Janet Jackson And The Velvet Rope A Decade Later

Ten years ago, Janet Damita Jo Jackson, returned to the spotlight with the Velvet Rope.  The Velvet Rope is Janet’s masterpiece, the album explored serious issues such as domestic violence,  love, identity politics, homophobia, and depression.

Janet shocked fans with a complete image makeover and the serious subject matter on her new album.The album cover a simple shot of Janet’s head down, appearing depressed, in a black turtleneck.  Janet was coming back from a four year break after the incredible success of the 1993 album “Janet.” I don’t like the album “Janet” so much but I love the Velvet Rope.

I also love Janet’s first two albums “Control”, and “Rhythm Nation” the songs sound so fresh and are just incredible.

I think Janet’s two recent albums “Damita Jo” and “20 YO” were alright. “Damita Jo” was definitely a lot better then “20 YO”. The problem with “Damita Jo” of course was the mainstream white American media punished Janet for the Superbowl incident with a bunch of immature negative reviews.

The negative reviews for Damita Jo had nothing to do with the actual music which I find pathetic. A critic’s job is to critique the material not to make personal attacks on an artist. A critic is not supposed to focus on their personal views about a singer. I believe it is the job of the critic to think about the audience the artist is trying to reach. The Superbowl incident was clearly ammunition for the white American media to bash Janet Jackson and they got away with it.

Once again, the black media didn’t do their job they didn’t report about what “really” was going on with the Superbowl incident. The black media is important because they can provide an alternative view to the white press. Everyone knows society treats white and black female sexuality differently.

Part of the so called outrage about the Superbowl was because white America couldn’t handle seeing a black woman’s breast on television.

The album Damita Jo, was one of Janet’s strongest albums to date. Unfortunately it slipped through the pop culture and was dismissed. I think the USA media finally had become sick of Janet Jackson and they used the Superbowl as fuel to try to tarnish Janet’s career.

I think “20 YO” was probably one of Janet’s worst albums or maybe even her worst album.

The Velvet Rope though is a Janet Jackson classic from the hit song “I Get So Lonely” to the funky “Go Deep” the serious “Together Again” and “Free Zone”. And the hip hop sounds of “Got T’ll It’s Gone” featuring Q Tip and Joni Mitchell is such a great song. Every single song song on this album had a message and a purpose. I have played the Velvet Rope so many times and the songs still sound fresh.

I want Janet to make a comeback, to go back to creating important music and stop the whole sex kitten act.

I also want Janet to continue acting. It’s very hard to believe that Janet Jackson has only made three movies. Unlike certain entertainers, such as Madonna, and Britney Spears, Janet can actually act.

Janet has been acting since she was a young girl back in the 1970s on the TV show “Good Times”. Next, when Janet was a young teen in the early 1980s on  “Different Strokes”. Next, Janet appeared on the teen drama “Fame”.

I am sure Janet gets scripts all the time this is why I find it so shocking that she hasn’t acted more.

I really do hope Janet continues to act I love seeing her on the silver screen she has incredible charisma and talent.

Janet is forty one years old, I am not saying Janet cannot be sexy, because she can. However, it is time for Janet to show the public that she has matured.

Quite frankly, it looks pathetic when a woman over forty feels the need to compete with the twentysomething artists taking her clothes off.

Janet has so much talent she needs to rise above that. Also, Janet needs to be paying attention to the recent decline in her record sales. Yes Damita Jo and 20 YO both sold over 1 million copies each.

However, there was no hit song on either album and that’s bizarre because Janet is such a consistent artist.

It is very sad in a way that the pressures of the music industry are pushing a talented woman like Janet Jackson to compromise herself.

However, its not politically correct to say this but I think at a certain point Janet has to let the sex kitten image die she’s forty one years old!

I just think its sad that Janet isn’t evolving like she did in the past. We get the sex kitten act but Janet is so much more then just sex.

Janet Jackson is a civil rights activist in some ways she’s a feminist.

Janet is a role model to so many young women out there in this world especially young black women.

Janet has been outspoken about homophobia in the black community. I just feel Janet has so much to offer music fans instead of just showing off

her body.

Janet’s fans are not the teenagers anymore, she needs to evolve with her audience. Janet’s fans are people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond.

So Janet has to make music that will attract an adult audience. MTV doesn’t play Janet’s videos anymore after the whole Superbowl incident in 2004. MTV also won’t play Janet’s music because again she’s forty one years old she is no longer in the demographic MTV is trying to reach.

Janet and her team need to get it together and honestly discuss the Superbowl incident on her new album.I mean why avoid it? It obviously

affected her career.

Janet says she doesn’t want to talk about it but I think she should. I think it can be a cathartic release there was a lot of hypocrisy, racism, and

sexism taking place with the so called “outcry” over the Superbowl.

Yes, I totally agree that it was wrong and inappropriate for Janet to flash her breast to millions of TV viewers.

However, why did the American media let the white male singer Justin Timberlake off the hook?

Justin is the one that pulled Janet’s top off so why was the world media so quick to forget about his part of the controversy?

I also recall Madonna has done far worse things such as that tacky Sex book in 1992. Madonna also had a bizarre TV incident with David Letterman back in the year 1994 she was just crazy back then.

Did the American media constantly go after Madonna? Sure Madonna did get some backlash from the American press but it didn’t drag on like

this whole Superbowl thing with Janet Jackson.

So why is Janet still getting so much grief? I think it has a lot to do with the fact the white American media have an intense hatred for the Jackson family. Let’s be honest, the USA white media they really hate the Jackson family.

It is so disgraceful and disrespectful for the USA white media to constantly go after Michael Jackson the man has been through so much. Michael Jackson he’s a living legend.

Michael was acquitted of the child molestation charges he’s just an amazing legend.

Next, you have white singers like Justin Timberlake clearly copying Michael’s singing style, dance moves, its ludicrous.

Yet nobody in the mainstream press of course points out the obvious that Timberlake has copied the Michael Jackson blueprint.

If it wasn’t for Michael Jackson there would be no Usher, no Chris Brown, and definitely no Justin Timberlake.

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Ciara, Rihanna, have all copied Janet Jackson’s dance moves and her techniques.

Ciara and Britney have both admitted that Janet was a major influence on them when they were kids.

Janet Jackson deserves our respect she’s an amazing entertainer she’s given so much back done so much charity work.

I find that interesting some media outlets in America still will not let the Superbowl incident go.

Justin even admitted that the media treats white males differently then black women. However, we already know that.

Some of Janet’s critics hate her for being a Jackson they don’t want the Superbowl to go away. Recently, when Janet was promoting her film “Why Did I Get Married?” she and Tyler Perry were being interviewed by a CBS station in Sacramento California.

The interviewers were beyond cruel to Janet they were so unprofessional it was disgraceful to watch.

However, the good news is over 20,000 Janet Jackson fans wrote e-mails and complaints to the TV station in Sacramento.

The  flagrant unprofessional reporter  was forced by the management to apologize to Janet Jackson on the air.

I was so proud of my fellow Janet Jackson fans that they took the time and effort and wrote in to the station them know racism and sexism in unacceptable.

I think its time for the American media to let the Superbowl incident go. Janet Jackson is an angel my goodness this was the only “crazy” think she has even done in her career.

Don’t we all make mistakes?

It angers me that almost four years have passed and people are still complaining about the Superbowl incident. Of course we all know that.

However,the Velvet Rope is Janet’s best album to date.