With the trademark key in her ear, dressed in black from head to toe (which we learned later actually stemmed from a period in her life that she was dealing with body image) Janet sparked an empowerment in women, as well as a reflective look into the world. The one exception was “Black Cat” which was written completely by Janet and produced by Jellybean Johnson. Together, the trio of Jackson, Jam and Lewis co-wrote 6 songs on the album, while Jimmy and Terry penned the remaining 5 tracks. The dynamic trio of Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis co-produced the entire album. Needless to say, that is an understatement for what this project became. She decided to take her art and affect change in others. Not within the music industry, but a buzz within her listeners. Janet Jackson changed to a new direction from her previous 3 albums ( Janet Jackson, 1982 Dream Street, 1984 Control, 1986) and decided to focus on everyday issues with her creed of Music, Poetry, Dance, Unity carrying throughout 1989’s Rhythm Nation. Janet had always been known to follow her gut in her music after solidifying her independence with Control, she sought out to make an album that was guaranteed to make headlines and create buzz. Pop itself was beginning to transition, incorporating new sounds as we approached the early ’90s. Amazingly enough, even thinking about the fact that amount of time has passed is incredible, especially considering the fact that this album still continues to influence trends in artists from all genres.ġ989 saw the rise of Hip Hop as a major industry force, along with rock being the major sounds in music. It’s hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since the release of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (my first copy was a cassette tape).
Studying each choreographed move, studying elements of each and every video, mimicking everything, tracing her face from the latest magazine in school (lord knows I couldn’t draw it otherwise) – all of which still continues to this day (minus the tracing). I remember exactly where I was when it all began: sitting in front of my television, like any other time I knew she was going to be on it. When asked to write an editorial on a huge milestone of one of music’s most influential albums, I was not only honored but beyond confident that I could provide a unique perspective to readers and fellow fans all over. Do you remember where you were on the day when a music video premiere, on your music channel of choice, meant the world stopped? When you planned your schedule around it? When you were forced to be glued to the television set until it repeated during the day? When most of the songs on album actually made it to the music video stage? When each new video had the potential to change the look of what videos would become in the late ’80s/early ’90s?