Happy Janet Jackson Appreciation Day, Family!
This holiday was created by Oscar-winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry in 2018 as a means to celebrate the legendary icon Janet Jackson and push back against the corporate entities who attempted to block her bag and steal her joy following her performance at the Super Bowl in 2004.
If you recall, Janet Jackson took all the heat for a so-called “wardrobe malfunction” in which her breast was partially exposed for half a second after the double agent Justin Timberlake ripped away a piece of her bodice. Jackson immediately apologized, but was banned from the industry anyway, while Timberlake got off scot-free and continued to thrive afterward.
Anyhue…
We subsequently learned that CBS studio head and alleged sexual assaulter Les Moonves was obsessed with ruining Jackson’s career and tried to sabotage her at every turn. Jackson was, however, undeterred, and continued to create art even under those humiliating, unfair, and overwhelming circumstances.
So today, I join the chorus of voices reminding the world why Janet Jackson is one of our most groundbreaking, incredible, and influential artists; and why, even after many have tried—
— “YOU CAN’T ERASE THE BLUEPRINT!”
And now, without further ado, let’s get into today’s lesson:
(Please keep in mind that the vast majority of Jackson’s musical achievements are pre-streaming. That means people actually had to buy her music or call and request it on the radio. There was no YouTube or Spotify or anything like that to boost chart positions or sales.)
Speaking of YouTube, Jackson basically invented it.
Janet Jackson is a songwriter and a producer in addition to being a song stylist/singer, musician, actor, dancer, choreographer, and author. In fact, she is the first Black woman ever nominated in the category Producer of the Year at the Grammy Awards (1989).
In 1986, at the age of 20, Jackson was the youngest Black woman to hit number one on Billboard's 200 Albums Chart (with her album, Control). The album topped the charts 20 weeks after its debut, selling 250,000 copies in a single week, which was a record for an album by a female artist at the time.
Janet Jackson is the first and only woman to have five number one R&B singles from one album (Control), which is the most R&B number one hits off of one album (“What Have You Done For Me Lately,” “Nasty,” “Control,” “Let’s Wait Awhile,” and “The Pleasure Principle”).
She holds the record for most American Music Awards nominations from one album (with 12) for Control.
Control is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time.
On February 6, 2021, Jackson's breakout album, Control, returned to the number one album sales spot after 35 years.
Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814 is the only album in history to produce number one hits on the Hot 100 chart across three consecutive calendar years (“Miss You Much”: 1989, “Escapade,” “Again,” and “Black Cat”: 1990, and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”: 1991).
Jackson is the only Black woman ever to top the Mainstream Rock Singles Chart. Her song "Black Cat" hit #1 in 1990.
She is the first artist to score a number-one hit simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Singles charts with "Black Cat."
She is the first woman to have the number one selling album of the year (Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, 1990)
Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen jointly hold the record for most top 10 officially-released singles from one album with seven (from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, Thriller, and Born in the U.S.A., respectively).
Jackson is the only artist in history to have seven top five Hot 100 singles from one album. The album is Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814; the singles are: “Miss You Much” (1), “Rhythm Nation” (2), “Escapade” (1), “Alright” (4), “Come Back To Me” (2), “Black Cat” (1), and “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” (1).
Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814 was listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
Jackson is the first woman to debut at number one on the Top 200 Albums chart in the Soundscan Era with her album, janet.
She is the first artist to have a single debut atop the R&B Airplay Charts (“That’s The Way Loves Goes,” 1993).
Jackson has had the most lucrative recording contract in history—TWICE.
janet. is listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers & Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 200 Definitive Albums of All Time.
She is the first woman in history to debut a song in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100—TWICE. (“Scream,” 1995; "Runaway," 1995).
Rolling Stone named The Velvet Rope as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
She is the first artist to have a single simultaneously top the Hot 100, R&B, and dance charts ("All For You," 2001).
"All For You" became the first and only single in music history to be added to every possible American radio station in its first week.
"All For You" became the first single to be added to every possible radio station in Japan, various countries in continental Asia, France, and South Africa in its first week.
In total, Jackson has had 10 number one singles, 26 top five singles, 27 top 10 singles, and 44 Hot 100 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
She was the first artist to produce four #1 hits on the Dance Charts.
Jackson ruled over four formats, Top 40, crossover, rhythmic and urban radio, etc. No one has ever ruled more than three formats.
Jackson is the first and only artist to have been nominated in five genres of music at the Grammys (Pop, Rock, Rap, R&B, and Dance).
Jackson held the record for the most consecutive top 10 hits by any artist on the Billboard Charts (18) until the music industry changed post-streaming and allowed every song to from an album to chart regardless of whether it was a commercial release or not.
She holds the record for the most consecutive Top 10 hits on the R&B chart (25).
In total, she’s had 16 number one R&B hits.
She has 34 top 10 Billboard Dance Chart singles, 20 of which have gone to number one.
She is the first woman to sweep an awards show (Billboard Awards, 1990).
She holds the record for the most Billboard Awards won in a single night (15).
Until recently, Jackson held the record for the most Billboard Awards (33).
Jackson is the only Black woman to have a number one album four decades in a row.
Jackson is the only woman to have five back-to-back number one albums (Control, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814, janet., The Velvet Rope, and All For You)
Jackson has seven number one albums; of those seven albums, janet. (1993), The Velvet Rope (1997), All For You (2001), Discipline (2008), and Unbreakable (2015) each debuted at number one.
She has seven consecutive platinum-plus albums.
She is the only artist to have five or more Top 10 hits from three consecutive albums (Control, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation: 1814, and janet.).
Janet Jackson holds the record for the most successful debut tour in history (The Rhythm Nation Tour), selling out on three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia).
Jackson holds the record for the fastest sellout in the history of the Tokyo Dome, 48,000 seats with four shows which sold out in a record seven minutes.
Jackson broke and set stadium attendance records at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii with The Velvet Rope Tour and the All For You Tour.
The live HBO broadcast of The Velvet Rope Tour garnered a total of 15 million viewers outperforming ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in HBO homes, in addition to 13 Emmy nominations including one win.
Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour broke house records in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Salt Lake City.
Jackson’s 2019 Metamorphosis Las Vegas Residency earned $12.9 million with 18 dates, making the residency one of the most lucrative to emerge from Vegas' live music performances to date, scoring the fifth highest average gross in a Las Vegas Residency opening run by a woman with just that short run.
Her next concert tour, Janet Jackson: Together Again, begins on April 14, 2023, in Hollywood, Florida.
Jackson has the fiercest strut of any singer alive. Argue with your Uncle Cleotis!
More people have had sex to her music than any other singer’s EVER. LOL! Nah, I’m just playing. But seriously, though: Look at the material!
In 2015, “No Sleeep”—from her album, Unbreakable—became Jackson’s 40th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, spending 12 nonconsecutive weeks at number one on the Adult R&B Song charts, becoming her most successful Adult R&B Song (which was previously “I Get Lonely”).
Jackson is the first artist to have number ones on various Billboard charts spanning the 80's, 90's, 00's and 10's.
She has sold over 160 million records worldwide and has spent over 300 weeks at #1.
She is BMG Music Club’s biggest selling woman artist.
She is the first artist to win Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist, and Favorite Dance Artist at the American Music Awards.
She is the first artist to be crowned an MTV Icon.
According to Billboard, Jackson is the seventh greatest recording artist of all time (1958–2021).
She is said to be the most awarded living entertainer.
In 2019, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Janelle Monae.
Janet Jackson is your fave’s fave.
Bow down. :)
And have yourself a Happy Janet Jackson Appreciation Day!
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert