JANET JACKSON ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR 'UNBREAKABLE', FIRST ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS

Janet Jackson has heard the rally cry of her loyal fans and is charging back with a vengeance. The pop legend just kicked off her Unbreakable World Tour and today she announced that her album, also titled Unbreakable, will be available October 2nd!!! Pre-orders start TODAY on iTunes and Unbreakable follows 30 years after her groundbreaking album Control. Her longtime producers and partners in crime Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are back to work on Unbreakable and had this to say:
"It’s wonderful to be creating again with Janet. From songwriting, producing, arranging, singing, dancing, acting, she deftly does it all and truly personifies the word artist. Unbreakable is a gift to all of her fans who have steadfastly stood by her. It is a subject for conversation, a plea for compassion, and a call for action from someone who’s come a long way, but’s got a long way to go, and has much to say about it. In other words, if you want to know what’s on her mind you only have to listen." Sounds like we are going to be getting some REAL shit on this one. Below is the tracklisting for Unbreakable. Can't wait!!!

1. Unbreakable
2. BurnItUp! (ft. Missy Elliott)
3. Dammn Baby
4. The Great Forever
5. Shoulda Known Better
6. After You Fall
7. Broken Hearts Heal
8. Night
9. No Sleeep (ft. J. Cole)
10. Dream Maker/Euphoria
11. 2 B Loved
12. Take Me Away
13. Promis
14. Lessons Learned
15. Black Eagle
16. Well Traveled
17. Gon B Alright

NEW VIDEO: JANET JACKSON (FT. J. COLE) - NO SLEEEP

Janet Jackson finally brings us the video for her smooth AF single No Sleeep. This time she has a little assist from J. Cole who provides a nice, easy flow to the mix. The video is slow, dark and sexy as Janet wonders through her house, waiting for her lover to return home so she can bang like a banshee all night, hence "no sleeep". Get it? Jan looks amazing (duh) and the song reminds me a bit of the vibe of That's The Way Love Goes. That's not too shabby, y'all!!! Anyway, here is Janet's return to the music video. Enjoy!!!

NEW JANET JACKSON: NO SLEEEP

JANET IS BACK!!! Janet Jackson posted a hot slow jam titled No Sleep on youtube today and it is classic, sexy Janet. No Sleeep (yes, 3 "e"s) is reminiscent of Janet's Velvet Rope album with it's quiet, intimate sexiness and sweet harmonies. It also marks a comeback not just for Janet but also for longtime producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who produced all of Jackson's biggest hits. Janet's album is due this fall. Listen and enjoy.

JANET JACKSON GIVES A TASTE OF HER NEW MUSIC

A sweet sounding snippet of what we can only presume is a song that will appear on Janet Jackson's upcoming album was posted by Janet herself on her various social media accounts today. Without giving the title, the song's lyrics are included in the short, 42 second video. There's no telling if this is a part of a ballad or if this is an intro to a dance-pop song. We'll have to wait and see!!! Janet's album, her first to be released on her very own Rhythm Nation record label, is due in the fall. Can't wait!! Listen below.

I wanna tell you how important you are to me! Love J. #ConversationsInACafe https://t.co/hL2qtzC8If

— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) June 17, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY: JANET JACKSON'S DEBUT SINGLE, YOUNG LOVE (1982)

Four years before she gained "Control" of her career and became an icon, Janet was an actress trying to make it on TV and the little sister of a musical dynasty of brothers. Her self-titled debut album had no warning of the fierce performer she would become, but Young Love, this sweet little R&B number was an adorable debut for the sweet-faced 16 year-old. Janet wasn't planning on having a career in music, but her father pretty much insisted that she have one, so he set her up with A&M Records and got her ass in the studio. Young Love, her debut single, was a minor success, hitting #64 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the US R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart. Though it didn't catapult her to superstardom, it did make her the first of the Jackson girls to have a Hot 100 hit. LaToya would follow with Heart Don't Lie (#56) and Rebbie with Centipede (#24) both in 1984. Of course, Janet would go on to rival Michael as the most famous and successful Jackson, setting chart records of her own that are yet to be broken. Janet famously performed Young Love and a couple of other songs on American Bandstand. A couple of years later she went back and Dick Clark seems like he is trying to keep his erection from popping out of his pants the entire time he is talking to her. Ha!! At least he waited until she was 18!! Anyway, watch a 16 year-old Janet perform her debut single Young Love.

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - SOMEONE TO CALL MY LOVER

A bright and shiny song to start your Monday off. Janet, as you can see from past Happy Monday posts, has no shortage of sunshine to spread, and 2001's Someone To Call my Lover from All For You fits the bill perfectly. Based on a riff from Ventura Highway by America, the infectious ditty rolled through the summer of 2001 like a refreshing breeze and put a smile on the face of everyone who heard it. It hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a standout on the All For You album. Here is your Happy Monday Song! Enjoy.

JANET JACKSON SIGNED TO ATLANTIC AND RELEASING ALBUM IN JULY!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS, QUEEN!!! Janet Jackson has been away from the music scene since her 2008 album Discipline, but according to an announced roster from Atlantic Records, Janet has a new album coming July 10th and this news is giving her fans LIFE!!! The album name is to be determined, but I would call it About Damn Time!! Not that Jan has been just sitting around on her ass. She got married to a billionaire and worked with her various charities. In 2013 Janet confirmed she was working with producers Rodney Jerkins, Jean Baptiste and Bangladesh on new music, but that's the last we heard. Let's do this, Janet!! We are thirsty.

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - MISS YOU MUCH

Miss You Much was the lead single to Janet's massively successful album Rhythm Nation 1814, and it is also guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Written by her long-time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Miss You Much is an upbeat love song about declaring your love for someone who you just can't get enough of. The tune hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 7, 1989 and stayed there for four weeks, becoming the first of SEVEN top 5 singles from Rhythm Nation and FOUR #1 singles that spanned over a course of THREE years. Damn, girl!!!! The song is an embodiment of absolute joy every time I hear it. So listen up and put a smile on your face for someone you miss with Miss You Much. SMILE!

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - DOESN'T REALLY MATTER

Another week, another Janet Jackson song to make you happy as a clam on a Monday. Doesn't Really Matter was released as a single to promote Janet's star turn in The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. While that film surprisingly failed to sweep the Oscars that year, Doesn't Really Matter was a big ol' fat hit!! Fat. Get it? The Klumps. Never mind. Released May 21, 2000, the song was a return to the bright, cheery pop sound that Janet had foregone on her previous album, the remarkable and dark The Velvet Rope, and fans were ready. Doesn't Really Matter jumped to #1 on the Hot 100 and maintained the spot for three weeks. The video is also as cute as can be, full of Japanese imagery, and features some sick choreography. Smile and watch today's Happy Monday Song. It'll give you a happy boner.

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - ALL FOR YOU

Sure, this song is dirty in addition to being happy, but isn't that the BEST kind of happy? It is. "Got a nice package, all right. Guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight." SCANDAL!! Released on March 6, 2001, All For You is one of Janet Jackson's most successful songs of all time. It set several radio and chart records and stayed at #1 on the Hot 100 for seven weeks, becoming the third most successful single of 2001 on that chart. As the last three Mondays will attest, Janet can pop out a happy, sunny single faster than a Duggar can pop out another inbred redneck, so All For You definitely qualifies as a classic Janet song through and through. The video is also pretty spectacular, taking place in a colorful, two-dimensional world where Janet can walk around barefoot without fear of hepatitis. What a world!!! Anyway, put on your happy pants and dance along to All For You. Happy Monday!!

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - RUNAWAY

All this talk about the Happy Janet Trifecta (When I Think Of You, Escapade and All For You) and I totally forgot about this sunny gem!!! Runaway was a new track from Janet's very first greatest hits package, Design of a Decade 1986/1996. Written with her long time producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the track is as bright and sunny as Janet's smile. Runaway made Janet the first woman to ever debut in the top 10 on the Hot 100 and eventually went on to peak at #3 on the chart. There is no denying that this is classic Janet and the video is a beautiful dance around the world that will bring a smile to your face and maybe some other body parts as well. So here is your Happy Monday song, Runaway by Janet Jackson.

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: JANET JACKSON - ESCAPADE

I couldn't resist following up last week's Happy Monday Song (When I Think Of You) with another happy Janet classic. Escapade was the third single from Janet Jackson's mega-album Rhythm Nation 1814, also was the third of SEVEN top five hits and second of four #1 chart busters.  Janet gives an absolutely joyous vocal performance over the funky track and the video is classic Janet: intricate choreography and elaborate sets. Escapade reached #1 on March 3, 1990 and stayed at the apex for three weeks, becoming the 15th biggest hit of 1990. Now settle down with your morning beverage of choice, hit play and get ready to shake your ass and smile because Janet is going to take you on an Escapade!

HAPPY MONDAY SONG: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON

If Janet Jackson's beautiful smile doesn't make you happy, then I don't know what to tell you. Of all the happy Janet songs, When I Think Of You has got to be up there with the best of them. She was only 19 years old when this, the third single from her breakthrough album Control was released, and there she was giggling her way to her first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course Janet would go on to build one of the most celebrated and massive careers in pop music history, but When I Think Of You, along with Escapade and All For You, is among the most joyous hits of her catalogue. And the video, directed by Julien Temple, is just as wonderful and wild. It has everything: Dance fighting, great choreography, sailors, prostitutes and Janet's hair belongs in a museum. So here is today Happy Monday Song, When I Think Of You by Janet Jackson.

THE #1 SONG 25 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....Escapade by Janet Jackson. Released as the third single from her iconic album Rhythm Nation 1814, Escapade became the second of four #1 singles from the album and the third of seven top 5 hits. Suck on THAT, Thriller. With its sunny, energetic sound and call-to-the-dance-floor lyrics, Escapade was destined to top the Billboard Hot 100, and it did starting on March 3, 1990, where it remained for three weeks. Along with When I Think of You, All For You and Together Again, Escapade is the happiness cherry on top of a cake that looks like Janet's beautiful smile. Janet always performs this song on tour and it's easily a fan favorite. Here is the #1 song from this day in 1990, Escapade by Janet Jackson.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: JERMAINE JACKSON

Jermaine, the third most musically successful member of the Jackson family (third by a long way) was a huge star for a brief, fleeting time. Of course, Jermaine sang lead on many a Jackson 5 song, but he also had a very successful, if short-lived, solo career in the late 70s and early 80s. The fourth child born into the Jackson family cracked the top 10 with his 1979 hit Let's Get Serious and the top 20 with Dynamite (one of my all-time fave 80s videos), the lovely ballad  Do What You Do in 1984 and I Think It's Love in 1986. Then, not so much after. He made some good-ass videos though. Clearly his label was pushing him as hard as possible to capitalize on Michael's fame as well, but once Michael took off and Janet became a superstar, there was no room left for another Jackson in the spotlight. Wah-wah. Today Jermaine mainly does press about Michael, but hey, whaddayagonnado? Sure his face looks like it might be melting now, but he's still out there working it for all it's worth. Here are the highlights, in my opinion, of Jermaine's career, including his song When the Rain Begins to Fall with 80s vixen Pia Zadora that was a huge hit....in Switzerland, Germany, France, Holland and Austria. Still good though. Nice Jackson-ing, Jermaine.

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: IF - JANET JACKSON

Janet Jackson's image was drastically changed with the release of 1993's janet.  No long just the cute little sister next door, Janet was now a sexual, empowered woman willing to tell you exactly what she wanted. The second single from the smash album was If.  Overtly sexual lyrics ("your smooth and shiny feels so good against my lips, sugar") and raunchy dance moves set the mood for one of Janet's most distinctive and celebrated videos of all time. Directed by Dominic Sena and choreographed by Tina Landon, the clip is set in an Asian club where people flirt virtually through computer screens and hook up in the back,  If also highlights some of Janet's most iconic dance moves. The track hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Most definitely one of Janet's biggest hits, If is probably her sexiest as well. Check out the clip and, just to keep in in theme, hump something Asian.

JANET JACKSON'S RHYTHM NATION 1814 WAS RELEASED 25 YEARS AGO TODAY

Janet Jackson had a lot to prove. Not only was her brother the reigning King of Pop, she was coming off of her first #1 album, 1986's Control, which had five top 5 singles and one more top 20 single, and she was competing with the likes of Madonna, Whitney Houston and Paula Abdul on the charts. What Janet, along with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, put together was a concept album about social injustice, racism, substance abuse and poverty. Of course, there was a little fun thrown in there too. The result was the mega-smash album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. The name was explained by Janet like this:
"The use of the number "1814" is twofold. First, R (Rhythm) is the 18th letter of the alphabet and N (Nation) is the 14th. The second is that while writing [Rhythm Nation] I was kidding around, saying, 'God, you guys, I feel like this could be the national anthem for the '90s' ... Just by a crazy chance we decided to look up when Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem, and it was September 14, 1814."
A mix of R&B, jazz, dance music and straight up rock and roll, Rhythm Nation would chart singles for the next two years, have seven top 5 singles, with four of those hitting #1. That is the most top 5 singles from an album EVER. Booming with stylish, black and white, often military inspired music videos, Rhythm Nation took over MTV and the charts starting with the classically Janet track Miss You Much. Released just ahead of the album, Miss You Much rocketed to the top of the Hot 100 on October 7, 1989. The black and white video introduced us to her troop of dancers, the "rhythm nation", and set us up for a barrage of fantastic videos and singles. Rhythm Nation (#2 US) followed with one of the most iconic dance videos of all time, and lead to her third single and second #1 from the album Escapade. Escapade took a more gentle, playful tone and spent three weeks at #1 in March of 1990. Alright, featuring Heavy D, came next, hitting #4 in the spring and #2 with the ballad Come Back to Me in the summer. Janet was back at #1 with the self-written rock number Black Cat by the end of summer. Finally, on January 19, 1991, over two years after the release of the album, Janet revamped her style, her body and the seventh single and fourth #1 song from Rhythm Nation, Love Will Never Do (Without You) hit #1. With that, Rhythm Nation 1814 became the first album to score #1 hits in three consecutive years. Suck on that, Michael! OH, and the album actually had an eighth hit on the US Dance and R&B charts with the promotional release of State of the World hitting #9 and #23 respectively. BAM! Rhythm Nation changed the way Janet was seen, the way women of color were perceived in the music industry and the way music videos were used to promote albums. It was a stellar follow up to a strong album that cemented Janet as more than just Michael's little sister and put here in the big leagues for good. Listening to the tracks today, they still are as fresh and exciting as they were 25 years ago. Take a look and listen below and enjoy Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814.

THE BEST ONE, LaTOYA JACKSON, IS 58 TODAY!

SHHHHHHH! I'm 58.

I mean, c'mon. You can have your Michaels and your Janets and your Jackson 5s, but LaToya Jackson, the hot mess multi-talented living legend, is the best Jackson. Well she is turning 58 today! Right? I remember reading a review of her 1988 album, LaToya, that said something to the effect of, "Michael Jackson can sing and dance. Janet Jackson can sing and dance. LaToya Jackson looks great in a studded bra." That pretty much sums it up. LaToya has always been a bit of an outsider in her family. She started off pretty well, singing on their family variety show, forming a band with sisters Janet and Rebbie. She had a couple of Hot 100 hits in the early 80s with Heart Don't Lie and Hot Potato, then came Playboy, her family's public shunning and her disastrous marriage in which she claimed to be beaten and brainwashed, and more and more plastic surgery. There were a lot of rough years, but LaToya came back! Now she's bigger than ever, appearing in such blockbuster television shows as Armed & Famous, Celebrity Big Brother and (actual hit show) Celebrity Apprentice. This girl is on fire!! With her every growing breasts and ever shrinking nose, LaToya is a Jackson through and through. Also, as cited on her wikipedia page, "LaToya is a known vegetarian." WOW! In all seriousness, I have actually gotten a kick out of Toy for many years, just out of pure campiness. She's been on RuPaul's Drag Race three times, ladies! The girl is a mess, but we kinda love her for it. Here are some well sung artifacts from KNOWN VEGETARIAN LaToya Jackson. Please watch You're Gonna Get Rocked!. It's amazing. Enjoy and Happy Birthday, LaToya!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: LONG LOST JANET JACKSON/HERB ALPERT SONG - DIAMONDS

Long forgotten....except by me because I LOVED LOVED LOVED this song!!!! Back in 1987, Herb Alpert was an established horn player who hadn't had a hit in a while. He teamed up with Janet's producing super-duo, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. One of the results was Diamonds, a song recorded with vocals by Janet Jackson and Lisa Keith (but really just Janet) and hit #5 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B charts. Herb didn't have another hit, but Janet was just at the beginning of her streak, which of course boosted this song as well. Don't get me wrong though, the funky horn and "dontcha know, diamonds are a girl's best friend" chorus rocked my world. Check out the mostly forgotten and often underrated Diamonds!!

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: I'M A SLAVE 4 U - BRITNEY SPEARS

Oh, Britney! You saucy little bitch. Britney was sick of the teen-queen image back in 2001, so she did what any sensible pop starlet does....she slutted it up!! Not that Britney hadn't already shown some skin before, but her music, in general, was on the safe side. I'm a Slave 4 U, written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams a.k.a. The Neptunes, was full-on sex kitten material and Britney cooed her way to one of her sexiest hits. The song is accompanied by the perfect video. Taking place in a sauna/dance club, Britney dances her ass off, gets licked by a male dancer and teases about every boy and girl in the place. It was a shift in her career and easily one of her best singles of ever. Don't you miss this Britney? THOSE ABS! Anyway, watch the video below and be a slave to her. Hump away, m'friends. Hump away. FUN FACT: I'm A Slave 4 U was written for Janet Jackson and intended for her album All For You. Her loss, Brit's gain.
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