Janet Jackson: The Queen of Control

A photograph of Janet Jackson in 2015

Being raised into a famous family of musicians and entertainers, Janet Damita Jo Jackson is the youngest and ninth child to the Jackson family household. Janet Jackson was officially born on May 16, 1966 in Gary Indiana to parents: Joseph and Katherine Jackson. Jackson's initial aspirations were of becoming a horse jockey or entertainment lawyer. She however had a change of heart after recording herself in a studio booth. Following behind her older brothers footsteps, Janet took part in acting and singing originally in the 1976 show: The Jackson's. She was only nine years old at the time and continued to pursue various roles for acting with her most notable role being Penny Woods from Good Times. Her other TV role appearances were made on Different Strokes, and Fame.

By the age of sixteen, Jackson's father who was her manager at the time, had gotten her a contract deal from A&M Records. Under these management terms, Jackson had produced two albums that were underwhelming to the Billboard charts and did nothing to recognize her as a superstar. According to Kimble, She states in Billboards: Remembering "Control" 30 Years Later, "Jackson was somewhat of a curated enigma at the time. Her identity was largely shaped by her family's image"(1). Critics even commented on how the albums never established an identified sound of Janet. It was her father and recording company giving her songs while telling her how to sing and perform it without any creative input from her at all. After this, Janet knew she had to distance herself from her father and start fresh.

Janet Jackson's "Control" in 1986

Jackson eventually made the courageous move of firing her father as manager and decided to collaborate with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were proteges of the Legendary Prince. Through their mentor ship and support, Janet had established a self-proclaimed album for feminism and empowerment titled, "Control."
The album blew up on the charts and became a pinnacle establishment of her career. It birthed a sound that bellowed the tones of her capability of being a strong independent woman and cemented her as an iconic visionary opposed to living under her family's shadow (1). Control was an album that catered to women around the world. This includes the women of color who did not have a voice and needed the strength to defend themselves in a society that belittles and objectifies them. In songs such as "Nasty" and "What Have you Done for Me Lately", Janet deconstructs the male gaze and degradation of women while enforcing these women to not settle for anything less in a relationship. Thus, Janet had finally gotten the control she craved in her life.

Janet Jackson during her Rhythm Nation Tour (1990)

Following her breakout album Control, Janet  had a strong desire of recording an album geared towards the social crises at the time. Jackson had noticed the disturbing paradoxical issues from many African American families. These issues consisted of poverty, homelessness, racism, illiteracy, violence, etc. She felt a responsibility to use her musical platform to educate and teach these American families rather than ignore them in their times of need. Her urgency and craftsmanship became the socially conscious album, "Rhythm Nation." Joseph Vogel states, "Rhythm Nation revealed a maturing artist, surveying the world around her determining to wake people out of apathy, cynicism, indifference"(2). Jackson became a mouthpiece for building a Utopian diverse nation influenced by a rhythmic groove that subdues color lines in every shape and form. As a black feminist,"it positioned a multifaceted, dynamic black woman as a leader, as someone whose ideas, experiences and emotions mattered"(2). Janet had won many awards at this time and toured on her best-selling Rhythm Nation Tour (1990). She then used the proceeds to make a Rhythm Nation Scholarship for aspiring educators while also donating funds from her tour to various education programs to keep kids in school.

Jackson's Rolling Stone Cover in 1993

In addition to being an established role model for younger and older women, Janet has also been credited as a sex symbol. This initiation of her growing womanhood became evident after her fourth album, "janet." The album was not the first to elaborate Jackson's exploration of the sexual identity as she would continue to explore this idea of sexual liberation in her next albums such as "Velvet Rope", "All For You", etc. Janet was clearly becoming a mature woman and wanted to express it into her music. Through this growth, the ideals for female pleasure and unbridled sexuality were shared. Janet expressed that the female sexuality is nothing to be afraid of and that women should be comfortable in their bodies, including herself. Intimacy and pleasure are not just what men want, but women need it too as long as it's done safely (because of the AIDS epidemic at the time). She even took it further posing topless with hands covering her breast to signify the power that comes from a woman embracing her own body (shown on the right). Her Velvet Rope album took it further by discussing controversial topics at the time such as same-sex relationships, domestic abuse, homophobia, while expressing the need to feel belonged in a society that won't accept you. This established her as a gay icon.

Throughout her strenuous career, Janet Jackson has used her celebrity status for more than just entertainment. She has been informing us about the social world around us and the tragedies that arise from it. In addition, as a women who is able to take ownership and appreciation for her sexuality, she made it clear that sex for a female is natural and beautiful without disgrace. Since her breakout album Control, Janet has managed to build over nine albums with seven of them being numbers ones on the Billboard chart with the other two lying in the top five. She has been granted a plethora of awards and achievements with a few being from NAACP, GLAAD, VMAs, AMAs, Grammy's, etc. She was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and also became the first African American Woman to receive the Billboards Icon award. Moreover, Janet has sold millions of records and has been considered one of the best selling artist of all time. Let's not forget Janet's has contributions to varieties of charitable causes and programs like AIDS Life, Naked Heart Foundation, Feeding America, Red Cross, UNICEF, Haiti, etc. Two young black girls also presented the NAACP Chairman's Award to her after Janet's music inspired them to graduate high school after dropping out.


(Attached below is Janet Jackson giving a heartfelt speech about the #MeToo Movement and God's impact on her life after receiving the Billboard Icon Award in 2018.)

Today, Janet Jackson is considered pop cultures most influential female artist and was given the title as the "Queen of Pop." Her contributions to popular culture and society cannot go unnoticed as she has used her voice to represent the underrepresented population of people around the world through music. She is a trailblazer in her own right, which has cemented her as an icon, visionary and revolutionist for music and culture. Indeed, she continues to perform and sing today but, the liberation received from controlling her destiny allowed others around her to take control of their lives as well. Her solidified impact as paved a way for artist today like Beyonce, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Pink, etc to continue pushing the envelope for women in music. Building your legacy does not have to be hindered or strained as women should realize that they have the power to break the hetero-normative, patriarchal lines of society as Janet has done so many times. Women are in control of their future and Janet has made it clear that it won't stop.

Works Cited:
  (1). Kimble, Julian. "Remembering Janet Jackson's 'Control' 30 Years Later: How Janet Jackson's Third Album Cemented Her Icon Status." Billboard.com, 4 February 2016,                  https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6866860/janet-jackson-control-30-year-anniversary.

  (2). Vogel, Joseph. "The Nation That Janet Jackson Built." The Atlantic.com, 15 September 2014,
 https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/the-world-changing-aspirations-of-           rhythm-nation-1814/380144/.

Pictures:

Unknown. "Review: Janet Jackson's New Album Unbreakable." Found, Time Magazine, 1 October 2015, https://time.com/4057289/janet-jackson-preaches-resilience-on-her-ecstatic-new-album-unbreakable/

Unknown, "Control: How Self-Assertion Made Janet Jackson An Icon." Found, UDiscoverMusic, 4 February 2019, https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/control-janet-jackson-album/

Unknown, "This Janet Jackson Album Made Beyonce's Lemonade Possible." Found, BuzzFeed New, 6 October 2017, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/bimadewunmi/how-janet-jackson-made-room-for-politics-in-pop-music

Unknown, "Janet Jackson Rolling Stone." Found, Esprit International Limit, https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=540847