Saturday Morning Soul: JANET JACKSON

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, California, she is the youngest member of the Jackson family of musicians. She initially 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. She went on to star in other television shows including Good Times, A New Kind of Family, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame.

Jackson faced initial difficulties after launching her recording career in 1982, often criticized for having a limited vocal range and being yet another child from the Jackson family to become a recording artist. However, with the collaboration of record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson found record-breaking success, producing five consecutive number one studio albums on the Billboard 200; these include Control (1986), Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), janet. (1993), The Velvet Rope (1997), and All for You (2001). Although critics have compared her contemporary work less favorably to that of her initial breakthroughs, the critical and commercial success of her innovative multi-platinum albums, music videos and choreography have contributed to Jackson's successful career as an entertainer.

Jackson has been regarded as one of the most influential recording artists in the history of contemporary R&B, as her music has incorporated elements of rap music with sample loop, triple swing and industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in popular music. She became a pop icon in the late 1980s, and was recognized as a role model for youth, as her music promoted abstinence over promiscuity, self-respect and social consciousness. Jackson’s public image later developed into that of a fully matured adult, as her music began to explore topics such as sexual freedom, domestic violence and sadomasochism. The 1990s established her as one of the highest paid recording artists in contemporary music. She later emerged the second most successful artist of the decade, although her status in popular music has since diminished.

Though Jackson is listed by the Recording Industry Association of America as the eleventh best-selling female artist in the United States with 26 million certified albums, Billboard magazine named her one of the top-ten selling artists in the history of contemporary music. She is ranked as the ninth most successful act in the history of rock music and the second most successful female artist in pop music history, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Amidst her recording career, Jackson has also starred in feature films since the mid-1990s. (wikipedia)