The “Unbreakable” Staying Power Of Janet Jackson

When you think about it - Janet Jackson was the ultimate underdog. The youngest of 9 children, Janet was born the same year that her older brother, Michael (8 years her senior and musical prodigy), began singing with his brothers in the Jackson 5. By the time Janet appeared on stage at age 7, her brothers were stars, and the family had already uprooted from Gary, Indiana to Encino, California.

You might argue that she was no underdog, but if the performance of her eponymous debut is any indication, I have a strong retort. The record, while good, was usurped by her older brother. I don’t think anyone could have accurately predicted the impact “Thriller” would have on music, but it certainly did nothing to save his sister’s record from the bargain bin. Her second record, “Dream Street,” fared even worse. It barely charted, and has never earned any RIAA designation. By 1985 the assumption was that Janet would just be an actress.

Then “Control” happened, followed by “Rhythm Nation 1814,” followed by “Janet,” followed by “The Velvet Rope.” “TVR” has been widely touted as Jackson’s masterwork. High production value, introspective lyrics and powerful imagery all converged to make an impressive impact. It was almost for naught though. Not only was “TVR” hard to make, it was hard to sell too. The record was saved through Jackson’s tenacity and a successful tour.

In the years following “TVR,” Jackson remained notable, but she wasn’t making generally interesting music. Interesting note, prior to this time, it was easy for the press and public to pass off Jackson’s success as a combination of family name, svengali producers and a songwriter husband. It was only after this that we got to see the importance of Jackson in her recording process. By the time “All For You” (2001) surfaced, it’s been reported that Jackson wasn’t as involved in the process as before. By the time “20 Y.O.” (2006) arrived, we were looking for any glimpses of the Janet we once knew and loved. “Discipline” (2008) was a bit of a bright spot, but it still wasn’t quite her.

I will admit, I didn’t expect a Janet Jackson record in 2015. Unpacking the surprise of “Unbreakable” isn’t easy for me. It’s a pop record with R & B sensibilities. It’s a modern record with a classic feel. It’s an introspective record. This really surprised me, because it appeared that Janet did the thing that most aging pop stars do - keep trying to do the things they’re known for doing in a young and “hip” way, even though they’re no longer young, and their fans may be slightly past the point of “hip.” When the promotion began we were treated to a covered up Janet (no more sexy midriff) and a more adult contemporary first single that was slinky, but not overtly sexual.

The gamble appears to be paying off. While not a masterwork, “Unbreakable” is a fitting entry into the Janet Jackson catalog. It’s contemporary without being trendy. It sounds more like a follow up to “The Velvet Rope” than the works in between. The record sounds like a love letter to her brother, Michael, and a thank you to her family and fans. (The timbre of Janet’s voice is eerie at some points on this album. It’s almost as if Michael is guest appearing.)

Janet Jackson has done the thing that her brother couldn’t seem to do. With “Unbreakable,” Janet has effectively taken her sound and lyricism that she’s known for and placed it in a modern setting without sounding dated. Janet is both present and accounted for here. She’s proven that Rolling Stone Magazine cover story title was no fluke. She’s once again triumphant.

The End of An Era – Michael Jackson’s “HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I” Turns 20

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By the time that Michael Jackson released “HIStory – Past, Present and Future – Book I” on May 1, 1995 the music landscape was radically different than when he released “Dangerous” just a short 4 years earlier. Rap music (particularly the annoyingly coined “Gangster Rap”) had  taken over the urban music landscape, and suddenly everyone from EnVogue to Massive Attack to Janet Jackson were all sampling James Brown or Parliament. Jackson’s rival ditched The Revolution, changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and proceeded to make uneven funk records with the New Power Generation.

Michael Jackson was still the most iconic black artist in music, although by 1995, he physically didn’t resemble a black artist at all. His ever changing, pasty-white face, the surgical masks to go to the zoo, that hyperbolic sleep chamber thingy (ok, that was a rumor, but it’s a good one) – Michael was no less than eccentric (read, for black people, “weird as hell”), but he was ours, and there was no giving him up.

Signs that things were going to go awry this go round started fairly early – in 1993 child sexual abuse allegations surfaced (which were settled out of court in 1994) and then he married Lisa Marie Presley the following year. An act forever ingrained in the memory of the world with a really awkward-looking MTV Awards kiss.

On the heels of all of that Sony and MJJ launched a massive promotional effort in the lead up to the release of “HIStory….” It included huge Michael Jackson promo statues, as if we needed help knowing who Michael Jackson was, and a 4+ minute epic mini-film. In the film Michael is the General of some pop icon army and is walking through a crowd of fainting people to the unveiling of his Statue of MJ. It was grand.

By the time the album arrived we already knew it’s fate. The first single, “Scream,” featured his little sister Janet (who was at the peak of her career following her multi-platinum “Janet” release and tour), but the song, while a classic, never made it to the top of the Pop or R&B charts at all (landing in and peaking at #5 on the Hot 100). To add insult to that injury the music video for “Scream” still holds the title for the most expensive video ever made ($9M) … for a song that never hit #1 in America. I am sure Sony was reeling from that. (Note: The video for “Scream” is one of the best videos that I’ve ever seen!)

“HIStory…” wasn’t a bad album, but it did officially mark the end of Michael Jackson’s reign as the chart topping King of Pop. It was a double album with Disc 1 being a greatest hits compilation, and Disc 2 full of new songs recorded between 1994-1995. There were six singles from the album and only, the R. Kelly penned, “You Are Not Alone” made it to #1. (That single was not without controversy though. In 2007 a Belgian court ruled Kelly plagiarized the song “If We Can Start All Over.” The song was subsequently banned from radio in Belgium.) It is also Jackson’s most confrontational album. “They Don’t Care About Us” with it’s driving claps and chants recently saw a resurgence of sorts during the Eric Garner murder protests. At the time, the song was controversial because of alleged anti-Semitic lyrics that Jackson ultimately re-recorded, and two videos were shot by Spike Lee - a prison version (seen below) and a version in Brazil where filming was attempted to be banned over fears of a blow to the image of the area.

All in all Jackson embarked on the $40M earning, 50+ city, multi continent HIStory World Tour (ultimately, his final world tour) in 1996 & 1997. In the midst and the wake of it all Jackson married, fathered 3 children, descended into drug abuse, had more plastic surgery and fully embodied the “Wacko Jacko” persona the media had unceremoniously bestowed upon him. 

With all of that, we can revisit “HIStory…” and, with confidence, admit, “Michael was really saying some powerful ish on that record.” “HIStory – Past, Present and Future – Book I” wasn’t the most fitting end to the reign of the biggest Pop star anyone had ever seen, but at least it wasn’t a complete crash and burn. Nothing wrong with that footnote in the history books, right?

By the time “Invincible” arrived in 2001, however, it was clear - Michael Jackson was anything but.

To Pimp A Culture – From "Compton" To Here

Cover Art: "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A. (Ruthless/Priority/EMI, 1988)

In 1991, when the MP3 audio format was just becoming more than a twinkle in the eyes of developers, rap music was on the verge of making a sharp left turn. Few of us knew how drastic the change would be. It certainly paralleled the tenor of the US at that time.

Remember  George H.W. Bush, Jack Kevorkian, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, “Peace In The Middle East,” and Rodney King? Yes, the world was very different, then.

For a brief moment, let’s stay with Mr. King. Before the Los Angeles Rodney King police brutality video and subsequent riot after officers were acquitted, New York City was the center of the Hip Hop universe. A few short years before that, though (in 1988), an album had emerged – “Straight Outta Compton.”

The album cover was immediately striking. Why? The gun. Yes, there had been guns on Rap album covers before, but this gun – this gun was pointed at me (… and you) while we were lying down looking up at it. This is not a position anyone wanted to be in, of course, but it was happening. “Straight Outta Compton,” while profane, was rather pro-black militant, however. The album opened with the Dr. Dre exclaiming “you’re about to witness the strength of street knowledge.”  It was on! The spotlight on California was being turned up and rap music was publically growing up.

The album cover for “Straight Outta Compton” has been lauded as one of the best album covers – ever. It communicated what had been simmering in the consciousness of Los Angeles for many years , communicated what was happening at the time and it foretold the direction that the music (and the world, frankly) would take. Thanks to photographer Eric Poppleton for capturing this vivid image.

By 1991, the West Coast – Los Angeles, in particular – had made significant inroads into the Rap music landscape commercially, and in a short year later would take over completely with the release of “The Chronic.”

Fast forward 24 years.

The MP3 has not only been birthed, but is now all grown up, and is a standard for how music is not only transferred digitally, but consumed by the music buying public. Record stores – virtually closed or hanging on by a thread. Cassettes – nostalgic. CDs – passé. Vinyl – what is that?

I often remark how I miss having physical album art, because I learned a lot about the background of the music having it, and I also had something cool to put on the wall. Album art, however, is not prevalent, because music isn’t consumed as a physical product anymore.

It’s in this context that the excellent album cover for Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” emerges. Now, I’ll admit, the fact that both of these artists are from Compton didn’t dawn on me when I made the decision to talk about these two covers, but I do find the fact interesting.

Cover Art: "To Pimp A Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope, 2015)

While in 1988, “Straight Outta Compton,” was bold and brash, in 2015 we are virtually desensitized to such content. So, I’m going to make a statement now that you may disagree with.

If we took the album cover for “To Pimp A Butterfly” and placed it in 1988, it would be even more controversial than the “Straight Outta Compton” artwork.

Why do I say that?

In 1988 the country was still very conservative and rap music, as a phenomenon, was still young and evolving. An album cover depicting overzealous, shirtless black men holding stacks of money, champagne and children while standing on the white house lawn and crushing (to death) “the law” would have not only outraged White America, but would have infuriated Black America. What’s even more startling is that the image that is depicted, while not actually being the norm today, is the most common depiction of black men that we see.

If we piece together the time between “Straight Outta Compton” and “To Pimp A Butterfly” the arrival at this cover makes perfect sense. It’s today. It’s now. It’s post-crack. It’s post-Katrina. It’s post-Iraq. It’s post-Tech boom. This is how black men are seen by the world – uncontrollable, sexualized, not law-abiding and careless.

Admired.

Butterflies.

Hated.

Pimps.

Album cover art isn’t insignificant. I’d argue the packaging is as important as the content. It communicates the artist’s vision, and it also serves as a slice of life for where we are as a society at that moment.

From “To Pimp A Butterfly” where do we go from here?