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Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May
16, 1966) is an American recording artist anactress. Born in Gary,
Indiana, and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, she is the youngest child of
the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her
family beginning at the age of seven, and later started her career as an
actress with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. She went
on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early
1980s, including Good Times and Fame.
At age sixteen in 1982, she signed a recording contract with A&M,
releasing her self-titled debut album the same year. She faced criticism
for her limited vocal range, and for being yet another member of the
Jackson family to become a recording artist. Beginning with her third
studio album Control (1986), she began a long-term collaboration with
record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her music with Jam and Lewis
incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, disco, funk, and rap with
sample loop, triplet swing and industrial beats, which led to crossover
appeal in popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the
innovation in her albums, choreography, music videos, and prominence on
MTV, Jackson was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious
lyrics.
In 1991, she signed the first of two record-breaking, multi-million dollar
recording contracts with Virgin Records, which established her as one of
the highest paid artists in the music industry. Her debut album under the
Virgin label, janet. (1993), saw Jackson develop a public image as a sex
symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her work. That same year, she
appeared in her first starring film role in Poetic Justice; since then she
has continued to act in feature films. By the end of the 1990s, she was
named the second most successful recording artist of the decade. All for
You (2001), became her fifth consecutive studio album to hit number one on
the Billboard 200 album charts. In 2007, she changed labels, signing with
the Island Def Jam Music Group and released her tenth studio album
Discipline the following year.
Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Jackson is ranked as one
of the best-selling artists in the history of contemporary music. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists her as the eleventh
best-selling female artist in the United States, with 26 million certified
albums. Her longevity, records and achievements reflect her influence in
shaping and redefining the scope of popular music. She has been cited as
an inspiration among numerous performers.
Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine children, to
Katherine Esther (née Scruse) and Joseph Walter Jackson. The Jacksons were
lower-middle class and devout Jehovah's Witnesses; Jackson stated that
although she was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, she eventually stopped
practicing organized religion and views her relationship with God as
"one-on-one". By the time Jackson was a toddler, her older
brothers—Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael—were performing music
at nightclubs and theaters as The Jackson 5. In March 1969, the group
signed a record deal with Motown, and by the end of the year they had
recorded the first of four consecutive number one singles. The Jackson 5's
success allowed the family to move to the Encino neighborhood of Los
Angeles in 1971, where they settled in a gated mansion called Hayvenhurst.
Although born into a family of professional musicians, Jackson, whose love
of horses resulted in a desire to become a race-horse jockey, had no
aspiration to become an entertainer. Despite this, her father planned for
her to pursue a career in entertainment. She once commented, "No one ever
asked me if I wanted to go into show business ... it was expected."
In 1973, at the age of seven, Jackson appeared on stage in Las Vegas Strip
with her siblings in a routine show at the MGM Casino. Jane Cornwell
documented in her biography of the singer, Janet Jackson (2002), that at
age eight, her father Joseph told her not to call him "Dad" anymore since
he was her manager; he told her she would henceforth address him as
"Joseph". She began her career as an actress with the debut of the CBS
variety show The Jacksons (1976), in which she appeared with her siblings
Tito, Rebbie, Randy, Michael, Marlon, La Toya and Jackie. In 1977, she was
selected by producer Norman Lear to play a recurring role as Penny Gordon
Woods in the sitcom Good Times. From 1979 to 1980, she starred in A New
Kind of Family as Jojo Ashton, and then joined the cast of Diff'rent
Strokes, portraying Charlene Duprey from 1981 to 1982. She played a
recurring role during the fourth season of the television series Fame as
Cleo Hewitt, though she later commented that the series was not a project
she enjoyed working on.
Although Jackson was initially apprehensive about starting a music career,
she agreed to participate in recording sessions with her family. The first
of these, a duet with her brother Randy titled "Love Song for Kids", took
place in 1978. When she was sixteen, her father arranged a contract for
her with A&M Records. Her debut album, Janet Jackson, produced by soul
singers Angela Winbush, René Moore and Leon F. Sylvers III, was released
in 1982, the entire production of which was overseen by her father Joseph.
It peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot R&B albums chart.
Jackson's second album, Dream Street, was released two years later. Her
father recruited her brothers to help produce the album: Marlon co-wrote
two of the album's tracks, while Tito, Jackie and Michael provided
background vocals. Dream Street reached number nineteen on the R&B albums
chart; its sales were less than that of her debut album. The album's only
hit, "Don't Stand Another Chance", peaked at number nine on Billboard's
R&B singles chart. In late 1984, Jackson eloped with childhood friend and
fellow R&B singer James DeBarge. They divorced shortly afterwards, and the
marriage was annulled in mid-1985.
Following the release of Dream Street, Jackson decided to separate her
business affairs from her family. She later commented, "I just wanted to
get out of the house, get out from under my father, which was one of the
most difficult things that I had to do, telling him that I didn't want to
work with him again." A&M Records executive John McClain hired producers
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to work with her. Within six weeks, Jackson, Jam
and Lewis crafted her third studio album, Control. Jackson recalled that
during the recording of the album, she was threatened by a group of men
outside of her hotel in Minneapolis. She stated that "[t]he danger hit
home when a couple of guys started stalking me on the street ... Instead
of running to Jimmy or Terry for protection, I took a stand. I backed them
down. That's how songs like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for Me Lately'
were born, out of a sense of self-defense."
Though Jam and Lewis were concerned with achieving cross-over appeal,
their primary goal was to create a strong following for the singer within
the African American community first. Jam commented, "he wanted to do an
album that would be in every black home in America ... we were going for
the black album of all time." Released in February 1986, the album peaked
at number one on the Billboard 200. The Newsweek review of Control noted
that the album was "an alternative to the sentimental balladry and opulent
arrangements of Patti LaBelle and Whitney Houston." Rob Hoerburger of
Rolling Stone asserted, "Control is a better album than Diana Ross has
made in five years and puts Janet in a position similar to the young Donna
Summer's—unwilling to accept novelty status and taking her own steps to
rise above it." Five of the album's singles—"What Have You Done for Me
Lately", "Nasty", "When I Think of You", "Control", and "Let's Wait
Awhile"—peaked within the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. "When I Think of
You" became Jackson's first single to peak at number one. "The Pleasure
Principle" became a top 20 hit, peaking at number fourteen. Most of the
Control music videos were choreographed by a then-unknown Paula Abdul.
Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine commented "[Jackson's] accessible
sound and spectacularly choreographed videos were irresistible to MTV, and
helped the channel evolve from rock programming to a broader, beat-driven
musical mix."
Control was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry
Association of America, and has sold over fourteen million copies
worldwide. It won four American Music Awards, from twelve nominations—a
record that has yet to be broken—and was nominated for Album of the Year
at the 1987 Grammy Awards. Musicologist Richard J. Ripani Ph.D., author of
The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999 (2006), observed
that the album was one of the first successful records to influence the
rise of new jack swing by creating a fusion of R&B, rap, funk, disco and
synthesized percussion. The success of Control, according to Ripani,
bridged the gap between R&B and rap music.
In September 1989, Jackson released her fourth album, Janet Jackson's
Rhythm Nation 1814. Though executives at A&M wanted an album similar to
Control, she was determined to imbue her music with a socially conscious
message that complimented her songs about love and relationships. She
stated, "I'm not naive—I know an album or a song can't change the world. I
just want my music and my dance to catch the audience's attention, and to
hold it long enough for them to listen to the lyrics and what we're
saying." Producer Jimmy Jam told The Boston Globe, "We would always have a
TV turned on, usually to CNN ... And I think the social slant of songs
like Rhythm Nation, State of the World and The Knowledge came from that."
Rolling Stone magazine's Vince Aletti observed Jackson shifted from
"personal freedom to more universal concerns—injustice, illiteracy, crime,
drugs—without missing a beat."
Peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, the album was later certified
six times platinum and eventually sold over fourteen million copies
worldwide. The release became the only album in history to produce number
one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in three separate calendar years—"Miss
You Much" in 1989, "Escapade" and "Black Cat" in 1990, and "Love Will
Never Do (Without You)" in 1991—and the only album in the history of the
Hot 100 to have seven top 5 hit singles. The corresponding music video for
"Rhythm Nation" won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.
Billboard named Rhythm Nation 1814 the number-one selling album of the
year in 1990, winning multiple music awards. Jackson was dubbed a reigning
"Princess of Pop" by the Chicago Tribune. Although some attributed
Jackson's accomplishments to her producers, Jimmy Jam stated "when someone
says, 'Well, she brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,' you've got to
remember that we weren't exactly ... Quincy Jones ... 'Control' was our
first smash. The same with Paula. It wasn't like Janet [hired] Fred
Astaire ... She took a chance on all of us."
The Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour, Jackson's first world tour in support of a
studio album, became the most successful debut tour by any recording
artist. As Jackson began her tour, she was acknowledged for the cultural
impact of her music. Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "the
23-year-old has been making smash hit records for four years, becoming a
fixture on MTV and a major role model to teenage girls across the
country", and William Allen, then-executive vice president of the United
Negro College Fund, told the Los Angeles Times, "Jackson is a role model
for all young people to emulate and the message she has gotten to the
young people of this country through the lyrics of 'Rhythm Nation 1814' is
having positive effects." She established the "Rhythm Nation Scholarship"
as a joint venture with the United Negro College Fund, as well as donating
funds from her concert tour to other educational programs, raising over
$1/2 million dollars to fund educational projects. Routledge International
Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge (2000)
documented that Jackson's success during this time period placed her on
par with several other recording artists, including her older brother
Michael Jackson, Madonna and Tina Turner.
With the release of Rhythm Nation 1814, Jackson fulfilled her contract
with A&M Records. In 1991, after being approached personally by Virgin
Records owner Richard Branson, she signed a highly publicized
multi-million dollar contract with the label. The contract value was
estimated between $32–50 million, and she became the highest paid female
recording artist in contemporary music. That same year, she secretly
entered into her second marriage with long-term friend—dancer, songwriter
and director René Elizondo, Jr. In early 1992, Jackson recorded a song
entitled "The Best Things in Life Are Free" with Luther Vandross,
featuring Bell Biv Devoe and Ralph Tresvant, for the Mo' Money film
soundtrack.
In May 1993, Jackson's fifth studio album janet. (pronounced "Janet,
period."), was released by Virgin Records and debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200. She commented, "certain people feel I'm just riding on my
last name ... That's why I just put my first name on janet. and why I
never asked my brothers to write or produce music for me." Billboard
magazine's Larry Flick noted she "also broadens her musical scope on
'janet.' by layering deep house, swing jazz, hip-hop, rock, and Caribbean
elements on top of a radio-minded jack/funk foundation." Rolling Stone
wrote: "As princess of America's black royal family, everything Janet
Jackson does is important. Whether proclaiming herself in charge of her
life, as she did on Control (1986), or commander in chief of a rhythm army
dancing to fight society's problems (Rhythm Nation 1814, from 1989), she's
influential. And when she announces her sexual maturity, as she does on
her new album, Janet., it's a cultural moment." The New Rolling Stone
Album Guide (2004) commented that the album's number one hit single
"That's the Way Love Goes"—winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best R&B
Song—and the top 10 singles "If", "Because of Love", "You Want This", and
"Any Time, Any Place", all contained "grown-up desires". Robert Johnson of
San Antonio Express-News wrote that the album ranges from "dreamy and
sensual" to "downright erotic", and although "[janet.] isn't perfect ...
it should be enough to make her the Queen of Pop." Conversely, David
Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave it a moderate rating, asserting "her
wispy voice is often smothered by her two male producers", and regarded
janet. as a "blatant rip-off of the club-beat style of Madonna's Erotica."
janet. was certified six times platinum by the RIAA, with worldwide sales
exceeding twenty million copies.
In July 1993, Jackson made her film debut in Poetic Justice. Rolling Stone
described her performance as "a beguiling film debut" despite her
inexperience, while The Washington Post considered her "believably
eccentric". Several reviews were also negative, as Owen Gleiberman of
Entertainment Weekly noted she "isn't an inept actress, yet there are no
more edges to her personality than there are to her plastic Kewpie-doll
visage." Jackson's ballad "Again" was featured on the film's soundtrack,
and garnered a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In
September 1993, Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone
magazine with the hands of her then-husband René Elizondo, Jr. covering
her breasts. The photograph is the original full-length version of the
cropped image used on the cover of the janet. album, shot by Patrick
Demarchelier. Sonia Murray of The Vancouver Sun later reported, "Jackson,
27, remains clearly established as both role model and sex symbol; the
Rolling Stone photo of Jackson ... became one of the most recognizable,
and most lampooned, magazine covers of the year." Jackson expressed, "...
sex has been an important part of me for several years. But it just hasn't
blossomed publicly until now." David Ritz likened her transformation to
Marvin Gaye, stating "just as Gaye moved from What's Going On to Let's Get
It On, from the austere to the ecstatic, Janet, every bit as
serious-minded as Marvin, moved from Rhythm Nation to janet., her
statement of sexual liberation." Her second world tour—the janet.
Tour—garnered critical acclaim as Michael Snyder of the San Francisco
Chronicle described Jackson's stage performance as erasing the line
between "stadium-size pop music concerts and full-scale theatrical
extravaganzas."
During this time period, Jackson's brother Michael was immersed in a child
sex abuse scandal, of which he denied any wrongdoing. She gave moral
support to her brother, and denied allegations made by her sister La Toya
Jackson in her book La Toya: Growing up in the Jackson Family (1991) that
their parents had abused her and her siblings as children. In an interview
with Lynn Norment of Ebony, she commented on her sister's
then-estrangement from the family, stating, "her [husband Jack Gordon] has
... brainwashed her so much she keeps herself away from us." Norment
reported during the recording of janet., "LaToya suddenly showed up and
created a scene at the Minneapolis recording studio", despite the fact
that "[Jackson's] sister had ignored her calls for four years prior to
that." In addition, Jackson criticized her brother Jermaine for attacking
Michael in his 1991 single "Word To The Badd". In December 1994, she
collaborated with her brother Michael on "Scream", the lead single from
his 1995 album HIStory, which was written by both siblings as a response
to the media scrutiny he suffered from being accused of child sexual
abuse. The song debuted at number five on the Hot 100 singles chart,
becoming the first song ever to debut in the top 5. Scream is featured in
the Guinness Book of Records as the "Most Expensive Music Video Ever Made"
at a cost of $7 million, which was filmed in May 1995. Jackson and her
brother won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video for
Scream.
In October 1995, Jackson's first compilation album, Design of a Decade
1986/1996, was released via A&M Records and debuted at number three on the
Billboard 200. The lead single "Runaway" peaked at number three on the Hot
100. Design of a Decade 1986/1996 was certified two times platinum by the
RIAA and sold over four million copies worldwide. In January 1996, Jackson
renewed her contract with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million
dollars. The contract established her as the then-highest paid recording
artist in contemporary music, surpassing the recording industry's
then-unparalleled $60 million dollar contracts earned by her brother,
Michael Jackson and Madonna.
During the two year period prior to the release of her sixth studio album,
The Velvet Rope, Jackson reportedly suffered from depression and anxiety.
Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe considered the album to be an
introspective look into her bout with depression, describing it as a
"critical self-examination and an audio journal of a woman's road to
self-discovery." According to Jackson, "we've all driven by premieres or
nightclubs and have seen the rope separating those who can enter and those
who can't. Well, there's also a velvet rope we have inside us, keeping
others from knowing our feelings. In The Velvet Rope, I'm trying to expose
and explore those feelings ... During my life, I've been on both sides of
the rope. At times, especially during my childhood, I felt left out and
alone. At times I felt misunderstood." The Velvet Rope also introduced
sadomasochism into Jackson's music. Eric Henderson of Slant wrote, "The
Velvet Rope is a richly dark masterwork that illustrates that, amid the
whips and chains, there is nothing sexier than emotional nakedness." Larry
Flick of Billboard called The Velvet Rope "the best American album of the
year and the most empowering of her last five."
Released in October 1997, The Velvet Rope debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200. In August 1997 the album's lead single, "Got 'Til It's
Gone", was released to radio, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot
100 Airplay. The single sampled the Joni Mitchell song "Big Yellow Taxi",
and featured a cameo appearance by rapper Q-Tip. Got 'Til It's Gone won
the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. The album's second
single "Together Again", became her eighth number one hit on the Billboard
Hot 100 singles chart, and placing her on par with Elton John, Diana Ross,
and The Rolling Stones. The single spent a record 46 weeks on the Hot 100,
as well as spending 19 weeks on the UK singles chart. "I Get Lonely"
peaked at number three on the Hot 100. The Velvet Rope sold over ten
million albums worldwide and was certified three times platinum by the
RIAA.
Jackson donated a portion of the proceeds earned from "Together Again" to
the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Neil McCormick of The Daily
Telegraph observed, "[Jackson] even makes a bid for gay icon status,
delivering a diva-ish performance reminiscent of Diana Ross on 'Together
Again' (a post-Aids pop song), singing a paean to homosexuality on the
jazzy 'Free Xone' and climaxing (if that's the right word) with a bizarre
lesbian reinterpretation of Rod Stewart's 'Tonight's the Night'." Rolling
Stone regarded "Free Xone" as the album's "best song", describing it as an
"anti-homophobia track [which] shifts moods and tempos on a dime, segueing
from a Prince-like jam to a masterful sample from Archie Bell and the
Drells' 'Tighten Up'." The Velvet Rope was honored by the National Black
Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, and received the award for Outstanding
Music Album at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
In 1998, Jackson began the The Velvet Rope Tour, an international trek
that included Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, New Zealand and
Australia. Robert Hilburn of the The Los Angeles Times reported, "there is
so much of the ambition and glamour of a Broadway musical in Janet
Jackson's new Velvet Rope tour that it's only fitting that the concert
program credits her as the show's 'creator and director'." Her HBO
special, The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden, was watched by
more than fifteen million viewers. The two hour concert beat the ratings
of all four major networks in homes that were subscribed to HBO. The HBO
concert special was awarded four Emmy nominations including one win. The
following month, Jackson separated from Elizondo Jr. As her world tour
came to a close in 1999, Jackson lent guest vocals to a number of songs by
other artists, including Shaggy's "Luv Me, Luv Me", for the soundtrack to
How Stella Got Her Groove Back, "God's Stepchild" from the Down on the
Delta soundtrack, "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" with BLACKstreet, and "What's It
Gonna Be?!" with Busta Rhymes. She also performed a duet with Elton John
for the song "I Know the Truth". At the 1999 World Music Awards, Jackson
received the Legend Award alongside Cher for "lifelong contribution to the
music industry and outstanding contribution to the pop industry." As 1999
ended, Billboard magazine ranked Jackson as the second most successful
artist of the decade, behind Mariah Carey.
In July 2000, Jackson appeared in her second film, Nutty Professor II: The
Klumps, as Professor Denise Gaines, opposite Eddie Murphy. The film became
her second to open at number one at the box office, grossing an estimated
$42.7 million dollars in its opening weekend. Her contribution to the
film's soundtrack, "Doesn't Really Matter", became her ninth number one
Billboard Hot 100 single. In the same year, Jackson's husband filed for
divorce. Jeff Gordinier of Entertainment Weekly reported that for eight of
the thirteen years she and Elizondo had known one another, "[they] were
married—a fact they managed to hide not only from the international press
but from Jackson's own father." Elizondo filed a multi-million dollar
lawsuit against her, estimated between $10–25 million; they did not reach
a settlement until 2003.
Jackson was awarded a top honor from the American Music Awards—the Award
of Merit—in March 2001 for "her finely crafted, critically acclaimed and
socially conscious, multi-platinum albums." She became the inaugural
honoree of the "mtvICON" award, "an annual recognition of artists who have
made significant contributions to music, music video and pop culture while
tremendously impacting the MTV generation." Jackson's seventh album, All
for You, was released in April 2001, debuting at number one on the
Billboard 200. Selling 605,000 copies, All for You had the highest
first-week sales total of her career. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic
stated "[Jackson's] created a record that's luxurious and sensual,
spreading leisurely over its 70 minutes, luring you in even when you know
better", and Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented, "as other rhythm
and blues strips down to match the angularity of hip-hop, Ms. Jackson
luxuriates in textures as dizzying as a new infatuation."
The album's title-track, "All for You", debuted on the Hot 100 at number
fourteen, the highest debut ever for a single that was not commercially
available. Teri VanHorn of MTV dubbed Jackson "Queen of Radio" as the
single made radio airplay history, "[being] added to every pop, rhythmic
and urban radio station that reports to the national trade magazine Radio
& Records" in its first week. The single peaked at number one, where it
topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks. She received the 2001 Grammy Award for
Best Dance Recording for "All for You". The second single, "Someone to
Call My Lover", which contained a heavy guitar loop of America's "Ventura
Highway", peaked at number three on the Hot 100. All for You sold more
than seven million copies worldwide, and was certified double platinum by
the RIAA.
Reviews for Jackson's All for You Tour drew comparison to that of her
contemporary rivals. Los Angeles Times' David Massey reported that
compared to Madonna's Drowned World Tour, "Janet outdid the Material Girl
by a mile ... And the gall to bring Britney Spears' name into the picture
by saying Janet's show is like Britney's? Hello, it's the other way
around!" Similarly, reporter Rudy Scalese complimented Jackson's
performance, stating, "Janet Jackson hasn't skipped a beat. She is still
the Queen of Pop." In contrast, Charles Passy of The Palm Beach Post
commented, "seeing Jackson's show after Madonna's 'Drowned World' tour is
to realize the limits of the pop-concert format. Madonna pushed those
limits and came up with a daring hybrid of circus, theater and music.
Jackson, on the other hand, lived within the constraints." Jackson donated
a portion of the proceeds from the tour's ticket sales to the Boys & Girls
Clubs of America, with President Roxanne Spillett stating, "the increased
awareness she will bring to our cause, along with her generous financial
contribution, will help us reach an even greater number of young people in
search of hope and opportunity."
In 2002, Jackson collaborated with reggae singer Beenie Man on the song
"Feel It Boy". She later admitted regret over the collaboration after
discovering Beenie Man's music often contained homophobic lyrics, and she
issued an apology to her gay following in an article contained in The
Voice. Jackson also began her relationship with record producer Jermaine
Dupri that same year.
For the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in February 2004, Jackson
performed a medley of her singles "All for You" and "Rhythm Nation"; she
then performed alongside Justin Timberlake. As Timberlake sang the lyric
"gonna have you naked by the end of this song" from his single "Rock Your
Body", he tore open her top, exposing her right breast. After the
performance, Jackson apologized, calling it an accident, and said that
Timberlake was supposed to pull away the bustier and leave the red-lace
bra intact. She further commented, "I am really sorry if I offended
anyone. That was truly not my intention ... MTV, CBS, the NFL had no
knowledge of this whatsoever, and unfortunately, the whole thing went
wrong in the end." Timberlake also issued an apology, calling the accident
a "wardrobe malfunction". Time magazine reported that the incident became
the most replayed moment in TiVo history and Monte Burke of Forbes
magazine reported "the fleeting moment enticed an estimated 35,000 new
[TiVo] subscribers to sign up." Jackson was later listed in the 2007
edition of Guinness World Records as "Most Searched in Internet History"
and the "Most Searched for News Item". CBS, the NFL, and MTV (CBS's sister
network, which produced the halftime show), denied any knowledge of, and
all responsibility for, the incident. Still, the Federal Communications
Commission continued an investigation, ultimately losing its appeal for a
$550,000 fine against CBS.
As a result of the incident, CBS would only allow Jackson and Timberlake
to appear during the 46th Grammy Awards ceremony if they each made a
public apology to the network, without attributing the incident to a
"wardrobe malfunction". Timberlake issued an apology, but Jackson refused.
Jermaine Dupri resigned from his position on the Grammy Awards committee
as a result. The controversy halted plans for Jackson to star in a
made-for-TV biopic on the life on singer Lena Horne for ABC-TV. Though
Horne was reportedly displeased by the Super Bowl incident and insisted
that ABC pull Jackson from the project, according to Jackson's
representatives, she withdrew from the project willingly.
In March 2004, Jackson's eighth studio album, Damita Jo, was released
debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. Steve Jones of USA Today
reported, "the album, which takes its title from [Jackson's] middle name,
shows several sides of her personality." During the interview she
commented, "the album is about love ... Damita Jo is one of the characters
that lives inside of me." Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine referred to
the album as "the aural equivalent of hardcore pornography—it leaves
nothing to the imagination and it's endlessly repetitive." Alternatively,
a review by Ann Powers of Blender magazine asserted: "Artfully structured,
unapologetically explicit, Damita Jo is erotica at its friendliest and
most well-balanced. This hour-plus of Tantric flow even erases the memory
of Jackson’s clunky Super Bowl breast-baring." By the end of the month it
was certified platinum by the RIAA, and eventually sold over two million
albums worldwide. Although the album debuted at number two, its three
singles all failed to become top 40 hits. Keith Caulfield of Billboard
commented, "for a singles artist like Jackson, who has racked up 27 top 10
Hot 100 singles in her career, including 10 No. 1s, this could probably be
considered a disappointment." Billboard's Clover Hope reported Damita Jo
"was largely overshadowed by the Super Bowl fiasco" and that Jermaine
Dupri, the then-president of the urban music department at Virgin Records,
expressed "sentiments of nonsupport from the label."
Jackson appeared as a host of Saturday Night Live on April 10, 2004, where
she performed a skit that parodied the Super Bowl incident. She also
appeared in the television sitcom Will & Grace playing herself,
interacting with sitcom characters Karen Walker and Jack McFarland as Jack
was auditioning to be one of her back-up dancers. In November 2004,
Jackson was honored as an African-American role model by 100 Black Men of
America, Inc., who presented her with the "organization's Artistic
Achievement Award saluting 'a career that has gone from success to greater
success'." Though the New York Amsterdam News reported "there were a
number of attendees who expressed dismay over presenting an award to the
38-year-old performer" because of the Super Bowl incident, the
organization's President Paul Williams responded, "an individual's worth
can't be judged by a single moment in that person's life." In June 2005,
she was honored with a Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Campaign and
AIDS Project Los Angeles, in recognition of her work and involvement in
raising money for AIDS charities.
To promote her ninth studio album, 20 Y.O., Jackson appeared on the cover
of Us Weekly in June 2006, which became one of the magazine's best-selling
issues. Virgin Records released 20 Y.O. in September 2006, which debuted
at number two on the Billboard 200. Janine Coveney of Billboard reported
the album title, 20 Years Old, represents "a celebration of the joyful
liberation and history-making musical style of her 1986 breakthrough
album, Control." Jackson stated "this album takes me to a place where I
haven't been in a while: R&B and dance ... The album also features samples
from music that inspired me 20, 25 years ago."
Rolling Stone magazine's Evan Serpick remarked "the title of Janet
Jackson's latest album refers to the two decades since she released her
breakthrough, Control, with hits like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for
Me Lately.' If we were her, we wouldn't make the comparison." However,
Glenn Gamboa of Newsday gave the album a positive rating, stating that "on
'20 Y.O.' she skips all that drama of breaking free and asserting herself.
She also keeps most of the tie-me-up, tie-me-down sexual raunch of her
recent albums in the closet. This album is all about dancing and returning
to her R&B roots." The album's lead single "Call on Me," a duet with
rapper Nelly, peaked at number twenty-five on the Hot 100. 20 Y.O. was
certified platinum by the RIAA. Billboard magazine reported the release of
20 Y.O. satisfied Jackson's contract with Virgin Records; Jermaine Dupri,
who co-produced 20 Y.O., left his position as head of urban music at
Virgin following the "disappointing performance" of Jackson's album.
In January 2007, Jackson was ranked the seventh richest woman in the
entertainment business by Forbes magazine, having amassed a fortune of
over $150 million. Later that year, she starred opposite Tyler Perry as a
psychotherapist named Patrica in the feature film Why Did I Get Married?
Her third consecutive film to open at number one at the box office, Why
Did I Get Married? grossed $21.4 million in its first week. Variety
magazine's Ronnie Scheib described Jackson's performance as charming, yet
bland, while Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe commented that Jackson
portrayed her character with "soft authority". In February 2008, Jackson
won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion
Picture for her role.
July 2007, Jackson changed labels and signed a record contract with Island
Records. Her tenth studio album, Discipline, was released in February
2008, debuting on the Billboard 200 at number one. Margeaux Watson of
Entertainment Weekly remarked, "her boy-crazy lyrics—which often sound
like the cheesy text messages of a lovesick adolescent—certainly lack the
flavor needed to put this once-celebrated pop star back on top of critics'
lists." Andy Kellman of Allmusic expressed: "Janet probably won't hit that
late-'80s peak again, but that is no excuse to write her off." Her single,
"Feedback", peaked at number nineteen on the Hot 100. In April 2008,
Jackson received the Vanguard Award at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards,
honoring her contributions in promoting equal rights for LGBT people.
GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano commented, "Ms. Jackson has a tremendous
following inside the LGBT community and out, and having her stand with us
against the defamation that LGBT people still face in our country is
extremely significant." Jackson's fifth concert tour—the Rock Witchu
Tour—began in September 2008. That same month, she and her record label
parted ways through mutual agreement. Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, who
produced the album expressed, "I felt like it wasn't pushed correctly ...
She just didn't get her just-do as an artist of that magnitude." In the
fourteen months she was associated with Island, her record had sold
415,000 copies and did not receive RIAA certification. Billboard reported
that because of Jackson's dissatisfaction with her album's promotion, "the
label agreed to dissolve their relationship with the artist at her
request."
In June 2009, Jackson's brother Michael died at age 50. At the 2009 BET
Awards, she spoke publicly for the first time concerning his death,
stating "I'd just like to say, to you, Michael is an icon, to us, Michael
is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my
family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of
your support. We miss him so much." In an exclusive interview with
Harper's Bazaar, she revealed she had first learned of her brother's death
while filming on location in Atlanta for Why Did I Get Married Too?.
Amidst the public and private mourning with her family, she focused on
work to deal with the grief, avoiding any news coverage of her sibling's
death; she stated "it's still important to face reality, and not that I'm
running, but sometimes you just need to get away for a second." During
this time, she also ended her seven year relationship with Jermaine Dupri.
In September 2009, she performed "Scream" at the 2009 MTV Video Music
Awards as part of a tribute to Michael. MTV General Manager Stephen
Friedman stated: "We felt there was no one better than Janet to anchor it
and send a really powerful message." She worked with several world
renowned choreographers, with her personal creative director, Gil
Duldulao, coordinating the performance. It was lauded by several critics
and Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly commented, "she worked that
stage harder than an underpaid assistant doin’ overtime, and as tributes
go, this was as energetic as it was heartfelt."
Her single, "Make Me", was released following the VMA performance
initially as an audio stream on her official web site, and was later made
available for digital download. Later that month, Jackson chaired the
inaugural benefit of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, held in
Milan in conjunction with fashion week. CEO Kevin Robert Frost commented,
"we are profoundly grateful to Janet Jackson for joining amfAR as a chair
of its first event in Milan ... She brings incomparable grace and a
history of dedication to the fight against AIDS." One of the signature
pieces sold for the auction was a pair of crystal-studded boots her
brother Michael had intended to wear for the This Is It concert tour,
which sold for $14,650. The event raised a total of $1.1 million for the
nonprofit organization. She stated, "I'd just like to thank everyone here
in the global fashion community who've done so much to help amfAR and to
support HIV/AIDS research." Her second greatest hits compilation, Number
Ones—titled The Best outside of the United States—was released in
November, 2009 as a joint venture between Universal Music Enterprises
(UMe) and EMI Music. Her original label, A&M Records reportedly signed her
to a new contract, making her future release a top priority. She performed
as the opening act for the 37th annual American Music Awards and as one of
the performing acts of the Capital FM December 2009 Jingle Bell Ball at
the London O2 arena. |
