LiquidGold said:

Why are folks bringing race into it? If you look at the Top 10 pop charts in America,it's pretty much domimnated by R&B and hip-hop.Janet's race is not a disadvantage at all.If she's having problems,it's not because she's black

People have issues and we love them for it. Whitney Houston will be welcomed back with open arms (and thanks for the great pictures & the Diane Sawyer interview! ) So will Britney (we LOVED it when you shaved your head and hit that car with the umbrella!!)

Janet never even acknowledges that anything happened. How dull. She needs to go to rehab for exhibitionism addiction or have an affair with David Duchovny. Nope, she just smiles and offers her cleavage.

After all these years--success in TV, Music, Film, one huge controversy--we don't really know anything about her. It's hard to hate her but it's also hard to be interested.

I don't know. I think its just crazy how Janets fans disappeared off of the face of the earth. Where did they all go? Michael has the most loyal fans in the history of fandom, you would have thought Janet would have had too. I've read even MJ fans who just dispose Janet now. I think the music Janet releases could be much better, everywhere you go you read people are tired of the sex thing, and then we have fans saying 'Sex is what Janet is about so let her sing about what she wants to...' but when its not working, how long can you go doing the same thing over and over?


I think Janet handled the superbowl horrifically. Look at Madonnas interview with David Letterman. She projects a strong image, independent and sticking to her guns.



Madonna handled the media, she didn't let the media handel her... and thats the difference.






Janet on the other hand is giggling behind her hand, wearing a skimpy outfit as David Letterman rips into her left right and center.The audience was laughing along with him, its so painful to watch. Also when it was brought up again last year, she pretended her ear piece wasn't working and sat there silently.
People will continue to walk all over her, as long as she allows it. It was her FANS who made the news reporter apologize - not Janet, not Janet's people... the fans...

(Sorry the Janet interviews aren't on youtube)



But basically, I think people were expecting Janet to go along the MJ and Madonna route. When the media hates them bring out a song like "Human nature" (madonnas version) or "Scream"... expressing your feelings, but Janet just came out with another sex song, and let the media used her as a laughing stock. I think if she handled it differently people would have much more respect for her. A fanbase likes to have a strong independent person to look upto and Janet didn't really project that image during those crucial years.

I think Janet wants that success back otherwise she wouldn't have given up writing the songs and paid the hit makers of today to give her the hits shes been missing for the past 6 years. She needs to rebuild her fanbase and get the people who deserted her to come back or atleast be curious about her again.

Many of you made excellent points. Race (like it or not) is a factor. Janet ruled in the day that the Black Pop/RNB diva's ruled the charts like Anita Baker, En Vogue, pre crack Whitney etc. After the "neo soul" movement, everything went back to mainly White (exception of Beyonce and Rihanna who are the "chosen token Black performers of the moment") cookie cutter pop. As far as superbowl, that situation was not only racist but sexist on many levels. Racist, because I do not believe that if the situation was with Britney in place of Janet, that it would've hurt Britney the same. I don't care whose fault it was, it was two performers in the show and both should've been dealt with equally. Janet blacklisted off MTV, Justin heavily promoted. Music wise, 20YO sucked ass as does Madonna's Hard Candy. Damita Jo was just as good if not better than the majority of shit played today, but Janet was blacklisted. Discipline is a very good pop/dance cd that if recorded by Britney or Ciara would have been praised. Let's not forget Madonna in her ho days (which I miss). A Black female performer would have NEVER gotten away with the antics that Madonna pulled. Janet remains more private unless she has something to promote, Madonna is the original media whore that tarts like Paris, Lindsay, and Britney aspire to achieve. In the media, be it fashion, music, acting etc, Black's (with a small exception of few) usually do less than their White counterparts. Not since Michael Jackson or Prince have we seen Black artist not only compete with their White counterparts, but shatter records as well. One more thing that keeps Madonna in the public eye more that Janet- contraversy. Madonna has used the media to her own advantage. As far as talent, they are both pretty much on an even playing field. What makee Madonna more popular than Janet (besides race) Madonna is the QUEEN or marketing herself.
[Edited 10/31/08 11:11am]

NDRU said:

I find it so ironic that Janet is scorned for "exhibitionism", overt sexuality, and being too old yet Madonna, at 50, gets a pass for the same thing. I just saw Madonna a few weeks ago at MSG in NYC, and although the cone bra's are gone, she continues to prance around the stage in barely there costumes and her live shows are not for let's say, the church going crowd. I love both Madonna and Janet (i'm seeing Janet tomorrow), but I will call a double standard when I see it. At this point, Janet will have to turn water into wine for people to judge her fairly.

"At least Madonna keeps changing her direction"


Exactly.Every Madonna album isn't amazing,but at least we get a different album everytime.An album that doesn't sound exactly like the previous album.That's why I always look forward to new music from her.

Annika said:

he just needs to put out a quailty album.

I don't see what the big fuss is about. Every artist sees peaks and valleys during their career. Besides, she's not doing that bad.

When the first leg of the tour wraps up tomorrow in NYC, she will have played 16 dates in the US to crowds of 8-11,000 people a night. Last time I checked, that was still considered good. Look at Alicia Keys. She's currently playing to crowds of 4,000 and less and I don't see anyone proclaiming her to be "over".

Also:

- "Feedback" was a Digital Top 10 hit that sold almost 700k in the USA.
- "Call On Me" was a #1 single on the Billboard R&B singles charts for 2 weeks.
- 4 albums released this decade with two peaking at #1 (All For You and Discipline) and two peaking at #2 (Damita Jo and 20 Y.O.) on the Billboard 200. Combined, those 4 albums have sold 5 million copies in the USA

Does her career need a shot in the arm? Sure. I'd love to see her release an album with a string of successful Pop/R&B hits. Hopefully, that new MTV show she has in the works will put her talent back in the spotlight. But even if it doesn't, I don't think her career obituary should ever be written.

Janet will be fine. Like Tina Turner, I can see her aging flawlessly and still turning heads when she's in her 50's. Have you ever seen a fifty year old black woman rocking a six pack and still dancing her ass off? Get ready....because that's going to be Janet.
[Edited 10/31/08 11:34am]

Now that I think about it... the only reason why Madonna seems more successful than Janet right now may be it's because...

She was always more successful than Janet... in fact the only other woman to compete with her in the '80s was Whitney and we've seen how she's fallen off. Janet and Madonna aren't real fair comparisons.

SoulAlive said:

Right, uh huh. The charts now are dominated by the new and improved minstrel show that white audiences love from us

Take hip hop out of this equation. Stick with r&b and pop and see that the history of the music business has always given white artists a pass, from stealing songs from black musicians to black musicians purposely being non-controversial in order to make it. We have always had to be "better" with our behavior and attitude

I thought it was so stupid how justin would perform with her when I first heard the news, I almost had second thoughts about tuning it to watch the superbowl though I love Janet. I was wondering why she couldn't be like her brother and just perform without any other stars in the way, and it was a disaster in the end.

I'm just really sad for her cause I'm still a huge fan and naturally I will want her to succeed. Her material on Discipline is really strong IMO and fits in well with music today and could have easily charted if given a chance. I know Feedback did better than her other recent singles, but the timing was wrong and if her record label released the single on time, it would have been higher on the charts.

Maybe she will, maybe she won't. Who knows? All I know is you take a look at current-day Tina and you're not convinced she's 69, she looks 59 in the face and her legs haven't lost that shape. Janet seems like she's embracing her thickness...again, but who knows though? Who knows?

badujunkie said:

Madonna just has always done more interesting things, whatever they were, they were always more interesting. She has constantly re-invented herself, but she has a wider bigger fanbase that she can re-invent herself even if she loses parts of the base.

LiquidGold said:

Yeah it might be a "minstrel show" but my point is....black artists are doing extremely well these days.It's silly to pretend that poor ol' Janet is somehow being discriminated against because she is black Take race out of the equation and accept the fact that Janet has made several career mistakes and most people are tired of her.

SoulAlive said:

Madonna USED to be innovative with the direction of her music. Her best music was when she went out of the box. Then she chooses Timberland to produce Hard Candy. Not innovative if you ask me. I would like to see Janet hook up with some unknown but creative producer (as Madonna did until now) and creat something different and innovative. I would love another Velvet Rope. Although this wasn't one of her biggest sellers, it was creative, different from what was on radio at the time, and to this day remains my favorite Janet cd as a whole.

Janet's music is now worse than Madonna's. not on par with.
Madonna has more gay fans than Janet.
Madonna isn't related to Michael.
Madonna is more hip when it comes to current hot Producers.
Madonna is more of a publicity whore than Janet.
Madonna gets more airplay, radio and record company support than Janet.
Madonna isn't that much more successful than Janet, both of their last albums tanked compared to their peaks.
Stupid folks getting up in arms about the superbowl.
Nostalgia.Madonna has more memorable songs than Janet and worldwide has consistantly been more 'popular'

I was once a fan of both, but not anymore. So i'm unbiased. That's the honest way i see it.


[Edited 10/30/08 16:25pm]

Timmy84 said:

I hate to say it but I missed Janet's abs on this tour.
I don’t really mind the thickness but at one point it was like part of her was missing. Don’t know if that makes any sense. I know those to the neck outfits were hot. Mother was sweating buckets, putting Whitney to shame.

I agree that all of Madonna's albums are different from one another and I think she was a great albums artist this decade. This decade though, Janet toyed more with hip hop though she also had some great songs here and there and deserved an equal amount of success. I remember sending Enjoy and Spending Time With You to a few friends and they all loved it. I think she and her people made really bad decisions in what to release. Even when All Nite Don't Stop came out, a lot of people seemed to like it, but if it were the first single instead of Just a Little While, people might have shrugged off the superbowl cause the song is that good and the song and video have all the elements of a Janet Jackson song and music video that was lacking for a bit during All For You. Although I liked just a little while and I Want You a lot, those were for fans, not the general public, who needs something to grab their attention, which ANDS would have done.

someone I know who is not a fanatic but likes janet from a distance said she should have released it after the superbowl and no one would have cared.
[Edited 10/31/08 12:12pm]

Both Madonna and Janet received backlash for their sexual image, and you can see how Madonna handled it better.

Madonna always released a safer album (Bedtime Stories, Evita, Ray Of Light) or single ("Hung Up") after the public was getting tired of her (Erotica/Body Of Evidence/Sex book) (American Life) and always at the right time. Remember Madonna had to win back the public after she did the Che/Patty Hearst look.

Madonna also never apologized in an interview for offending people with her sexual antics. Instead, Madonna offered some fluff. People often cite Bedtime Stories as the only bit of fluff that softened her image. I think it had more to do with the one-two punch of EVITA and Ray Of Light. Madonna had switched from erotic imagery long before she hit 40.

What did Janet release? Hm? Some of the dirtiest songs of her career, and they keep getting more nauseating. People said they were tired of her sexual image. What did she release this year? An album where the general concept was sold as she is in S&M leather with a whip wrapped around her waist and a cum-soaked wig. Janet can keep doing this if she wants but we should stop wondering why the public is turned off.

THE VIDEOS

ANOTHER THING, when you saw the "Hung Up" video you did not think it was some budget shit like "Feedback" or "Just A Little While", did you? Janet has been having some bad videos lately, and not that it is as crucial these days but it is when it is the FIRST music video of a project. "All Nite (Don't Stop)" looked like a better visual production but there Janet was again: moaning open mouthed.
[Edited 10/31/08 12:17pm]