An open letter to Janet Jackson

[nf0603]

I found this on another board and thought it'd be good to post here too


Dear Janet Jackson,

You used to be really respectable and fun and made killer music. "Control" was a seminal album of the 80's. "Rhythm Nation 1814" is nothing short of a masterpiece (visually and musically). "Janet." was a steamy dance and R&B throw-down that never wore out it's funk. "The Velvet Rope" showed a stunning potential for growth and depth in your work.

Seriously. What happened?

In 2001, something happened. Something bad. The suck that was "All For You". Okay, not every single album you put out has to be perfect. A smudge on an otherwise sterling streak of releases is healthy and brings you back down to Earth. It puts you in a place to re-assess your game and make up for it with something brilliant. That something turned out to be... "Damita Jo"? "Damita Jo" was your last get out of Jail Free card. I was not amused. Something was seriously arye at this point. I was hurt, confused and scared. Now we flash forward to last week and you drop the audaciously named "20 Years Old". Like, for reals? A twice-scorned fan base sends you back to the drawing board and this is what you come back to us with?! THIS?!

I mourn the cool you. What used to be this cute, charismatic entertainer has now become this sad middle-aged pop star white knuckling her youth for all it's worth. I don't mind that your midlife crisis has officially cleared the runway. I don't even mind that you were brazen enough to write off the most obvious publicity stunt in human history as an "accident" (read: wardrobe malfunction) and insult the intelligence of the world at large in doing so. But when the music suffers, you've gone too far. Your last 3 albums have shown no growth whatsoever. It's the sound of an artist repeating themselves. Badly. You've made it very clear that you're getting some and you love it. I'm no prude. You wanna share every sweaty detail about your moist and gooey sex life? Be my guest, but at least make it interesting.

You've been making complete and utter crap music that is far beneath your abilities for what I consider to be an unacceptable amount of time. Often times I used to defend you against accusations that you had no musical talent of your own but were only a tool for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to crank out more hits. I now take that back. I'm putting my pride aside. I suggest you do the same and call those brothers and apologize for ever straying out of their sights and grovel your way back into their good graces. Like, now. Perhaps you can offer them some of this "sex" you seem so fond of.

Comparisons between you and Madonna have always been nothing short of laughable as Madonna completely revolutionized the movement of women in pop music , whereas you had the noteworthy distinction of being the most tolerable Jackson. But at least then you were making great music, so there was room enough for both of you in the charts. Take a page from Madonna's book. Age gracefully. Wanna hire a flock of nubile 19 year old dancers? Go for it, but at least make sure you can keep up with them. Stop trying to be something you're clearly not (i.e. the title of your newest release). What's that you say, Janet fans? "The title '20 years old' is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of 'Control'?" I got a better idea, why not just re-release "Control" with bonus tracks and remixes? I'll take a re-release over re-hashing any old day. But no, instead we get "All For You" Version 3.0. If you're gonna beat a dead horse, at least beat the one that actually won all the races. You are not moving forward, lady. By any stretch and this pains me.

If you don't start going back to making music I can stand to listen to, we're breaking up for good. Now you march over to that corner, sit yourself down and think about what you've done. Oh, and try not to masturbate. No one cares.

[latifaheaston]

True, but a waste of energy. She'll be dropped by the end of the year.

[Toy Toy's Boy]

latifaheaston said:

True, but a waste of energy. She'll be dropped by the end of the year.

How can she be dropped? Her $60 Million Virgin contract for 4 albums has come to an end with this record. It's just a question of whether she'll renew or join someone else.

[dtaylor1689]

That was harsh. Poor Janet. I can't help agreeing slightly though, she hasn't really moved forward musically in a while.

[meister]

Never a true word spoken. I hope she does read it! I feel so let down by her too.

[Lola4Toy]

I take the p*ss out of Janet constantly but that person has too much time on their hands. I also disagree with the Madonna comparison. Janet has far more talent than Madonna. Even Madonna's 80s stuff (which I love) does not match Janet at her 80s best. It is a shame that they have both been releasing garbage since the 1990s.

I doubt Janet will read this, she obviously pays no attention to her fans. I do wonder what Virgin will do with her. They spent about $30 million dollars on 20YO (most of which was JD's producing fee ) - how much do you really think they will make back? This could be as big a bomb as Invincible was for Sony.

[nf0603]

I dunno if I'd say Janet's more talented than Madonna considering it's become more and more apparent that Rene Elizondo was really the brains behind Janet's finest work. As soon as they split, she went from being at the forefront of r&b to being just another Beyonce wannabe. Janet put too much blind faith in Jermaine to steer the wheel of her latest album, Madonna would never do such a thing, she'd put just as much input.

Madonna has done it all herself, she's never needed one producer or songwriter to strike gold for her the way Janet's been at her best with Jam/Lewis and Elizondo. Also unlike Janet, Madonna realizes when her fans have had enough of something. When she realized she'd gone too far with the sex sh*t, she dropped it overnight, when she realized people were sick and tired of the pretentious Kaballah crap, she started practicing it more silently. On the other hand, Janet stopped being sexy years ago, but yet she's continued to go down that path even after bottoming out at the Super Bowl. You'd think she'd take a page from the Madonna handbook and put her clothes back on once the mass majority began to think she crossed the line from sexy to slutty. Imagine if Madonna was still attempting to recreate Erotica at this point.

Madonna's peak began in 1989 to me (I love the debut album and True Blue, but Like A Prayer was the album that really put Madonna on a higher level, much like Control did Janet), so it's not that hard to fathom that Janet (who two of her three best albums IMO came from the 80's) was better than her then, Madonna is definately making better music than Janet is today IMO.

[meister]

I'm not the biggest Madonna fan, but her new "Jump" single is great! It has 80s catchiness written all over it! I also loved "Sorry", even though it heavily relied on the "Can You Feel It" sample.

Madonna today is producing far superior music.

[Shellshock]

Imagine if Madonna was still attempting to recreate Erotica at this point.

Imagine if she spoke about giving Guy Ritchie blowjobs and using her dildo in interviews. Agred with the rest of your post too (especially the Rene stuff) Madonna is far more talented than Janet.

[tommie]

He had me up until Madonna. How exactly have she aged gracefully?

[nf0603]

tommie said:

He had me up until Madonna. How exactly have she aged gracefully?

not to pick a fight, but are you the same Tommie from Pulse who went on an anti-Madonna, pro-Mariah rampage recently? He had the same name, so I'm not sure, just curious since you seem to dislike Madonna as well.

Like her or not, Madonna has aged very well. For starters, she retired the sex sh*t when she realized it was time to move on, unlike Janet who should've put her clothes back on five years ago. She like Cher before her, has definately raised the stakes of what being an over-40 female in the music industry is like.

[tommie]

No, I'm not! I don't "hate" Madonna - I even bought Confessions! To be honest, I'm just slightly indifferent to her these days.

But honestly, she's hardly aged gracefully. Writhing around with a bunch of 19-year-olds in a pink leotard isn't exactly a class act - I do applaud her though for realising when her career is in the dumper and managing to turn it around time after time though.

[nf0603]

tommie said:

No, I'm not! I don't "hate" Madonna - I even bought Confessions! To be honest, I'm just slightly indifferent to her these days.

But honestly, she's hardly aged gracefully. Writhing around with a bunch of 19-year-olds in a pink leotard isn't exactly a class act - I do applaud her though for realising when her career is in the dumper and managing to turn it around time after time though.

oh ok, I was gonna say when I read that on Pulse that I was thinking "he doesn't seem like the Tommie from the church with his obsession over album sales".

Yea, Madonna does try too hard at still trying to be youthful, but I would say she does it with more creativity and style than "look at me!!! didn't you want to see me naked in 1993? here's your chance". I don't think Madonna's gonna act the role of grandma for a really long time, kinda like how Tina and Cher are in their 60's and they still have it IMO. I don't particularly care as much for Madonna the person as I once did (when I was a kid, she in Truth Or Dare was just the coolest person, now watching I'm Going To Tell You A Secret, I find her boring and pretentious), but as long as she keeps making great records, I'm going to keep being a fan.

[Lola4Toy]

How did a Janet post turn into nf0603 ranting about Madonna's musical legacy? Can you please just open a pro-Madonna thread so we don't have to read about how that old leotard wearing granny, who only has hits when she mines/rips off her 80s catalogue. Let's get back to the Janet bashing/supporting. At least Janet isn't an egomaniacal superbitch with no scruples or morals.

[nf0603]

lola4toy said:

How did a Janet post turn into nf0603 ranting about Madonna's musical legacy? Can you please just open a pro-Madonna thread so we don't have to read about how that old leotard wearing granny, who only has hits when she mines/rips off her 80s catalogue. Let's get back to the Janet bashing/supporting. At least Janet isn't an egomaniacal superbitch with no scruples or morals.

yea, just like how Janet's last few albums have all been hinted at "she's going to return to the style that you loved in 1986" and then doesn't. Janet has morals? Yea, I'm sure the religious right really loved her bringing up fans onstage and tying them up and simulating sex with them in front of 20,000 fans a night. I'm sure they all thought it was precious when Janet went on Oprah to talk about getting her clitoris pierced, I know that was really moral and classy. The difference between Janet and Madonna is that Madonna stopped being a whore a long time ago, Janet's still at it and it wore out its welcome ages ago. We liked Janet a lot better when she wore clothes.

You made it about Madonna because you couldn't handle the fact that the author posted that he thinks Madonna is more talented than Janet (and then a lot of people seem to agree. Janet IS a nobody without Rene ghostwriting her songs and with Jam and Lewis being her main producers, her last couple albums have proven that. Madonna doesn't need a man or one specific producer) and then can't handle it when people disagree. You only are defending Janet because she's La Toya's sister.

[Shellshock]

lola4toy said:

How did a Janet post turn into nf0603 ranting about Madonna's musical legacy? Can you please just open a pro-Madonna thread so we don't have to read about how that old leotard wearing granny, who only has hits when she mines/rips off her 80s catalogue. Let's get back to the Janet bashing/supporting. At least Janet isn't an egomaniacal superbitch with no scruples or morals.

You were the one who first focused on the Madonna comment. Or is it only ok to bash her? Hate Madonna all you like, but there's no need to have such an attitude because others like her. Considering there's FIVE Janet threads on the front page alone, I don't think it matters if they don't all stick completely to the subject.

[Lola4Toy]

shellshock said:

lola4toy said:

How did a Janet post turn into nf0603 ranting about Madonna's musical legacy? Can you please just open a pro-Madonna thread so we don't have to read about how that old leotard wearing granny, who only has hits when she mines/rips off her 80s catalogue. Let's get back to the Janet bashing/supporting. At least Janet isn't an egomaniacal superbitch with no scruples or morals.

You were the one who first focused on the Madonna comment. Or is it only ok to bash her? Hate Madonna all you like, but there's no need to have such an attitude because others like her. Considering there's FIVE Janet threads on the front page alone, I don't think it matters if they don't all stick completely to the subject.

Get a grip . I commented on one paragraph... which somehow turned the thread into a jerk session about Madogga's supposed musical legacy . Is it so hard to open a thread for Madonna? I'll even do it myself if you are both too lazy. It does get annoying when nf0603 repeats the same comment in 5 different posts. It's like he has posting OCD. The basic premise of this thread was interesting until it became about Madonna's leotard .

[nf0603]

lola4toy said:

shellshock said:

You were the one who first focused on the Madonna comment. Or is it only ok to bash her? Hate Madonna all you like, but there's no need to have such an attitude because others like her. Considering there's FIVE Janet threads on the front page alone, I don't think it matters if they don't all stick completely to the subject.

Get a grip . I commented on one paragraph... which somehow turned the thread into a jerk session about Madogga's supposed musical legacy . Is it so hard to open a thread for Madonna? I'll even do it myself if you are both too lazy. It does get annoying when nf0603 repeats the same comment in 5 different posts. It's like he has posting OCD. The basic premise of this thread was interesting until it became about Madonna's leotard .

seriously man, what the f*** is your problem with me? You've had a stick in your ass because I stood up to you when you were being insensitive toward me some time ago when I was depressed because I thought I was losing a guy that I wanted to be with to women (even though I haven't spoken to the guy in weeks and don't want to). Because I dared to be a sh1t back at you, you've had this bone to pick with me since and I think all it does is makes you look like the pathetic one because that was probably a month ago and you're still pissy at me over it.

If I recall correctly, check to see why posted the godforsaken thread, it was... ME!! Suddenly I'm "up Madonna's ass" (what the hell!!! have you not read the countless times I've said that I don't care for Madonna's Kaballah obsessed personality, just that I still like her music) all because I merely stated that I understood why she defended Eminem in 2001. I don't think you're American, so you probably don't understand the big hoopla about the "First Amendment". Madonna has been a big supporter of Freedom Of Speech, and she would've been a huge laughing stock if she suddenly said that Eminem had no right to use his American-given right after she's worked so hard against censorship.

[Lola4Toy]

Jamie, why did you close my lovely "Madonna Is Better Than Jesus" thread? It was highly entertaing!

[nf0603]

lola4toy said:

Jamie, why did you close my lovely "Madonna Is Better Than Jesus" thread? It was highly entertaing!

I love your maturity and how you convieniently dodge whenever I confront you. Go to hell you piece of sh*t. Too bad I can't just filter your posts.

I'm almost 27, I don't need to play grade school games, if you don't like me because you've got this fifth grader type bully attitude, here's a gun, use it on yourself. Ciao!