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• Born: 16 May 1966
• Birthplace: Gary, Indiana
• Best Known As: Pop singer who bared her breast at Super Bowl 2004

Janet Jackson is the younger sister of the singing Jackson brothers, including "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. She released her first album in 1982; her career really took off with the 1986 album Control, which included the hit single "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" She quickly became a regular fixture in pop music and on MTV, known for her smartly sexy songs and high-energy dancing (the choreography in her videos was done by Paula Abdul). In 1999 she was a guest artist with Busta Rhymes on his hit "What's It Gonna Be." She also ventured into the movies, starring with Tupac Shakur and Maya Angelou in the 1993 film Poetic Justice.

Jackson caused a hubbub while performing in the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl, when her co-star Justin Timberlake pulled off a piece of Jackson's costume, exposing her right breast. Timberlake claimed the incident was unplanned and blamed a "wardrobe malfunction," but Jackson later issued a formal apology, admitting that the "costume reveal" was intentional... A month after the Super Bowl incident, singing legend Lena Horne blocked Jackson from playing her in a planned TV movie.

• Genre: Rhythm & Blues
• Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
• Instrument: Vocals

Biography

Few celebrity siblings can emerge from the shadows of their already famous relations to become superstars in their own right and with their own distinct personalities. That's exactly what Janet Jackson did in becoming one of the biggest female pop and R&B stars of the '80s and '90s. Since her breakthrough in 1986 with the album Control, Jackson's career as a hitmaker has been a model of consistency, rivaling Madonna and Whitney Houston in terms of pop chart success over the long haul. A big part of the reason was that Jackson kept her level of quality control very high; her singles were always expertly crafted, with indelible pop hooks and state-of-the-art production that kept up with contemporary trends in urban R&B. Once established, her broad-based appeal never really dipped all that much; she was able to avoid significant career missteps, musical and otherwise, and successfully shifted her image from a strong, independent young woman to a sexy, mature adult. With a string of multi-platinum albums under her belt, she showed no signs of slowing down in the new millennium.

Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born May 16, 1966, in Gary, IN. She was the youngest of nine children in the Jackson family, and her older brothers had already begun performing together as the Jackson 5 by the time she was born. Bitten by the performing bug at a young age, she first appeared on-stage with the Jackson 5 at age seven, and began a sitcom acting career at the age of ten in 1977, when producer Norman Lear selected her to join the cast of Good Times. She remained there until 1979, and subsequently appeared on Diff'rent Strokes (1981-1982) and A New Kind of Family. In 1982, pushed by her father into trying a singing career, Jackson released her self-titled first album on A&M; a couple of singles scraped the lower reaches of the charts, but on the whole, it made very little noise. She was cast in the musical series Fame in 1983; the following year, she issued her second album, Dream Street, which sold even more poorly than its predecessor. Upon turning 18, Jackson rebelled against her parents' close supervision, eloping with a member of another musical family, singer James DeBarge. However, the relationship quickly hit the rocks and Jackson wound up moving back into her parents' home and having the marriage annulled.

Jackson took some time to rethink her musical career, and her father hired her a new manager, John McClain, who isolated his young charge to train her as a dancer (and make her lose weight). McClain hooked Jackson up with producers/writers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, whom she'd seen perform as members of the Minneapolis funk outfit the Time. Jackson collaborated with Jam and Lewis on most of the tracks for her next album, Control, which presented her as a confident, tough-minded young woman (with a soft side and a sense of humor) taking charge of her life for the first time. In support of Jackson's new persona, Jam and Lewis crafted a set of polished, computerized backing tracks with slamming beats that owed more to hard, hip-hop-tinged funk and urban R&B than Janet's older brother Michael's music. Control became an out-of-the-box hit, and eventually spun off six singles, the first five of which -- "What Have You Done for Me Lately," the catch phrase-inspiring "Nasty," the number one "When I Think of You," the title track, and the ballad "Let's Wait Awhile" -- hit the Top Five on the pop charts. Jackson was hailed as a role model for young women and Control eventually sold over five million copies, establishing Jackson as not just a star, but her own woman. It also made Jam and Lewis a monstrously in-demand production team.

For the hotly anticipated follow-up, McClain wanted to push Jackson toward more overtly sexual territory, to which she objected strenuously. Instead, she began collaborating with Jam and Lewis on more socially conscious material, which formed the backbone of 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814 (the "1814" purportedly stood for either the letters "R" and "N" or the year "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written). Actually, save for the title track, most of the record's singles were bright and romantically themed; four of them -- "Miss You Much," "Escapade," "Black Cat," and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" -- hit number one, and three more -- "Rhythm Nation," "Alright," and "Come Back to Me" -- reached the Top Five, making Jackson the first artist ever to produce seven Top Five hits off of one album (something not even her brother Michael had accomplished). Aside from a greater use of outside samples, Rhythm Nation's sound largely resembled that of Control, but was just as well crafted, and listeners embraced it enthusiastically, buying over six million copies. Jackson undertook her first real tour (she'd appeared at high schools around the country in 1982) in support of the album and it was predictably a smashing success. In 1991, Jackson capitalized on her success by jumping from A&M to Virgin for a reported $32 million, and also secretly married choreographer and longtime boyfriend René Elizondo.

Once on Virgin, Jackson set about revamping her sound and image. Her 1992 duet with Luther Vandross from the Mo' Money soundtrack, "The Best Things in Life Are Free," was a major R&B hit, also reaching the pop Top Ten. The following year, she also resumed her acting career, co-starring in acclaimed director (and former junior high classmate) John Singleton's Poetic Justice, along with rapper Tupac Shakur. But neither really hinted at the sexy, seductive, fully adult persona she unveiled with 1993's janet., her Virgin debut. Jackson trumpeted her new image with a notorious Rolling Stone cover photo, in which her topless form was covered by a pair of hands belonging to an unseen "friend." Musically, Jam and Lewis set aside the synthesized funk of their first two albums with Jackson in favor of warm, inviting, gently undulating grooves. The album's lead single, the slinky "That's the Way Love Goes," became Jackson's biggest hit ever, spending eight weeks at number one. It was followed by a predictably long parade of Top Ten hits -- "If," the number one ballad "Again," "Because of You," "Any Time, Any Place," "You Want This." janet.'s debut showing at number one made it her third straight chart-topping album, and it went on to sell nearly seven million copies.

In 1995, Janet and Michael teamed up for the single "Scream," which was supported by an elaborate, award-winning, space-age video that, upon completion, ranked as the most expensive music video ever made. The single debuted at number five on the pop charts, but gradually slid down from there. In 1996, A&M issued a retrospective of her years at the label, Design of a Decade 1986-1996; it featured the Virgin hit "That's the Way Love Goes" and a few new tracks, one of which, "Runaway," became a Top Five hit. Jackson also signed a new contract with Virgin for a reported $80 million. Yet while working on her next album, Jackson reportedly suffered an emotional breakdown, or at least a severe bout with depression; she later raised eyebrows when she talked in several interviews about the cleansing value of coffee enemas as part of her treatment. Her next album, The Velvet Rope, appeared in 1997 and was touted as her most personal and intimate work to date. The Velvet Rope sought to combine the sensuality of janet. with the more socially conscious parts of Rhythm Nation, mixing songs about issues like domestic abuse, AIDS, and homophobia with her most sexually explicit songs ever. Critical opinion on the album was divided; some applauded her ambition, while others found the record too bloated. The lead American single "Together Again," an elegy for AIDS victims, was a number one hit; also popular on the radio was "Got 'til It's Gone," which featured rapper Q-Tip and a sample of Joni Mitchell over a reggae beat. "I Get Lonely," featuring Blackstreet, was another big hit; but on the whole, The Velvet Rope didn't prove to be the blockbuster singles bonanza that its predecessors were, which was probably why its sales stalled at around three million copies.

Jackson toured the world again, and stayed on the charts in 1999 with the Top Five Busta Rhymes duet "What's It Gonna Be?!"; her appearance in the video remade her as a glitzy, artificially costumed, single-name diva. In 2000, she appeared in the Eddie Murphy comedy Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and her soundtrack contribution, "Doesn't Really Matter," became a number one single. Unfortunately, Jackson's marriage to Elizondo had become strained and the couple divorced in 2000, sparking a court battle over her musical income. Jackson returned with a new album, All for You, in 2001, which largely continued the sensual tone of janet. and The Velvet Rope; it debuted at number one, selling over 600,000 copies in its first week alone. The title track was issued as the album's first single and quickly topped the charts, followed by another sizable hit in "Someone to Call My Lover."

While Jackson spent much of 2001 and 2002 on the road supporting All for You, she also found time for some guest appearances, most notably with Beenie Man on his Tropical Storm LP and Justin Timberlake on Justified. By 2003 she was back in the studio, working once again with Jam and Lewis on tracks for a new album; additional producers included Dallas Austin and Kanye West. Later that year, it was revealed Jackson would take part in an MTV-produced extravaganza during halftime at the Super Bowl. 2004 began with an Internet leak of the upbeat Austin production "Just a Little While." The singer's camp rolled with the punches, offering the track to radio as an authorized digital download, but the buzz this business caused was minuscule in comparison to the nightmare union of free exposure and bad publicity that Jackson's next adventure caused. Appearing at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII as scheduled, Jackson performed "All for You" and "Rhythm Nation" before bringing out surprise guest Timberlake for a duet on his hit "Rock Your Body." But the real surprise came at song's end, when a gesture from Timberlake caused Jackson's costume to tear, exposing her right, pierced breast on live television to hundreds of millions of viewers.

The incident caused furious backpedaling and apologizing from Timberlake, Jackson, the NFL, CBS, and MTV, which swore no previous knowledge of the so-called "wardrobe malfunction," and led to speculation over how Damita Jo -- Jackson's upcoming album and her first in three years -- would be received. But while the controversy gave Jackson both grief and a bit of free advertising, it was also the impetus for a national debate on public indecency. A federal commission was set up to investigate prurience, the FCC enacted tougher crackdowns on TV and radio programs broadcasting questionable content, and suddenly everyone from pundits to politicians to the man in the street had an opinion on Janet Jackson's chest. Later that March, the singer quietly started making the talk show rounds. She was still apologizing for the incident, but she was also promoting Damita Jo, which Virgin issued at the end of the month. Largely considered a disappointment, the album nonetheless sold over two million copies worldwide and earned three Grammy nominations. 20 Y.O. followed two years later, and though it was reviewed more favorably than Damita Jo, it was off the Billboard 200 album chart after 15 weeks. Jermaine Dupri, Jackson's love interest and the executive producer of the album, was so upset over Virgin's lack of support that he left his post as president of Virgin's urban division. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

20 Y.O. Buy this CD	20 Y.O. [Bonus DVD] Buy this CD	20 Y.O. [FYE Exclusive] Buy this CD	20 Y.O. [Japan Bonus Track/DVD] Buy this CD	Damita Jo Buy this CD
Damita Jo [Clean] Buy this CD	Damita Jo [Bonus DVD] Buy this CD	From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos [Amaray] Buy this CD	Damita Jo [Bonus Tracks] Buy this CD	Rhythm Nation 1814/Rhythm Nation Compilation Buy this CD

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• Born: May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana
• Occupation: Actor, Director
• Active: '80s-2000s
• Major Genres: Music, Comedy
• Career Highlights: Poetic Justice, Lawless Heart, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
• First Major Screen Credit: Poetic Justice (1993)

Biography

Of the many siblings of mega-star Michael Jackson, Michael's youngest sister Janet is one of the few with enough genuine talent to succeed without her family ties. Jackson's fame rests largely on her successful, elaborately produced music videos, wherein the talented singer and dancer projects a more accessible, realistic image than her otherworldly brother. She is also a skilled and agreeable actress, as witness her series-TV stints on Good Times (1977-78), Diff'rent Strokes (1981-82) and Fame (1984). In 1993, Janet Jackson made her movie debut as a South Central L.A. beautician in director John Singleton's Poetic Justice (1993); the film was no classic, but Janet dominated every scene she was in, even those shared with notorious rap artist Tupac Shakur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Janet Jackson: Janet - Live in Hawaii Buy this Movie	Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Buy this Movie	The Source: 1999 Hip-Hop Music Awards Buy this Movie	Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope Tour - Live in Concert Buy this Movie
Janet Jackson: Janet. Buy this Movie	Love Your Mama Buy this Movie	Poetic Justice Buy this Movie	Janet Jackson: The Rhythm Nation Compilation Buy this Movie

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singer; actor

Personal Information

Born Janet Jackson on May 16, 1966, in Gary, IN; daughter of Joseph (a music manager) and Katherine Corse Jackson (a homemaker and sales clerk); married James DeBarge (a singer), September 1984 (annulled 1985); married Rene Elizondo (film director, actor), March 1991 (divorced 2000).

Career

Actress on television series Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame, beginning 1977; recording and performing music artist, 1982-; guest artist on Herb Alpert's album Diamonds, 1987; signed recording contract with Virgin Records, 1991; songwriter, coproducer of own album janet., 1993; actress in film Poetic Justice, 1993; songwriter, coproducer of The Velvet Rope, 1998; songwriter, coproducer of All for You, 2001; actress, Poetic Justice, 1993; actress, The Klumps, Nutty Professor II, 2000.

Life's Work

Born into one of the most successful musical families in the history of pop, Janet Jackson began her entertainment career as a television actress but established herself as a singing star of the first order by the end of the 1980s. At the tender age of sixteen she released her first album, and though it took a few years before she scored any large-scale hits, she soon rivaled the astonishing success of her superstar brother Michael. She not only released a number of smash singles but also received many awards from her peers and from numerous civic organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The release of her long-awaited janet. album in 1993, along with her motion picture debut in Poetic Justice, signaled her transition to grown-up pop idol: sexier, more versatile, and more independent. Though critics largely panned the film and had mixed responses to her album, Jackson managed to redefine herself and stake an even larger claim in the fiercely competitive pop world. Articulating her artistic goals in a Rolling Stone interview, she declared, "I'm talking about responding to the world emotionally, directly. Art that comes from the heart, not the head."

She was born in 1966 to Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine children. When five of her brothers--known as the Jackson 5--became pop superstars in the early 1970s, the family moved to California. Janet's first stage appearance was in a Las Vegas revue when she was seven years old. Unlike her brothers, Janet first made her way into the public eye through acting: at age eleven she landed the role of Penny on the situation comedy Good Times. Parts in the series Diff'rent Strokes and Fame followed, as Janet Jackson grew up before the nation's eyes. It was at the urging of her father that she ventured into music. "My dad would tell me, 'You have to do this and this and this,"' she told Us magazine. "And I'd just say 'Okay,' and do it." Later on, Jackson remembered in a Rolling Stone interview, she told her father she didn't want him to manage her any longer: "I couldn't say the words--I was bawling like a baby--and finally he just said: 'You don't want me involved in your career. Isn't that it?' 'Yes,' I finally had the nerve to say, 'that's it."'

Music Moved Her

Janet's debut as a recording artist came with her 1982 album Janet Jackson, released by A&M Records. Although the album's highest-charting single failed to reach the Top 40, she established her own following by touring high schools to promote it and to encourage students to stay in school. She threw her family a curve in the summer of 1984, however, when she eloped with singer James DeBarge. The two announced their nuptials in September of that year from Michigan, though the wedding was annulled by the following spring and Jackson ended up returning to her family's home in Encino, California. "I went through a lot, from age 15 1/2 to about 19 years," she disclosed to Ebony in a 1993 interview. "I was very young. I used to hurt so badly that I'd ask God why, what have I done to deserve any of this? I feel now He was preparing me for this, for the future. That's the way I see it." In the wake of the marriage's annulment, Jackson was comforted by longtime friend Rene Elizondo, with whom she later developed a romantic relationship.

November of 1984 saw the release of Jackson's sophomore effort, Dream Street. Despite the participation of producers Giorgio Moroder and Jesse Johnson and a duet with pop legend Cliff Richard, the record didn't sell spectacularly. Not until her next album, Control, did Jackson become a contender in the pop world. Teamed with hot R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who cowrote much of the material, Jackson seemed in her musical element at last. "She had made two records with producers who basically said, 'Here's the song, go in and sing it,'" Jam told Steve Pond of Us. "And when she started working with us, she expected us to do the same thing. But you have to remember that it really wasn't her idea to be a singer. It was really her father's, and she's gone from basically doing something that her father suggested to really enjoying it and feeling confident about it."

Gained Confidence with Control

Released in 1986 and promoted domestically with a 13-city tour, Control began to move thanks to the single "What Have You Done for Me Lately," which rose to the top of the R&B chart. During the album's lengthy stay on the British pop chart, it reached the Number Eight position; in the United States it fared even better, topping the album chart and achieving platinum status. Thanks to the smash singles, "Nasty," "When I Think of You," "Let's Wait Awhile," "The Pleasure Principle," and the record's title track, the 20-year-old Jackson became the youngest artist to attain the number one position on the U.S. charts since Stevie Wonder reached it at age thirteen. Control went on to sell eight million copies.

Jackson performed at the 1987 Grammy Awards but didn't take home any statues; she was to be compensated generously in the ensuing years. She did, however, come up the winner in several categories of Billboard magazine's year-end survey. Also, the video for "Nasty"--choreographed by rising star Paula Abdul--won a trophy at the MTV Video Music Awards. In November, A&M released Control--The Remixes, a collection of eight alternate versions of Jackson's hits.

Bona Fide Superstardom

Though she began work on it in 1988, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 did not hit the stores until the fall of the following year. Jackson described it to Essence as an album "containing my views about what was going on in the world and the problems we have in trying to educate the kids and give them hope." Working again with Jam and Lewis, Jackson proved that Control's success was no accident. The album topped the U.S. charts four weeks after its release and produced hit after hit, including "Miss You Much," "Escape," the hard-rocking "Black Cat," "Come Back to Me," and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." Jackson again performed at the Grammy Awards and again went home empty-handed, though the album's long-form video counterpart won a trophy. Yet Jackson received her share of honors, including a Los Angeles celebration of "Janet Jackson Week," a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame," and an array of Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and Soul Train Awards. BMI honored her as songwriter of the year in 1990, "Janet Jackson's year," according to Essence writer David Ritz.

Ultimately, Rhythm Nation 1814--the number refers to the year in which the National Anthem of the United States was composed--became the first album ever to have seven of its singles on the Billboard Top Five; four of those singles reached the Number One position. Jackson's 1990 World Tour was an enormous success; she shared the wealth it generated by donating 25 cents from each ticket sold to the Cities in Schools program, which works to keep kids from dropping out of school. After the tour ended, she gave nearly a half-million dollars to the United Negro College Fund in the form of a "Rhythm Nation Scholarship." In 1991, she signed a recording contract with Virgin Records that, at $50 million, stood as the most lucrative in history--for about a week, after which time it was surpassed by brother Michael's new deal with Sony.

Jackson received a Chairman's Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1992 in recognition of her public service work, especially on behalf of young people. "I don't consider myself a social leader," the singer told Essence, "but I do feel a responsibility that comes with being an entertainer. For me the big issues all come down to the children. What are we doing to protect them, to make their future world better? I'll never stop fighting illiteracy and drugs [and helping organizations that work to combat AIDS]," she added.

As she addressed these large issues, however, she found increasing public attention focused on conflicts within her family. Public acrimony between her sister LaToya--also a performer--and the rest of the Jackson clan gained considerable publicity, and Janet was forced to comment, admitting the rift. She told Ritz of Essence that she tried to reestablish contact with LaToya, but "communication between us has proved impossible."

Meanwhile, she and Michael appeared together on the 1993 Grammy Awards, where he jokingly stated that their dual appearance put to rest rumors that they were the same person. Entertainment Weekly's David Browne quipped, "Only Michael would take such a story seriously--after all anyone can see it is he and LaToya who look frighteningly alike." Janet admitted to competitive feelings with her brother in her Ebony interview, noting that she wants "to break his records," yet she insisted that this was not mere familial jealousy. "I'm very competitive. If someone is at No. 1 and I'm at No. 2, then I want the No. 1 spot. But I feel there is enough room for everyone. Everyone. I really do. Enough room for Whitney [Houston, megastar soul-pop diva], for myself, for my brother, for everyone."

Justice and janet.: Two New Personae

The year 1993 marked not only the release of another massively successful Jackson album, but her first acting role in a feature film. Jackson was cast by director-writer John Singleton, who became a Hollywood sensation with his debut film Boyz N the Hood, to play the lead role in his follow-up effort, Poetic Justice. "It was something about Janet that really made me feel this character was her," he told Allison Samuels of Upscale magazine. "It's something about her eyes that are very telling." Though she grew up in the suburbs, Singleton remarked to Essence that he had "always viewed Janet as the Ultimate Homegirl. She has a secret fire. I call it subdued intensity." Jackson was advised against accepting the role by some industry figures who wanted her to stay closer to her pop singer persona. "The studio head adamantly warned me against it," she said. "'It's a mistake for your first feature film to be all Black.' He said it was too ethnic, too artsy, too heavy. 'Make a comedy. Take it easy. Play a character closer to you. Play it safe.'" Instead, Jackson took the role of Singleton's hairdresser-poet, and prepared by--as Singleton recalled it--"doing hair in a salon on 54th Street in South Central Los Angeles."

Jackson made new friends during the project. She told Ritz: "I met four girls from South Central through John--one of them was a hairdresser--who wound up living with me for eight weeks. We shopped, played, danced, went to Disneyland. We did everything together, we talked long into the night about our lives, opening our hearts to each other. The learning process never stopped." Nonetheless, she and the film received a less-than-friendly response from critics. Time reviewer Richard Schickel called it "simply awful" and described Jackson's acting as a nonperformance, insisting that she "relates to the camera lens as if it were a mirror." Entertainment Weekly found the movie a "dawdling mishmash" and had no more praise for Jackson's work than did Schickel: "Jackson isn't an inept actress, yet there are no more edges to her personality than there are to her plastic Kewpie-doll visage."

While other artists might have withered at such critical scorn, Jackson seemed to sail past the debacle of the movie's critical reception and into the glow of her new album's success. The heavily-promoted janet. presented the singer's new, sexier image: lusty and independent. The hit singles "That's the Way Love Goes" and "If" sported steamy videos. Jackson explained to Us that her mother wanted to attend the filming of the latter. "I said, 'Some of my movements are very sexy. They're not dirty, they're very sexy. And just by you being my mother, I'd be embarrassed.' She responded, 'Well, if I make you shy in any way or pull back, then I shouldn't be there.' I said, 'No, you can come down if you like.'" Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, "She wound up not coming."

"As princess of America's black royal family," reasoned Rolling Stone reviewer Touré, "everything Janet Jackson does is important." Thus "when she announces her sexual maturity, as she does on her new album, janet., it's a cultural moment." Touré noted that Jackson's new duties as coproducer somewhat toned down the pyrotechnics of Jam and Lewis, "resulting in a less groundbreaking sound but a wider-ranging album," and dubbed it a "victory." Upscale reviewer David Taylor pointed to janet.'s combination "of a variety of musical genres--funk, hip-hop, jazz, rock and rap," as well as diverse guest vocals from opera star Kathleen Battle and Chuck D of Public Enemy, deeming the 1993 release "without a doubt, an outstanding album." Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, found it overproduced, fraught with "Hallmark [greeting card] lyrics," and uncertain about its own sexual boldness." Nonetheless, the album soon proved that reviews one way or another were immaterial to Jackson's success as a musical artist. And despite her struggles, as Singleton commented in the Us interview, "The way I look at it, she just has a really good job."

With not only a good job, but an incredibly famous family, Jackson was able to team up with one of the most noted entertainers of the twentieth century, her brother, Michael Jackson. The pair teamed up in 1995 to record the single "Scream." The song was a send up to the many media outlets that had been tormenting Michael in the early 1990s. The video created for the song proved to be one of the most expensive in history and arguably one of the most excitingly choreographed videos ever.

Her Design of a Decade release in 1996 celebrated ten years at the top of the charts for Jackson. The compilation included hits from Control through the janet. album and two new songs, "Twenty Foreplay" and "Runaway" and was also available in video form. But her next feature album, The Velvet Rope, took the newfound sexuality from janet. to the next level. In a 1997 interview with Jet, Janet said "The Velvet Rope will mean different things to different people. To me, it became the concept that allowed me to put into words and music so much of what I've been going through. The Velvet Rope is my most personal album."

The album included topics on everything from racism to AIDS, same sex love and soft-shelled bondage. But the most revealing portions of the recording would not be decipherable until the announcement in 1999 of a marriage between Jackson and long-time companion, Rene Elizondo. With the announcement that he was filing for divorce from the singer, Elizondo revealed that the pair had been married since 1991. Elizondo went on to file suit against Jackson for $10 million, citing uncompensated work on albums dating back to Rhythm Nation 1814. Jackson had begun publicly recognizing Elizondo's contributions to her career during the promotion of The Velvet Rope.

Jackson was able to keep the turmoil in her relationship out of the press even after the release of such a revealing piece and continued to expand her entertainment career with a successful tour surrounding The Velvet Rope. Her next project had her once again wetting her acting chops in a comedy, starring opposite comedian Eddie Murphy in The Klumps, Nutty Professor II. Her next release, All For You, appeared to be the opposite of The Velvet Rope by trading in the sad solitude for an upbeat and happy song, but still oozed sexuality. The first single, "All For You" was the tenth number one single for the singer so she still had much to celebrate. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Jackson stated, "This album could have ended up exactly like The Velvet Rope because of what's gone on in my life since then, like the divorce. But I believe we have choices and paths, and it's about choosing the right path, the promising path."

Jackson received the Merit award at the 28th annual American Music awards. She was also the first artist honored by MTV Icon, a series of programs dedicated to artists they consider music video icons. She also launched an All For You World Tour during the summer of 2001. With more than 30 years in entertainment, Jackson managed to remain an innovator and trend setter in the entertainment business. In 2004, Jackson received the Legend Award at the Radio Music Awards.

Also in 2004, Jackson released her Damita Jo, album. But controversy dogged her that year, after an incident during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston. Singer Justin Timberlake ripped off part of her costume, exposing her right breast in what publicists termed a "wardrobe malfunction. " The furor triggered an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission and led the CBS television network rescinding its invitation for Jackson to appear at the Grammy Awards ceremony, because she would not apologize.

Awards

Platinum records for Control, 1986, Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989, and janet., 1993; voted top R&B artist, top pop singles artist female, top dance sales artist, and top dance club play artist, 1986, by Billboard; American Music Awards for best R&B single ("Nasty") and best female R&B artist, 1987, for favorite dance single and soul/R&B single ("Miss You Much"), 1990; and for favorite pop/rock female artist, soul/R&B female artist, and dance/music artist, 1991; MTV Video Music Awards, 1987 and 1991; Grammy Award for best music video, 1990; three Soul Train Awards, 1990; awarded star on Hollywood ''Walk of Fame" during "Janet Jackson Week," Los Angeles, 1990; Billboard-Tanqueray Sterling Artist of Achievement, 1990; songwriter of the year, BMI Pop Awards, 1990; Chairman's Award, NAACP, 1992; Sammy Davis, Jr., Award for Entertainer of the Year, 1992; American Music Awards, Award of Merit, 2001; Inaugural honoree as an Icon by MTV, 2001.

Works

Selected discography

• Janet Jackson, A&M, 1982.
• Dream Street, A&M, 1984.
• Control, A&M, 1986.
• (Guest appearance) Herb Alpert, Diamonds, A&M, 1987.
• Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, A&M, 1989.
• janet., Virgin, 1993.
• Design of a Decade, Virgin, 1996.
• The Velvet Rope, Virgin, 1998.
• All For You, Virgin, 2001.
• Damita Jo, Virgin, 2004.

Further Reading

Books

• Rees, Dafydd, and Luke Crampton, Rock Movers & Shakers, Billboard Books, 1991.

Periodicals

• Chicago Tribune, April 23, 2001.
• Ebony, September 1986; September 1993; March 1999.
• Entertainment Weekly, May 21, 1993; July 23, 1993; May 4, 2001.
• Essence, May 1993, pp. 84-86, 140-142.
• Jet, November 17, 1997; June 19, 2000; January 29, 2001; April 20, 2001.
• Newsweek, July 21, 1986; May 24, 1993, p. 51.
• Rolling Stone, April 24, 1986; October 19, 1989; June 24, 1993, p. 78; September 16, 1993, pp. 38-43, 82.
• Time, April 26, 1993, p. 73; July 26, 1993, pp. 67-68.
• Upscale, June 1993, pp. 27-31; September/October 1993, p. 108.
• Us, August 1993, pp. 66-74, 92.

Online

• Billboard.com, www.billboard.com/bb/releases/week_1/index.jsp, April 1, 2004
• E! Online, www.eonline.com, April 5, 2004.
• USAToday.com, www.usatoday.com/life/digest.htm, February 2, 2004; www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-10-26-rma-winners_x.htm, October 26, 2004.

Other

• Additional information for this profile was provided by Virgin Records and Levine/Schneider Public Relations press materials, 1993.

— Simon Glickman and Leslie Rochelle

Quotes:

"I used to hurt so badly that I'd ask God why, what have I done to deserve any of this? I feel now He was preparing me for this, for the future. That's the way I see it."