56 Critical Thinking Essay 4 – (compare and contrast) – “Janet Jackson vs. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter: Voices of a Generation of Minorities in America”
DeRoin Motah
Janet Jackson vs. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter:
Voices of a Generation of Minorities in America
What does it take to become the voice of a generation in America? A multi-million-dollar record contract; a catalog of number-one hit records and albums spanning decades on the Billboard music charts; a trophy case full of Grammys, Black Entertainment Television (BET), and Music Television (MTV) Awards; or a front-page news headline exposing the latest celebrity scandal such as #Nipplegate or #ABillionDollarsOnAnElevator? Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, two reigning queens of American popular culture from the 1980s to the present day, have become the voices of a generation of minorities in America. The minorities they represent include feminists, the LGBTQ+ community, underprivileged black Americans (aka the “ghetto fabulous”), uneducated and poor Americans, and victims of hate crimes and racial profiling, to name a few. To answer this question of what it takes to become the voice of a generation, one can compare the work of Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, similar yet different, and examine how each gives rise to the unheard voices and untold stories of minorities across America as they contribute to the Modern Civil Rights, LGTBQ+ Equal Rights, and Women’s Rights Movements.
One need not look that far back in U.S. history to remember the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, black, brown, and transgendered (trans) Americans today are still fighting for equal rights in the modern civil rights movement. Comparing Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 album to Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s call for justice for George Floyd, one can identify similarities between the ways these artists call out socio-cultural and economic injustices prevalent in U.S. society. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 album, released in 1989, begins with a pledge: “We are a nation with no geographic boundaries, bound together through our beliefs. We are like-minded individuals, sharing a common vision, pushing toward a world rid of color lines.” Rhythm Nation 1814 addressed homelessness, a growing crack cocaine epidemic, poverty, education, and gang violence killing the youth of America. In The Atlantic, Joseph Vogel references a 1990’s Rolling Stone interview of Jackson by journalist David Ritz that said, “It was these voices, these struggles, these ongoing divides and injustices that Janet Jackson wanted to represent in Rhythm Nation 1814.” “We have so little time to solve these problems,” Janet Jackson told journalist Ritz (Vogel). She elaborated: “I want people to realize the urgency. I want to grab their attention. Music is my way of doing that” (Vogel). “I wanted to reflect, not just react,” Jackson said in this interview (Vogel). “I re-listened to those artists who moved me most when I was younger,” she explained, “Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye. These were the people who woke me up to the responsibility of music. They were beautiful singers and writers who felt for others. They understood suffering” (Vogel). Pop stars, Jackson recognized, had unprecedented multimedia platforms. Like the influential stars who inspired her in her youth, Jackson was determined to use her platform to do more than simply entertain.
In 2016, the Black Lives Matter Movement began demanding change from U.S. government officials in protest against the civil injustices caused by racial profiling, police brutality, and hundreds of unsolved murders of black and trans people by police and law enforcement authorities across America. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s call for justice for George Floyd via an Instagram post on 30 May 2020 responded to this moment of civil unrest. In an article published in People Magazine, journalist Georgia Slater reports on Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s personal video message in this Instagram post:
We need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We can not normalize this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of color, if you’re white, black, brown, or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless about the racism going on in America right now. No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human. We can no longer look away. George is all of our family and humanity. He is our family because he is a fellow American, and there have been too many times that we’ve seen these violent killings with no consequences. (Slater)
In this message, Beyoncé went on to acknowledge that , “Yes, someone’s been charged, but justice is far from being achieved” (Slater). Like Janet Jackson before her, Beyoncé used her platform as a pop star to engage in important commentary on social justice. In reviewing these examples, one can compare how Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter use their passion for calling out social injustices through their music and social media platforms to vocalize the modern civil rights movement.
Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter embrace and express their compassion for their LGBTQ+ audiences by writing and producing record albums dedicated to their LGBTQ+ family, friends, and fans. Both stars also raise awareness for causes affecting the LGBTQ+ community. In 1997, Janet Jackson released The Velvet Rope album, in which she dipped into LGBTQ+ themes for the first time. Janet Jackson interludes her hit single “Together Again” with “You don’t have to hold onto the pain, to hold on to the memory,” a reference to the millions of young men and women lost to the 1990s AIDS epidemic. In a 2020 article from the South China Morning Post, Andre Neverling identifies Jackson as a “Gay Icon” and “LGBTQ+ Ally.” Neverling reiterates that “Janet’s hit single “Together Again” was a homage to her gay dancers and friends who succumbed to the AIDS pandemic in the early 1990s. With a portion of the single’s sales donated to The American Foundation for Aids Research (AMFAR), she was awarded Outstanding Music Album at the 9th Annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in 1998 for her efforts.” Through this song and her donation of the proceeds, Jackson provided both moral and material support to the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s important to note that this level of support for the LGBTQ+ community was not common or mainstream in the 1990s. In an article from The Reckoning magazine, Darian Aaron points out that “In 1997, an album like The Velvet Rope, with its progressive content and lyrical plea for LGBTQ+ equality, was considered extremely risky for a black mainstream artist, but Jackson had just secured an $80 million contract renewal with Virgin Records and was in the driver’s seat.” Aaron also explains the importance of Jackson’s action to her legacy and the future of pop music: “Power moves like this ultimately paved the way for other boundary-pushing projects from black artists like Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Lil Nas X’s Montero, two deeply personal and introspective albums. Janet Jackson’s open support for LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV through her music was a natural progression for an artist whose work reflected her life.” Jackson’s activism proved that it was possible and powerful to use the leverage of pop music stardom to make a positive impact for marginalized communities.
Like Janet Jackson, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter uses her platform to share her love for LGBTQ+ audiences and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter begins her hit single “Formation” with the iconic sound clip of Messy Mya, a murdered black trans woman from New Orleans, placing a spotlight on the unsolved murder of Messy Mya in 2017. Writing for The Advocate, Reverend Irene Monroe explains the importance of this queer inclusion in Beyoncé’s hit single:
“Formation” is both a personal and political statement about repression and a celebration of black life in America…. As a meditation on the intersections of place, class, and gender identity, past and present, “Formation” is also unashamedly queer. That queerness is front and center—from its signature hypersexual “ass-shaking” gender-bending hip-hop music and dance form (reminiscent of “Bama’s Prancing Elites”), appropriation of gay expressions, to the words of local hero Messy Mya and the genderqueer local voice of royal “Queen of Bounce” diva Big Freedia, who’s heard speaking in the song. That’s why their inclusion in Beyoncé’s “Formation” was not a stretch but a shout-out. (Monroe)
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter also produced and dedicated her Renaissance album to her late gay uncle, who died of an AIDS-related illness. An article on Pridesource.com, titled “Why We’re Not Surprised Beyoncé Has Lovingly Dedicated Her New Album to Her Late Gay Uncle,” by Sarah Bricker Hunt quotes Beyoncé’s album notes: “A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that served as inspiration for this album,” she wrote. In these notes, Beyoncé made clear the importance of the queer community’s contributions to American culture: “Thank you to all of the pioneers who originated culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you” (qtd. in Hunt). In comparing the amount of love and support that Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter give to their LGBTQ+ audiences, one can identify the influence and impact of LGBTQ+ people in their lives. Both artists unapologetically amplify the LGBTQ+ community’s voice and pay homage to those lost to AIDS-related illnesses.
Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter have respectfully accepted or claimed the title of “modern feminists,” setting their agenda by pushing for women’s equal rights. Janet Jackson’s music has been fighting for equality and sexual liberation since she announced she was “in Control” in 1986. In a Fader article from 2015, Aimee Cliff highlights Janet Jackson’s struggles with sexism during her career: “It’s an old story: female artists somehow get less credit for their own work than the men they work with and associate with. But Janet’s breakthrough was an album called Control, which detailed her struggle to emancipate herself from her family and be the creative director of her own career. True to her word, she’s had co-production and writing credits on every one of her albums since 1986.” Cliff goes on to review how Jackson’s music emphasized female agency and sexual empowerment:
In 1993, [Jackson] announced herself as a sexual agent with the infectious single “If,” fantasizing about all the things she’d like to do to a man; by 2001, on “Would You Mind,” she was demanding oral sex and orgasms. On one of her most experimental albums, 1997’s The Velvet Rope, she explored everything from bondage and masturbation to bisexuality and threesomes. Just like that, Janet proved that “control” can also mean empowered female sexuality. In one of her most close-to-the-bone records, Janet mimics the vicious cycle of an abusive relationship in the aggressive push-and-pull of her 1997 album track “What About,” in which she demands to know, “What about the times you hit my face? / What about the times you kept on when I said no more, please?” Janet told MTV at the time, “I think it’s important to let others know… that they’re not alone and that you understand what they’re going through and that they can make it through.” (Cliff)
Jackson’s lyrics, as well as her statements in interviews, clarify her approach to modern feminism: embracing sexual autonomy while also being willing to stand up against abuse and stand in solidarity with other women in similar situations.
Comparably, Beyoncé Knowles Carter embodies modern feminism by becoming the biggest female pop star in the world while nurturing her marriage, mothering three children, and expressing her sexuality through music and live performances. In a Time Magazine article from 2015, Eliana Dockterman highlights the innovative feminist message of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s self-titled fifth album, Beyoncé:
She does something new on Beyoncé — a collection of music and videos. Men and love are a focus, but she reminds us that those songs are also about empowerment. There’s even a spoken word passage in “Flawless” from Nigerian-born writer and feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that calls for young girls to “lean in” and be more than someone’s wife. She sings about love and sex more boldly than ever, peppering those songs with messages about independence and motherhood.
This album was of course not the first time Beyoncé’s music emphasized women’s empowerment. One cannot forget Beyoncé Knowles Carter’s role as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, the powerhouse girl group with number-one hit singles and anthems for women, including “Independent Women,” “Survivor,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “Girl.” Through their music and message, both Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter have been paving the way and fighting for women’s equal rights for decades.
When comparing Janet Jackson to Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as voices of a generation, one can associate both as powerhouse writers, producers, and mainstream artists with a history of defining, shaping, and vocalizing the untold stories of minorities in America. However, one cannot compare Janet Jackson to Beyoncé Knowles-Carter without acknowledging the struggles both artists faced as black female artists in their journeys to becoming the mega-celebrities of today. One does not become a top-selling U.S. recording artist without relating to and touching the soul of America. The ability to express the pain of racial injustice, oppression, unfair treatment, ungiven acknowledgment, and losing loved ones to AIDS comes from first-hand experience. Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter are embodiments of the voices of minorities in America.
Works Cited
Aaron, Darian. “Janet Jackson Documentary Solidifies Legacy of LGBTQ Icon, Teases New Single ‘Luv I Luv’.” The Reckoning, 19 January 2022, https://www.thereckoningmag.com/the-reckoning-blog/janet-jackson-documentary-reaffirms-global-icon-as-the-queen-of-pop.
Cliff, Aimee. “7 Reasons Why Janet Jackson Is An OG Pop Feminist Icon.” The Fader, 3 June 2015, /https://www.thefader.com/2015/06/03/janet-jackson-is-an-og-pop-feminist-icon#:~:text=On%20her%20 iconic%201989%20release,in%20 protest%2F%20To%20social%20 injustice.
Dockterman, Eliana. “Flawless: 5 Lessons in Modern Feminism From Beyoncé.” Time, 17 December 2013, https://time.com/1851/flawless-5-lessons-in-modern-feminism-from-Beyoncé/.
Hunt, Sarah Bricker. “Why We’re Not Surprised Beyoncé Has Lovingly Dedicated Her New Album to Her Late Gay Uncle.” Pride Source, 28 July 2022, https://pridesource.com/article/why-were-not-surprised-Beyoncé-has-lovingly-dedicated-her-new-album-to-late-gay-uncle/.
Monroe, Irene. “Beyoncé Does Justice to New Orleans’s Rich Queer Culture.” The Advocate, 10 February 2016, https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/2/10/Beyoncé-does-justice-new-orleanss-rich-queer-culture.
Neverling, Andre. “Janet Jackson, The Gay Icon – From Lesbian Song Remakes to That Will & Grace Cameo, Six Times The American Singer Proved She Was an Lgbt Ally.” South China Morning Post, 13 May 2020, https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3083995/6-defining-moments-turned-janet-jackson-lgbt-icon?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article campaign=3083995.
Slater, Georgia. “Beyoncé Urges People to ‘Remain Aligned and Focused’ in Fight for Justice for George Floyd.” People Magazine, 4 June 2020, https://people.com/music/Beyoncé-remain-aligned-focus-on-justice-george-floyd/.
Vogel, Joseph. “The Nation that Janet Jackson Built.” The Atlantic, September 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/the-world-changing-aspirations-of-rhythm-nation-1814/380144/.
