Nipplegate incident and how through everything, Janet was able to refine her sound and a develop a unique way of conveying a message through choreography and video. From there, I was hooked.
Even without a traditional art education or music experience, something about her work felt ‘correct.’ It felt innovative and exciting in a way that commanded attention. For what it’s worth, I get a similar feeling from artists like Doechii and Tinashe today. Something you could hear and feel before you could truly see it. Without the words to describe it, I think many parts of me understood that and my brain is still working to catch up.
Janet Damita Jo Jackson, the youngest of 9. An entertainer from the age of 7. The only artist in history to have the most (18) consecutive top 10 singles on the Billboard Top 100. Referred to as the biggest artist of all time in the 90s with a $90 million record deal and highest ever at the time. To this day, she is one of the best selling Pop and RnB artists of all time with an estimated 160 million worldwide sales.
My fav of hers, The Velvet Rope, is what many diehard Janet fans refer to as her magnum opus. Huffington Post describes it as “one of the most influential albums in pop history, a singular balance of introspection, experimentation and pure pop sensibility.”
For decades, Janet was the dominant force in popular music even despite the massive black hole of distraction that her brother Michael represented. You know the ‘King of Pop’ or whatever? She was massive in spite of that. To still reach people and emerge through popular culture in the way she did I think is astounding.
She revolutionized dance choreography, music video and messaging and international touring. She challenged what could be seen as a being a quality singer. She popularized an, at the time, moderately popular black genre in New-Jack Swing. She had popular appeal and used that to display her clear art direction and belief system. She was saying something that reached people and a growing younger generation in the times they were living.
And then, everything changed when the fire nat– I mean, when Nipplegate happened.
Public reaction to the 2004 Super Bowl Half-Time Show quickly turned into a concerted effort to permanently tarnish Janet’s career which was nearly 30 years strong at that point. The FCC, the NFL, Christian nationalists, bigots and media industry execs all joined forces to make sure she would never have a chance again in music. The wardrobe malfunction forced Janet to face the brunt of negative backlash despite the fact that the incident involved another person being Justin Timberlake. And bias-ly I’ll add, it wasn’t even that serious 🙄.
You can learn more in the videos and articles linked below, but understand that a majority of her criticism was purely and honestly based in anti-black hate, opportunism and misogynoir. She was soon disappeared from pop media and banned from the Grammys, MTV and major radio stations alike. Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake escaped all scrutiny and continued being uplifted.
While this did change the trajectory of her career, thankfully, Janet’s influence did not fade.
I believe Janet has many children. So when I say that Janet ‘invented the color red’ it is to say that anytime a woman in pop, black people and especially black femmes rock notable colored hair, it’s perhaps a nod to Janet and her Velvet Rope era ethos. The color red has a built in reputation because of Janet’s use of it. In popular music consciousness, I think it represent this pursuit of a vision. Precision, depth, refinement, intentionality, control, counter-culture and a long due demand to be heard. It’s like a bat signal and a point to draw the audience in. Particularly one that is not used to hearing from a person of marginalized identities.
From that belief system, Ms. Jackson has inspired many people, especially Pop/Rnb artists. As Kyle Johnson puts it, “Without the Velvet Rope artists like Solange, The Weekend, Blood Orange, SZA, Frank Ocean, Kelela, and, of course, Janelle Monáe would not exist.” They also later mention and liken David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust to Janet’s The Velvet Rope for it’s genre-blending subversiveness and open expression of queer identity. This too lines up with many of Janet’s sex-positive and pro-LGBTQ stances and her ability to use her platform to speak to sociopolitical issues.
The hair is one thing but it Janet’s fundamentals that go deep. For many popular artists and alternative girlies, she represents a way to communicate exploring one’s life and actualizing their vision. It’s why I can almost guarantee one of your favs was either inspired by or has adopted aspects from Janet Jackson’s nuanced performance style before they came into their own.
There is no Lemonade without Rhythm Nation. There is no CTRL without Control.
So fast forward 3 years later, I’m finished with school and I am still sitting here learning to appreciate Janet. I have much more definitive reasons for sure, but every time I listen to her discography and The Velvet Rope especially, I feel like I’m just getting started. I’m sat at attention, still wanting to know more. To respect the work. The production. The lyrics. The videos, photoshoots, and promotional material. Heartache and crashouts. I hope that desire never goes away and I truly think at it’s core it is what makes her her. The curiosity.
She reminds us that there is always something more to learn and exists some nuance in what we are trying to communicate or achieve. There’s emotions and a messiness that comes with being human. I think that’s the space that Janet creates and wants to share.
Skillfully, she exposes this disparity between artistic cultural impact and undeniable popular appeal that often comes with being a marginalized person. No matter how much oppression or suppression she faces, people continue to be inspired by her. The sales were not the most important thing because if they were, Janet would have faded away once the money ran out. Once eyes turned away and trends died. Yet still, she remains being so well known by the the margins, somewhat unknown to the masses but appreciated by all who are willing to lend their ear.
I’ll always be clear that I’m very biased. Final warning that this is basically a Janet Jackson fan account. More than anything though, I will always want to champion people like her for their legacy and speak to it’s importance, so peep the header! I do this not only for the people I can maybe influence but also for the future me. The versions of myself that will continue to learn and grow with her work and hopefully appreciate it much more as I mature.
Seeing “Someone to Call My Lover” trend recently has been so cool and put a battery in my back to finally finish this blog post. To me, it again confirms that despite erasure, her high quality sound and execution still has so much motion. Gold does not get old.
As we are currently living through a historically destructive regime, please understand that erasure in this nation is status quo. Indigenous, Black and Queer history especially. Just like with Janet, they will do it right in front of our faces and make it seem like it’s in our best interest. So as people, our main line of defense will always be person to person communication. Group education. Record keeping. Speaking out against it and be willing to question what it means.
I’ll link some videos and articles to learn more about Janet’s work. I have a good feeling you will find something more to appreciate.
Much love,
✌🏾
Articles:
Janet Jackson’s ‘The Velvet Rope’ Is a Queer Pop Classic
How Nipplegate Created YouTube
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