With candor and courage, world class entertainer Janet Jackson shares her painful journey to loving herself. She pulls us behind the velvet rope into her unforgettable career, sharing lessons she has learned and revealing the fitness secrets and lifestyle-changing tips she has adopted from her trainer.

The question of control for Black women is a costly one. From 1986 onwards, the trajectory of Janet Jackson's career can be summed up in her desire for control. Control for Janet was never simply just about her desire for economic and creative control over her career but was, rather, an existential question about the desire to control and be in control over her bodily integrity as a Black woman. This book examines Janet's continuation of her quest for control as heard in her sixth album, The Velvet Rope. Engaging with the album, the promotion, the tour, and its accompanying music videos, this study unpacks how Janet uses Black cultural production as an emancipatory act of self-creation that allows her to reconcile with and, potentially, heal from trauma, pain, and feelings of alienation. The Velvet Rope's arc moves audiences to imagine the possibility of what emancipation from oppression--from sexual, to internal, to societal--could look like for the singer and for others. The sexually charged content and themes of abuse, including self-harm and domestic violence, were dismissed as “selling points” for Janet at the time of its release. The album stands out as a revelatory expression of emotional vulnerability by the singer, one that many other artists have followed in the 20-plus years since its release.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). Billboard ranks Janet Jackson as the ninth most successful act in rock history, and the second most successful female artist in pop music history, with album sales exceeding 100 million. This collection features 20 chart-topping hits from throughout her illustrious career: All for You * Again * Black Cat * Escapade * If * Let's Wait Awhile * Love Will Never Do (Without You) * Miss You Much * Nasty * Rhythm Nation * That's the Way Love Goes * Together Again * When I Think of You * and more.

By the best selling authors of 'Michael Jackson: For The Record' Janet Jackson was born on 16th May 1966 in Gary, Indiana - she was just three years old when five of her older brothers, as the Jackson 5, scored their first hit: I Want You Back. Janet's first, self-titled, album was released in 1982 when she was 16 years old, but her input to it was minimal. Not until her first marriage, to James DeBarge, was annulled in November 1985 did Janet sit down, to think seriously about her future direction - and, to her surprise, she realised more than anything she wanted to make music. Decision made, Janet bravely took the first big step on the road to taking control of her own destiny. She fired her manager: her father. Instead, against her father's advice, she teamed up with James 'Jimmy Jam' Harris III & Terry Lewis - formerly members of Prince's band The Time - and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

A biography of Janet Jackson, "baby" in a famous family, who is not only Michael Jackson's sister, but a strong singing talent who has also worked in television.

The enduring leader of the rhythm nation, a vampire slayer, a legendary racecar driver, three independent women, and the MVP of the NBA, today's superstars reflect the ever changing landscape of our popular culture. The inventors of trends and reflectors of our current preoccupations, they play out our fantasies, feed our imaginations, and document our cultural history. They live their lives in epic scale yet we relate to them in a myriad of ways.The music, the movies, the stunts, the shows, the friends, dreams, romance, plans for the future and the stories that led them to fame -- readers will find everything they need to know about their favorite stars in these full-color books packed with stunning images and fascinating personal details.