50 years of Control

Birth of a Legend Welcome back to ShadyBrooke my dear residents. The past few weeks have been filled HUGE amounts of shade…with that being said I think we should increase the amount of visits per week (How does twice a week sound ?!?!?!?). Although the shade has been thick and heavy since last week, today is a very special day in Shadybrooke. Today (5/16/16) is the 50th birthday of one of the biggest entertainers of all time… Janet Jackson!!!! Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 2016 in Gary, Indiana. You all may know her older brothers (specifically Michael), but what many have failed to realize is that Janet is a legend in her own right. Janet began her career at the age of 10 by starring in “The Jacksons” variety show and later starred in “Good Times” as Penny Gordon-Woods. This led to many other television roles on many different shows (i.e. “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Fame”). By the age of 16, her father had landed her a contract with A&M Records which led to the release of her debut album “Janet Jackson” in 1982. Her second album “Dream Street” was released two years later. These two albums barely made the charts due to the “bubblegum pop” image. After terminating her business relationship with her father and her marriage to James DeBarge, Janet began to start on her third album. By teaming up with producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet released “Control” in 1986. This was the beginning of her vast music career. From the enlightening “Rhythm Nation 1814” to the sexy and soulful “Janet.” to the care-free and youthful “All for You”, Janet Jackson’s legendary status will live forever through her music. What makes Janet Jackson so special is that she is a trailblazer in the music industry. She has talked about many thing in her music, topics such as: poverty, racism, spousal abuse, children, love, and education (something many artists avoid talking about). Not only that, Janet is one of the few artists who has No. 1 albums in each of the last 4 decades (‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, ‘10s). She has one of the most successful debut tours by ANY artist. She has won countless awards (five Grammy awards, twelve American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, thirty-three Billboard Music Awards, the MTV Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, and the BET Ultimate Icon Award). She has paved the way for women to be bold, free, and sexy in the music industry and is the reason most of your fav’s are around today. Lastly, (the most amazing of all her achievements) she became pregnant at the age of 49 (a few weeks before her 50th birthday), giving all hope to women trying to create a family at any age. I have many reasons why I love Janet Jackson. One of the reasons is that her music is so raw and real. Her albums are “timeless classics” that I can relate to for any occasion. Another reason is that she made herself a legend even though she had siblings that were already a household name when she started. Coming from a big family, to see the youngest become an equal to her older brother is a big accomplishment in my eyes. And being the STAN that I am, I’m going to blasting a Janet playlist (which you can find on this page) until tomorrow morning. I love you Janet….Congratulations on 50 years and I wish you 50 more years that are filled with love and music. #GoOnMissJanet #Janet50 Well….That’s my fan moment of the day (Y’all should see me on Toni Braxton’s birthday)!!!!!!!! Until next time my dear residents, and remember “Spread nothing but peace, love, and shade!”