In many ways Janet Jackson’s career was something completely out of her Control. It wasn’t a fluke or an anomaly, but rather a chain of events led by destiny. In order to tell “HERstory”, we must first take a trip back to Minneapolis, Minnesota in the early 80’s at the dawn of the Minneapolis sound. This story involves Prince, one of the most prolific artists of his time. Prince was the keeper of a new sound and ruled it, and his protégés, with an iron hand. This dictatorship would eventually lead to rivalry, fistfights and the firing of band members. Nonetheless, it was these ill-fated events that ultimately spawned Janet Jackson’s career.

Back in April 1981, Prince put together a Minneapolis funk band called The Time. The Time was an outlet for Prince to secretly express his most funky and danceable R&B music. He produced the band’s self-entitled album under the alias “Jamie Starr”. The original Time members were Morris Day, lead vocals; Jesse Johnson, guitar; Terry Lewis, bass; Jellybean Johnson, drums; and both Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir on keyboards. Although the members were quite talented, they had no input on the material, and yearned for full-posse participation. By the time their second album rolled around in 1982, the band was pretty much fed up with “His Purple Highness”. Rivalry ensued, and it wasn’t long before Prince fired Jimmy and Terry in March 1983 for missing a concert. Not thinking twice about his decision, Prince focused on his new album Purple Rain in hopes of challenging Michael Jackson’s Thriller. But unbeknownst to Prince, his dismissal of Jimmy and Terry would have unforeseen consequences. The 80’s were sharply divided between “The Gloved One” and “The Purple Pauper”. Their sounds were mutually exclusive, and they would never play nice together, not even for the “We are the World” USA for Africa charity song. No sir! There were no ties between Motown and Minneapolis whatsoever, at least not until Janet Jackson.

Once Jimmy and Terry were banished from Paisley Park, they took with them the secrets of the Minneapolis sound, and the building blocks of how to produce young acts. Janet had also been temporarily exiled from the Jackson clan after eloping with James DeBarge; only to have the marriage annulled months later. But before she fled the compound, she took memories of watching her brothers from the stage wings as a child, the experience of living down the hall from the world’s biggest superstar as a teenager, and a keen understanding of how to master the MTV generation as an adult. Jimmy, Terry and Janet were brought together to break the music barrier by creating a Motown-Minneapolis hybrid act. The artist was to sound like Prince, but move like Michael, and Janet fit the bill. Janet’s arrival on the music scene was like the mixing of Coke and Pepsi with a shot of rum. No one had ever tasted anything quite like it. It had a funky, fresh sound filled with heavy beats and synthesized tracks. Unlike most of the pop music of that era, the Control LP was about a confident, sassy young woman taking charge of her life for the first time. Janet’s emancipation struck a chord with audiences everywhere. Her stylized videos were mesmerizing, and the perfect platform from which to assert world-pop domination. The two fallen members of The Time had successfully launched the perfect pop star.

Janet’s budding success undoubtedly caught Prince and Michael by surprise. How could they not have seen this coming? Were they too busy battling each other to take notice? Prince recognized Control’s signature sound as an offshoot of his own, and engineered by the rogues he had fired. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Michael was being taunted about Janet’s smashing success. He eventually became so bothered that he declined to accompany her at the 1987 American Music Awards where she was nominated. Janet took childhood friend and actress Kim Fields from The Facts of Life instead.

The Control album made Janet the first artist to pull five #1 R&B hits from one album. She also got her first Number One single on the “Billboard Hot 100”. Jimmy Jam referred to the Control LP as a “Ghetto Grammy” because of its radio, R&B and Pop-chart success. Janet’s final validation happened at the 1987 Grammy Awards. She was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards, but it was her live performance that won the critics. She put on a pedigree performance worthy of her last name with Jimmy and Terry by her side. The jam session was unforgettable. Janet worked it, honed it and brought the house down. She received a standing ovation by her peers, not because she was a Jackson, but because she was now Janet Jackson.