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Happy Birthday Janet! (with DJ John Michael)
167 Plays1 month ago
This episode of HOMOPHONIC is all about celebrating the legend herself—Ms. Janet Jackson. We're joined once again by DJ John Michael to revisit some of our favorite Janet moments, from her unforgettable MTV Icon tribute to the long-rumored unreleased duet with Mariah Carey.
Before diving into all things Janet, we share our reactions to Rihanna’s brand-new single “Friend of Mine” from the upcoming Smurfs movie and chat about the highly anticipated 25th anniversary edition of The Emancipation of Mimi.
And of course, it wouldn’t be HOMOPHONIC without digging into some of Janet's most underrated deep cuts.
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Transcript
Rihanna's Return: New Music and Name Pronunciation
00:00:10
Speaker
I feel like there's a lot to talk about. You know what, I didn't even know what we were talking about, but I started like taking notes on some things and started just like trying to pull some other stuff together and be like, try to be prepared for anything. Be prepared.
00:00:23
Speaker
Be prepared in the words of Scar. Right. um ah Welcome back to Homophonic, everyone. ah we are joined by my co-host, DJ John Michael. At this point. At this point. Like, come on. y'all.
00:00:36
Speaker
I think we should start with Rihanna decided to return to music today. Rihanna. Rihanna. Rihanna. That's how she pronounces her name. I know. I know. I know. Rihanna.
00:00:49
Speaker
It's always so weird, though, because I'm so used to everyone saying Rihanna, and I know it's wrong. i and I've tried really hard over the years to start saying Rihanna. And it feels it feels like my Michigan accent is jumping out. Right.
00:01:01
Speaker
Because Michigan and Durs are always like, eh, with everything. Right. i feel It just doesn't feel natural for me to say Rihanna. and agree on Rihanna sounds like more regal. Right. Which, I mean, and she is a billionaire queen. So,
Analyzing Rihanna's New Track
00:01:15
Speaker
yeah. I mean, she really is. And I was not expecting ah song for the Smurfs soundtrack.
00:01:23
Speaker
Oh, really? so they They announced when she was a part of the movie that they were the soundtrack was going to contain music from her. Sure. And so I was like, okay. And I was like, I'm i'm here for this. I'm i'm interested to see where this goes.
00:01:36
Speaker
Right. But i'm I mean, I... I didn't think that that would be her return to music is my what I'm saying. i got Like when they said it, I was like, oh, okay. All right. This is what it's going to take.
00:01:47
Speaker
Yeah. Well, yeah. They were, they well, I mean, lest we forget Black Panther. forgot. What was that song? What was that song called? Lift Me Up. Lift Me Up.
00:01:58
Speaker
Lift Me Up. And then Born Again was the other one. yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, she released a new song today. Three minutes, 25 seconds.
00:02:08
Speaker
Let's celebrate that. we celebrate that Let's celebrate that. But we also have
Rihanna and the Smurfs Soundtrack: Context and Contributors
00:02:13
Speaker
to say, you know, when we say we want a three minute 25 second song, maybe this isn't the route we take. I mean, it it's ah it's like a full on minute before the vocal even starts.
00:02:23
Speaker
<unk> Which I like low key kind of loved. No, because I'm like, okay, like mixing in as a DJ, like that's that's that's definitely going to be helpful for people, I think. So yeah, we we love that. This song is literally a chorus. That's it.
00:02:38
Speaker
and so So the only thing that I'm thinking and and i'm i'm I'm kind of holding out for is that I think it might have something to do with the placement in the movie.
00:02:50
Speaker
I'm hoping. that's what it That's how it feels. To me, right. Yeah. i was like i I was like in the context of this film, this this this art film that's coming out, The Smurfs. but but But I do feel like it it gives like Smurfland dance break rejoice celebratory moment.
00:03:10
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. And yeah according to the music video, which we can get to in a second, ah there's clearly, it looks like so there's some choreography attached to it. Sure.
00:03:21
Speaker
And so, yeah, maybe you're right. It'll be contextualized better. and um in um People are moving. People are moving. People are moving. um i i do have to say, I'm just going to go ahead and say it. um What the fuck, Rihanna? Yeah.
00:03:37
Speaker
No, but okay, okay, hey are wait, wait, wait. Let's start at the top. So there's seven there are seven writers for this song. Seven. So there's seven writers for this song. They are. ah lot So I've done a little bit of digging since this came out, and I've been trying to like figure out yeah who is putting this all together.
00:03:52
Speaker
um I don't know that I have any type of theory, except that this is the information I found. So Elijah Knoll, who is a UMPG writer, that's universal Universal Music Publishing Group,
00:04:04
Speaker
has done stuff with Elenium, Upsall, Royal and the Serpent, whatever. Jason Cornett, another UMPG writer, does stuff, has done stuff for Tori Kelly, the Kid Leroy, ah John Batiste, the Jonas Brothers.
00:04:16
Speaker
John Belion, who produced the track as well. We know John Belion. If you are not familiar with him, his most popular song, I think, is All Time Low. He's sort of like a, you know, Lauv.
00:04:27
Speaker
Yeah. It's kind of like a Lauv-esque. Yeah. Like that, that group AJR. It's like that sort of, i don't know what you call that kind of pop. Yeah. No, I, I, I feel like Lauv kind of turned into like, this is going to sound like a diss and I don't mean it, but like kind of like Netflix pop.
00:04:43
Speaker
That might be it. That might be the genre. Yeah. Like it's like, it's, it's a it's kind of, it kind of gives cinema, but not necessarily like, like movie, like in the theaters, its but it's, it's syncable. Yeah. Like that, that's what I feel like i people in the industry like would say is that it's very syncable music. Like you can put it
Rihanna's Industry Impact and Modern Music Releases
00:04:59
Speaker
in a Netflix show. You can put it in a movie. You can put it like, it's very, that sort of what I think what you're describing. And John Bellion, uh,
00:05:05
Speaker
just wrote or co-wrote and produced Tori Kelly's album that came out last year. Correct. Correct. Super talented. um Then another writer, Lee Stashenko, a Sony ATV songwriter, wrote co-wrote Crash for Usher, as well as Roses with St. John and some stuff for Doja Cat. And then this was the most interesting one. Pete Knappy, who is another UMPG writer, but is the drummer of a band called Ocean Park Standoff, which also included Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan's ex-girlfriend.
00:05:35
Speaker
Oh, interesting. I'm like going to six degrees that one. Yeah. Like, wow. Okay. So random. um And then, of course, Miss Robin Fenty, Rihanna.
00:05:47
Speaker
And I'm going to just take a stab that she never laid a finger on that pen for the song. She said, these are the two lyrics I have. She said, friend. change that Change whatever word that was to friend. Right, right. This is a family film. She said, i wrote I wrote this haiku that I'd like you to make music for um Like, here's the thing.
00:06:11
Speaker
In theory, I love this song. And it's not that I dislike it. It's a very fun beat. Correct. I listen to it. i like the production a lot. The production's great. Yeah. um And I love like that like backing vocal that they kind of like chop it up. And the the way that it's kind of like chopped up at the beginning kind of reminded me of like early Kylie Minogue stuff. Totally. Totally.
00:06:32
Speaker
you know totally um And then other parts of it kind of reminded me of how they chopped up the vocal in Kylie Minogue's I Feel For You from Body Language. Yes. so similarities there.
00:06:43
Speaker
um But the fact that she sings the chorus twice in the song and that's it. And then it's just friend like me, friend like... Whatever the repeat is. Yeah. I don't have the melody down in my brain yet. Friend of mine, friend of mine, friend of mine.
00:07:02
Speaker
um You know what? and i as i ah I've listened to it like six or seven times now just to sort of like wrap my head around it. What it actually feels like, and this is my biggest stab in the dark guess, is that the long intro where there's nothing really sort of happening, building up, it feels like...
00:07:22
Speaker
There's a scene in the movie that's happening that's ending leading up to whatever the dance celebratory moment. And that first minute is the ending of that scene leading up to the...
00:07:34
Speaker
Big moment where I'm guessing Smurfette is who Rihanna's playing. Yeah. Yeah. Is going to sort of stand up on a mushroom and do something. I'm going to assume. Right. Actually, actually Rihanna is a Papa Smurf.
00:07:45
Speaker
Right. right I mean, not for nothing though. I'm here for that. Right. Yeah. um And then I feel like that's what it is. So I think that once the movie's out, the strangeness around this will sort of make a little bit more sense, but really. Totally. You really threw one out.
00:07:59
Speaker
and i' And I'm totally here for experimentation. Totally. And I love that it's, like, not really, like, anything out there right now. I'm just kind of frustrated that, like...
00:08:11
Speaker
I'm frustrated with the way the music industry is going with these types of things where they're like, oh yeah, like we're going to get Rihanna to sing this song. It's just going to be a chorus. And we know that her fans have been dying for new music for over a decade now. Right. We'll give them this. i Like it right part of me feels, ah maybe I'm thinking about a little too deeply. I'm, um I feel slightly insulted by it, but at the same time, I'm just kind of like, I don't know.
00:08:37
Speaker
I don't know. So I think the other the other thing that I find that's a little bit weird around this, which I didn't really also get, and maybe this is where the tie in, because I was saying how like the most of the people that wrote on this song were from UMPG, Universal.
00:08:52
Speaker
um When I looked at the song on Spotify, because I, if look, Part of my job, what I do for Peloton all day long is I'm very involved in metadata and I'm constantly digging through tons of metadata, whether it's music publishing, territory rights for songs, just whatever. If you have metadata, give it to me.
00:09:10
Speaker
I want to see it. I want to read it. I want to look. I want to know what's going on. so That's what I do anytime there's a new release. So of course, as soon as this happened, that's why I i started diving into it. Yeah. And what I noticed on Spotify is that but um on the track, it says for the record label, Westbury Road Entertainment or Westbury Road Records or something, licensed to Roc Nation or whatever it is.
00:09:32
Speaker
So I'm like, Westbury Road. I'm like, what is that? So I looked that up. Westbury Road Entertainment is a label through you Universal, UMG, Universal Music, and That is run by Rihanna.
00:09:46
Speaker
Oh. On this label, which has only been in existence for 10 years, the first single was Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney, four five seconds.
00:09:58
Speaker
Uh-huh. Okay. So that then the motion picture for another animated movie called Home, which I think- Oh, my God. I forgot about Home. Right. Yep.
00:10:10
Speaker
Uh-huh. Which she did music for on that as well. Yes. And then, um which Jennifer Lopez also had a song on there called Feel the Light. Yep.
00:10:21
Speaker
Yep. Then Rihanna put out American Oxygen on this label. Okay. And then Anti was on this label, which I think is the biggest thing that's on the label. Yeah. Yeah. And that's it.
00:10:32
Speaker
That's it. Okay. and And it's called what again? ah what west Westbury Road Entertainment. Interesting. Yeah. Okay. So weird. i'm I'm curious as to why that's a thing or like how, what how this all shakes out or what that all is like. But yeah.
00:10:49
Speaker
So I just, so just these like weird things that I'm trying to put together and be like, how, where's the pipeline to all this? Well, and then the music video, because you had sent the link this morning. And so I honestly didn't, I had to get up after you sent me the link because I was so like, I wasn't really, pay i was like half paying attention when I opened it and I didn't think it was real.
00:11:10
Speaker
I mean, she couldn't be bothered to even sing in the video. She's like, singing is too much. I'm going to walk to a door. It's going to turn into an animated cartoon, which is probably just clips from the film. And then we're going to go right back, and she's going to walk right back out the door. Right, right.
00:11:28
Speaker
and she She's like, I am too
Comparing Soundtrack Contributions: Rihanna vs. Britney Spears
00:11:30
Speaker
busy right now. I'm too busy. It's giving, we had one afternoon with Rihanna from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. In that time, we're going to record a song and we're going to shoot a video.
00:11:41
Speaker
Yep. That's what we're doing. And then she's back on a plane to go back to Madrid or wherever she is. Right. Yeah. Madrid. I i only hope that she is in Madrid. and i mean that's That is where she is residing most of her time.
00:11:54
Speaker
yeah i and i Yeah. And it's not that a dislike the track per se. I know I'm not going to revisit it much. Well, like I said, to me, there's something about the track that is is putting it in the same cinematic universe as Britney's And Then We Kiss.
00:12:09
Speaker
There's like a little like junkie XL-ness to the background track of this Rihanna thing. Totally. yeah And I feel like, you know what? If if this were given proper attention and like... I mean, maybe another seven writers got in a room and sat down and like made like an actual full vocal. like I think it could be something really cute because I think that the the refrain and the little bit of the you know the repetition of the friend of mine, I think is cute.
00:12:33
Speaker
Yeah, I do too. Yeah. They said there can be seven writers in a room and all it takes is all we need is one chorus. Right. That's it. and And dare I say, i feel like I'm like, I'm giving mixed signals because I'm saying like, I like the track, but then I'm like kind of ripping it apart.
00:12:48
Speaker
ah But I was going to say like, dare I say it makes Ooh La La by Britney Spears seem like a masterpiece. Look, I'm just saying that's like the, that's like Britney's 10 commandments right there. Like, Ooh La La, which Britney did for the Smurf soundtrack about 10 years, longer than that. was like 2013 that that came Something like that, yeah.
00:13:08
Speaker
That, I mean, that was a full-fledged proper pop song. Yep. And... I mean, it's not my favorite Britney song in the world, but it's also like, it's, I don't know, this friend of mine song, I feel like it you the the the best thing I think out of this song is that it's it'll be great for DJ sets to kind of play just one little chorus as like a little like sprinkle, like, oh, here's that new Rihanna song and then we'll go into where have you been? I don't know. Right, right, right. no, no. no like And I see that there's already like, I already have ideas of how I can sort of flip this into something a little bit more interesting.
00:13:40
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, i guess, thank you, Rihanna. Yeah, I mean, we'll see. I mean, I'm i'm like, i'm I'm almost, you know, not that Rihanna's listening to this, although maybe she is friend of the pod, Rihanna. Friend of the pod. Robin Fenty.
00:13:54
Speaker
yeah um But I'm almost like, she's like a groundhog to me. Like, don't scare her. don't you know You don't want to scare her. i don't want to make sure she sees she sees her shadow. like i want you know yeah she think If she thinks we like this, maybe we'll get more.
00:14:07
Speaker
Right,
Defining a 'Banger': Production and Emotional Response
00:14:08
Speaker
right. Well, it's just interesting because like at this at truly at this point. i mean, the music that she has released over the last 10 years, she did a feature on a future song, I think.
00:14:22
Speaker
And then she released the two ballads from the Black Panther Wakanda soundtrack and then this. Yeah. um um it's not interesting to me necessarily. But it's clear that she's not interested yeah in doing this.
00:14:40
Speaker
Yeah. Which is why, like, if you're not going to pay that much attention to it, Riri, I'm not going to pay that much attention to Exactly. like Like, yeah. And there is so much hype built up about this.
00:14:50
Speaker
ah The amount of emails I've already gotten about Rihanna's new song. And like I said, i'm i'm i ah Rolling Stone's headline today was Rihanna... releases club banger friend of mine and I'm like we we have to have a discussion about the use of the word banger in 2025 because it's probably at least from what I see as a DJ the most overused word in the lexicon What would you say, like when you say when you say club banger, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
00:15:20
Speaker
The banger to me is, it's got there's gotta to be a chorus or at least a moment in the song that lifts you and transports you up and out. Like it's gotta to be something that makes you wanna rejoice.
00:15:32
Speaker
You gotta throw your hands up. You're having the possible best moment on the dance floor is going to happen during a banger. Yeah. What about what about production wise? Like, does it have to be like a hard hitting song? Or can it be a little bit softer? No, it can be softer. It's just it's it's there's an emotional response that happens to it. There's a moment in the song that you have an emotional response to so it can be a banger like there are You know, Mariah Carey's Honey is a banger, which, yeah by the way, if you have not heard, there's a DJ, Sohmi, S-O-H-M-I. She just released. I have to listen to it a few more times. I can't really tell yet if it's a cover of Mariah or if it's actually just like a really pitched and weirdly sampled. But she samples um vocals from Honey and it's so good.
00:16:17
Speaker
Oh, is it called honey? Yeah. Yeah. that Okay. I can't wait to listen to this. That sounds great. I can't wait to it right before this. Um, so that's good too. Brian actually found it and send it to me. Yeah. Um,
00:16:28
Speaker
Yeah, because I definitely call a lot of songs bangers, but there's like, I have a very specific kind of thing in my head. You did a really good job of explaining that. Like, it creates an emotional response. It has to project you. It has to be... For me, it's you I usually use this term banger for something that's a little bit more hard-hitting.
00:16:48
Speaker
But, like, I think that you're right. Like, it can encapsulate a lot of different things. but Totally. But, like, this song isn't a banger. Because, I mean, like... Milkshake by Khalees 110 beats per minute. Absolutely a banger.
00:17:01
Speaker
Banger. Yeah. i the Honestly, this is this is slightly problematic of me, but the ah the song that usually comes to mind when I think of like a club banger is ah Tell Me by Cristina Aguilera and He Shall Not Be Named. Right, right, right.
00:17:16
Speaker
Yeah, because I mean, and unfortunately, like it is a really good song. Oh, yeah. No, totally. And um I just think of those like that hard beat with like those vocals.
00:17:26
Speaker
It's powerful. That album had a few of them. It did. Unfortunately. It did. The one with Brandy, thought. Oh, not I thought. ah
Mariah Carey's Upcoming Box Set and Rare Tracks
00:17:35
Speaker
Thought you said. That's what it was. Yeah. Thought you said. And the Nicole one?
00:17:39
Speaker
Come to me. wow i love that song her only u.s top 10 hit so which is so insane yeah yeah saying rubbing that in her face that she's a uh nominated for tony nine million awards this year yeah really yeah her best life on broadway i love it literally yeah um that sunset boulevard the they just released um They repackaged and they're releasing the Nicole Scherzinger version of the vinyl, ah oh sweet which now makes this the fourth edition of the vinyl that I now own ridiculously. Let's celebrate that. they said right
00:18:14
Speaker
They said we know our audience and it's DJ.Michael. Well, so when they released it, they were like, you know, ah soon to be pre-ordered the Nicole Scherzinger version. And I commented underneath. I'm like, what does this mean? I don't know what that means. I was like, does she play all the parts now? I was because absolutely here for this.
00:18:29
Speaker
It's there's just a one-woman show now. but Totally. Totally. Oh my God, that's incredible. But I do want to speak something because we did, I did mention that Mariah remix. Yes. I don't think that we talked about this yet on here.
00:18:42
Speaker
And we could probably do an entire episode about it, honestly. Yeah. But the five disc ultra mega release of the Emancipation of Mimi 20th anniversary. Yes. Which is coming out later this month. Right. yes Yes.
00:18:56
Speaker
Yes.
Celebrating Janet Jackson's Contributions and Rumored Collaborations
00:18:57
Speaker
Have they announced the track list? like the complain Oh, yeah. tracklist They have. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. With like the new bonus tracks? yeah Yes, yes. Give it to me. What is that yes So it's basically, oh, well I didn't write it down completely. ah Damn it. See, I put that on my laptop.
00:19:11
Speaker
Oh, my gosh. These are my notes. Okay. So basically, it's five discs. I mean, they're going to put this all on streaming, too. But the new tracks are, well, not new tracks, but Secret Love is on there, which I think is the first time on vinyl along with Sprung.
00:19:23
Speaker
Then there's a track that they're putting on streaming for the first time, When I Feel It. Yep. I heard about that. Yep. And then the We Belong Together, Mariah's Late Night Valentine mix. Yep. um It's like that mixes, the David Morales remixes, the We Belong Together remixes, Atlantic Soul and Peter Rohhofer.
00:19:40
Speaker
shake it off The Shake It Off one is just the rap remix with Jay-Z and Jeezy and then the instrumental and acapella. That's cool. um Your Girl remixes, which is fun. yeah Don't forget about Us mixes, but I will say I'm sad because it's only the Ralphie Rosario and Craig J ones and it's not the Tony Moran or the Quentin Harris. Bummer. Whatever, I get that. Sad. And then mix, which I think is a new mix of It's Like That by Eccentric.
00:20:08
Speaker
Are you familiar with him? I that sounds like a tick tock DJ. Well, no if i totally no no, no, no, no. And he maybe he might be now. I don't know. I i feel like I ah he's been around for a minute. He's actually the guy behind Beyonce's wetter remix of Cuff It.
00:20:23
Speaker
OK, I take it all back. Yeah, I take it all right. Right, right, right. He's been doing this for a minute for sure. But but yeah, so that he's doing that. And then don't forget about us live at the AMAs and then the new K Trinata remix, which I love.
00:20:36
Speaker
Very cool. Okay. we're getting some goodies. Let me tell you something. Nobody, and I will say this continually, nobody does their back catalog like Mariah. Truly. Nobody. She is feeding the lambs. Feeding. like And I say this all to say today is Miss Janet Jackson's birthday.
00:20:56
Speaker
Let's celebrate that. Happy birthday, Janet. Happy, absolute, oh my God, iconic. i Iconic. Wish you nothing but the best always. I mean, she is getting awarded the Icon Award at the AMA is coming up, which I think is, my is it Monday this week or and or the week after? It's one of these Mondays. It's coming up soon.
00:21:15
Speaker
Deserved. Deserved. I mean, she's my, when they said that she's getting the Icon Award, I immediately thought of the MTV's Icon that they did back in 2001. Remember that? Oh, yeah. With the tribute. And honestly, that was a formative moment in my life.
00:21:30
Speaker
Janet Jackson Icon. oh yeah. Yeah. Because you had all of the biggest celebrities at the time there, like paying homage to her. Aaliyah was there. um You had Destiny's Child do a performance.
00:21:44
Speaker
I forget. It was Let's Wait a While, I think. I gotta to dig this up. Yeah. is that Does that exist on YouTube? It does. It certainly does. And there was a dance tribute, which is probably my favorite part of the show. Yes. Oh, my god Dance tribute that featured Pink, Usher, and Maya, where they each did their own like like solo tribute.
00:22:06
Speaker
Pink did a dance tribute. She was she did the Missy Much chair dance. Oh, God. I found it. Wait. Usher did All Right. Yeah. Maya did Pleasure Principle, and then they all came together and did Rhythm Nation.
00:22:18
Speaker
I am so excited to watch this when this is done. It was so fun in sync. Like did they did a recreation of the, that's the way love goes music video. Where are the stars?
00:22:29
Speaker
Where are the stars? Where are the stars? come What are we doing? 2025? It, it I'm just saying like, like that, that, well, okay. So here's the thing and with, with this, with this particular AMA's thing, i swear to God, i am talking to Janet Jackson's team.
00:22:50
Speaker
I'm talking to the AMA's team. I'm talking to JLo's team. You have an opportunity right now to bring these two women together to perform together because JLo started her career. I mean, yes, she was a fly girl, but post fly girl, what was she doing? Dancing for Janet Jackson.
00:23:03
Speaker
And do you know who else is still out there performing who would be great to bring to all of this too? Paula Abdul. my God. I just got goosebumps. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. That would be insane. So like, I'm, I know that JLo is hosting the AMAs.
00:23:19
Speaker
So I'm like, let's, Fucking go. Come on. What is the use of being a homosexual if we are in our 40s and have not infiltrated the production team at MTV?
00:23:31
Speaker
Come on. Gays, get it together. Get it together. So i'm I'm really hoping, I'm crossing my fingers. I would think it would be so cool if we saw Janet and J-Lo perform together. God, that would be iconic.
00:23:42
Speaker
Wouldn't it be so cool? Like that would just. The dancing alone? Yeah. Like, cause they're both just, they're in such great shape. They look amazing. Right. Like they, that would just be, and both of them have such good stage presence, which. yeah. I think we've touched on before that. Like we feel like that's kind of getting lost in a lot of people. There's a lot of people are, you can be a good performer, but not necessarily have the best stage presence in terms of like a pop star.
00:24:08
Speaker
Right. Right. I won't mention any names, but they're out there. Right. And um both of these women, I think, have yeah amazing stage... Beyond. Yeah. Beyond.
00:24:19
Speaker
i And since it's Janet's birthday and you just mentioned Mariah, have we ever talked about how there was an alleged duet between the two of them in the early 2000s that was never released? Allegedly...
00:24:31
Speaker
Sometime between the All For You era and the Demita Jo era, allegedly the two of them recorded a duet together. Allegedly, J.D.A. was involved, Jermaine Dupri, but it never got released. And I want to say that there is an interview somewhere where that Jermaine Dupri is talking about it.
00:24:50
Speaker
But I don't know if he was talking about it in the context of like, I want to get into the studio with both of them or that we were in the studio. But I remember for years, the circulating online that it was, that it actually had happened.
00:25:04
Speaker
There's no snippets. There's no leaks. Like nothing is online. But i like, and I'm so curious to as to what that would sound like. Like, right would it be uptempo? Would it be a ballad? Would it be midtempo?
00:25:16
Speaker
I have no idea, but you know what? If it's Jermaine Dupri, I bet I already know what it sounds like. No, totally. Totally. And the thing is, like i I love Jermaine Dupri's production. I mean, he's obviously produced some of the best.
00:25:30
Speaker
He likes some of the greatest Mariah songs, and he's he's so good. i He was, the I believe, the main producer behind Yes. Yes.
00:25:41
Speaker
yes And it's not my favorite Janet album. There are moments. Yeah, there are moments I really, really love. But I feel like that was the album where I was like, all right, we might have to walk away from JD for a moment.
00:25:55
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. we we like why We know he's giving you some right great dick. Right. Let's celebrate that because you're singing about it every song. Every song.
00:26:06
Speaker
But... Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no. And and they're like I said, when the moments are strong, they're really, really strong. But there's just... And even, but I, Mariah had some of this too, where it was just like, some of the songs are just like, they're direct copies. Like, it's just the same exact formula over and over again. And I'm and get it. I get it.
00:26:21
Speaker
If it, when it works, it works. Right. Yeah. It's yeah. Yeah. But I mean, I think you, you, you, you should want that for an artist is to sort of, okay, we've had that time and now, you know, move on to the next and see what you create. Like, that's just the the nature of art. Like,
00:26:36
Speaker
Madonna did it her whole career, Janet did it for most of her career now, I feel. yeah And I think she still very much stayed true to herself in the sort of, I guess, post-Jermaine Dupri era, which really, it's not a ton, of it's not a huge catalog, but she's done really good stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think like after 20YO, what was it? Was it ah Discipline that she did? Yeah.
00:26:57
Speaker
Yeah, which was produced ah predominantly by Ronnie Jerkins. And it had some production by ah Chuck Harmony and- We would have never gotten feedback. Stargate.
00:27:08
Speaker
We would have never gotten feedback. i love- like good feedback. Right. yeah That song, wow. Like that- That video. That was a comeback. Yeah. And like the song did performed moderately. so It was like, I think it peaked at number 18 on the hot 100 here, which was great considering after all of the backlash, I don't even want to mention it, but we know what we're talking about. Right.
00:27:30
Speaker
But, um but like should have chart, like it should have been a top 10 hit. Oh, without a doubt. Like it's there was there was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then it, it, and then it gave us also rock with you, which was God. Yeah.
00:27:44
Speaker
The choreography in that video is insane. That is easily in my top 10 of all time. And okay. Speaking of rock with you, that's a really good example of a dance song. That's very repetitive.
00:27:58
Speaker
There isn't really a chorus. That chorus is more just a, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh. Um, I know everyone was like, Oh my God, Janet's in the room with them. Um,
00:28:12
Speaker
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Janet Jackson. Miss Janet Jackson. um But like that that song has a really good structure, really good melody.
00:28:23
Speaker
And it is a really good example of how you can do a pop dance song that's repetitive. And I don't know, the people who did Friend of Mine, like Take Notes. Yeah.
00:28:33
Speaker
Yeah. Like that. i don't know. No, I think you're right. But yeah but there's Janet's really good at that, though. You know, and I feel like that's just... Because if you if you really, like, break down Rock With You, um it's so, like...
00:28:49
Speaker
electronic sounding because of the instruments that they use. But when you get, if you really, really listen to like, and sort of zoom out, it's really just like a ah song like the Janet, that the Jackson five would do in the seventies.
00:29:00
Speaker
Yeah. It really has that same sort of like shimmy shake and that sort of like just the way that they move. Like it's just something that was just in their bloodline. It's just so Jackson to me. I want to rock with you.
00:29:13
Speaker
It's so good. And just, oh my God, I loved her wig that she wore in the video. yeah i remember having the biggest crush during this time period on her dancer, Blake McGrath. Ugh.
00:29:28
Speaker
the ah One of the hottest men to ever exist. yeah Like, to in my opinion, like, he is so sexy. And, like, in the video, and then the way he moves, he was also a dancer for Britney Spears in the Onyx Hotel tour.
00:29:40
Speaker
Like, he is just pure sex to me. And... Oh my God. like love And actually, he was he ah tried being a singer for a little while. um yeah.
00:29:50
Speaker
Yeah, he had an album. um And I remember this jacket that he wore on the cover that I was absolutely obsessed with that I actually finally found a coat. not It's not the same one, but like very similar to it. And every time I wear I feel like I'm Blake McGrath.
00:30:05
Speaker
And let me tell you, she'll put on a show. I will put on a show. oh my God. Have we ever done a Janet episode? No, right? Not, nope. Not in this show.
00:30:16
Speaker
Not in this show. and we ah we need to We need to do like a deep dive down in an album and do like a proper right Janet album deep dive. I was going to mention, since we were talking about dance music and like ah her doing that really well, it made me think of...
00:30:32
Speaker
There was an interview with Missy Elliott one time, and she was talking about how she made For My People for her Missy So Addicted album. yeah It's my favorite Missy song.
00:30:42
Speaker
And she said that it was Janet Jackson who introduced her into what she called, how what did she call at the time? Did she call it club music or did she call it? Ecstasy. Oh, she might. Right. Yeah.
Janet Jackson's Career Challenges and Cultural Impact
00:30:53
Speaker
She, I think she called it electronica, which I mean, yeah, probably. Yeah. Which I mean, it probably was. i mean, the song is definitely inspired by like the club scene, but she said that it was Janet Jackson. It was the one that like took her into that world. And she like loved that music because apparently she was very resistant to it for a while. Yeah.
00:31:11
Speaker
I get that. Like, I think that we're all like, we all have our lanes that we like to stay in. And then like, you know, anything new that kind tries to come in, we are kind of like, I don't know. And then when we allow ourselves to explore it, then we're like, oh yeah, this is great.
00:31:24
Speaker
Right. But I hope that that's how we got burned it up by the both of them, because that's another one of my favorite Janet songs. Literally. It's so good. It's so good. And it should have been the lead single from Unbreakable.
00:31:36
Speaker
In my personal opinion. I agree. Yeah. yeah Yeah. No sleep was ah was a rough start to for that for me. I was like, I get it. I understand. Yeah. You're saying we're we ain't going to get no sleep, but don't know.
00:31:48
Speaker
I might be sleeping. Yeah. Right. or ticket I don't know. i get and Instead of tapping my feet over here, I'm kind of taking a nap over here. Miss Melatonin over here. Right.
00:32:00
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, that Janet i mean that janet era, she she had the big curly hair, which I loved. like She did the damn ah Damn Baby music video, and I remember her just like throwing it it all around and whatnot. I love that song.
00:32:17
Speaker
I do too. That's such a good song. I thought the album really had some good tracks. I love that. I love should have known better. I was a big fan of the the great forever. Yeah. What's the other one? To be loved. I love that.
00:32:28
Speaker
yeah I was a big fan and the song that was a dedication to Michael um oh my gosh I'm blanking on the name of it right now ah it's not shoulda known better it was she sings inshallah see you in this next in the next like broken hearts heal oh yeah there it is broken hearts heal so good Yeah, that's a really, really, really great song. And actually, it makes me like, like when I listen to it, like it makes me think of my dad.
00:32:53
Speaker
yeah um It's just this beautiful... It's a beautiful song, but but it's an um-tempo. And it kind of one of those... like and don't know, like an R&B dance track that like kind of builds and builds.
00:33:06
Speaker
Yeah. And it's just, it's it's great. i I think, like, i'm looking I'm scrolling through her Spotify right now, and I realize that I feel like that the two albums that I really do not revisit the most are probably Discipline. Okay. And...
00:33:22
Speaker
Demita Jo and there are songs that I love on both of them like songs that I really really love but as a whole like I'm just so I'm like Demita Jo has 22 tracks I don't even know if I realize that she that's wild she loved a bloated album back in like yeah the 90s and the early 2000s yeah she and here's the thing I don't i not mad at her for it because she was she loved an interlude Right. And that's that's what I think. but Part of my problem with 20YO was, is that there's like four five interludes and like an outro and intro. And I'm like, all right, girl, there's 16 tracks. Like seven of them are interludes.
00:33:57
Speaker
Right. What are we doing? Exactly. Yeah. I mean, I i think the Janna album itself has 27 tracks altogether. And there are 27 pieces of perfection. Exactly. 27 individual pieces of perfection.
00:34:12
Speaker
Especially like one of the one of the interludes is literally three seconds long. And it's just the, go on girl, Miss Janet. and and then And then goes into throb. Right. I just love that. And it's just like, rain.
00:34:25
Speaker
And then it's just like rain in the background. she has to say is one word. What's the one where she's like, it's something like, until next time, see you soon or something like that. It's at towards the end of the album. It's always some like random, like pearl of wisdom. ah you don't have to hold onto the pain to hold onto the memory.
00:34:43
Speaker
Yes. And I'm like, girl, you just changed my life. You better work. Oh my God. Just becoming a Maya Angelou overnight. Yeah. Oh my God. So the deluxe edition, I'm looking on Spotify, the deluxe edition of Janet right now as it stands with remixes and everything else at 35 tracks.
00:35:02
Speaker
Let's celebrate that. Right. Which is fantastic fantastic. Yeah. And I'm here for that. yeah i so so, and it makes me wonder, cause I think we did touch on this in a previous episode, but I know that Janet Jackson is one of the artists where there was some sort of fire year. That's not the recent ones, but so fire, like maybe it might've even been a couple of decades ago now. Yeah. um But is this the UNG fire?
00:35:25
Speaker
Maybe. and i think that's some of her master got yeah And I think that some of her masters got destroyed in that. i could see that um which is maybe why we don't have the expanded catalog releases the way that we are seeing with other artists. if they if so i mean I've got some CDs if y'all want to rip them.
00:35:44
Speaker
Right. No, I mean, like I'm sure they have probably anything that's released, but it's like, that's so heartbreaking hear that. Well, and it's interesting too, because I'm looking at Demita Jo right now, and I'm going to have to assume that this has to do with all the recent controversy around Kanye West, but the only song not available to stream is My Baby featuring Kanye West.
00:36:02
Speaker
Oh, interesting. she She was sneaky. she was like, nope. She said, I don't know her. Nope, not on my dime. I don't know her. You know, what's funny is that I remember when that album came out again, it was, you know, after the backlash that she had right after the backlash that she had with the Superbowl.
00:36:20
Speaker
And, um, the first single was just a little while. And so I do too, but it didn't do very well. And so, but Kanye West was blowing up at the time.
00:36:31
Speaker
And so I think that they shifted gears and pushed, what was it called? I want you. Yeah. And because that was produced by him. And i remember that being like a huge push on especially on like R&B channels and and the R&B sections of MTV and things like that.
00:36:48
Speaker
um And unfortunately, it just didn't live up to anything that she had done previously. And then they shifted gears again and did all night. Right. And it's it's what's kind of crazy. I mean, like she's been on tour for quite some time doing the sort of like greatest hits, like some version of this greatest hits tour.
00:37:04
Speaker
And it's fantastic. I mean, I've seen it multiple times and it's been great each time. But even as I'm looking through, like discipline clearly from what I'm just gauging on Spotify um looks like the least streamed of her albums by far.
00:37:19
Speaker
Like not even a question. Interesting. Even...
00:37:26
Speaker
yo Well, somewhere i was somewhere between there and twenty why o I think, are her least stream. Yeah, Demita Jo has a little bit more. um Which is really, really sort of crazy because like I'm looking through a lot of this. I'm like, I don't even know what most of these songs even sound like. And now I'm like, now I have to go back and listen to this entire album. So this is what I'm going to be doing too.
00:37:45
Speaker
Yeah. Just kind of revisiting these two Janet albums because I'm like... Demita Jo came out 2004, right? yeah That was my senior year of high school. So it was a one of my formative albums for me.
00:37:59
Speaker
It's not my favorite Janet album. All Night Don't Stop is iconic. start Oh my fucking gosh. right like That song and the video, the choreography should have been a number one hit.
00:38:12
Speaker
Easily. but Easily. But this is it. So it's like, unfortunately, as much as you hate to mention it, it's really hard to talk about her and her career without it being in the shadow of the fucking Super Bowl. And I hate it.
00:38:24
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Because like that, if, if, we weren't such a racist misogynistic society she wouldn't have been blacklisted from everything for ah over a decade right right and um yeah because i mean they weren't playing these songs on the radio they weren't playing them on mtv or it was like very limited well but this is what i mean so there are things that i feel like if you look at any major pop star's career and like the arc of what tends to happen like There are always like celebratory moments in their career, whether it's tied around greatest hits and greatest hits release and then, you know, a tour that supports and every whatever.
00:39:00
Speaker
There's just a lot of things that I feel like she got sidestepped on because of all of that, that like. you don't have the album anniversary celebrations you don't have you know like new remixes of stuff that are that's being revisited like other artists catalog like there just doesn't seem to be as much attention right like a lot of this stuff is there is other icons like of her stature And I'm sorry, like, Janet, like, you're up there with Madonna. You're up there with, you know, Cher and all of the ones. Like, I'm sorry. you're you You are an icon. Like, there's just not – it's not up for debate.
00:39:34
Speaker
It's not. Yeah. you know? Yeah. we We need you, Janet. We need everything on streaming. I mean, she's got some incredible remix EPs that are not on streaming right now that have.
00:39:46
Speaker
Totally. And to be fair, there are a lot. She does have a lot of things that aren't streaming, even things that I find surprising, like that I'm just like call on me remixes and even all the remixes for so excited around there. um But yeah, no, there no, absolutely. But like,
00:39:59
Speaker
I'm laughing because of the Kia rap where she's just like, is you, is you, is you hungry? and Hungry? Hungry? I got you baking on my baking on my baking on my body, body, body. Like it's something to eat.
00:40:15
Speaker
So good. Yeah. Yeah. I would love because I specifically, I know that the, so someone to call my lover, which had a moment on tick tock and you know what let's let's celebrate that let's celebrate that because what an incredible song a great summer song i remember oh that takes me back to because that was that album the all for you album came out towards the end of my freshman year of high school right and i had a pretty awful year i was at a lutheran high school
00:40:46
Speaker
I was bullied. yeah i was not I was not out yet, but was bullied for being gay. Because, and and truth be told, like I was completely outing myself. I mean. I was in homeroom with my share the first time autobiography.
00:41:01
Speaker
And, and and i am not kidding. It was that. And would carry around a CD case, 36 CD case with the jeweled, like it was not the sleeves where you just put the CD in. It had, it had everything because I had, I needed to have my artwork with me. Of course.
00:41:18
Speaker
And I, so I carried the Cher autobiography and then this CD case, which contained the pink most girls maxi single. And i then, so this one guy called me gay and I was like, no, I'm not.
00:41:36
Speaker
This is so funny because like you think sometimes in your life that you're having these unique experiences and then you realize that you're not. But it's such an entirely small niche that I'm like as somebody who owns the first time biography book two and also carried around jewel disc.
00:41:53
Speaker
c Let me tell you what. Oh my God. mean But but where so where I'm a little bit older than you. So it's like there there were moments where it's like I'm driving the car with the enormous book of CDs flipping pages like while I'm driving changing yeah CDs like all of that. Oh
Personal Reflections on Janet Jackson's Influence
00:42:09
Speaker
my God. That's so funny. I'm just...
00:42:12
Speaker
You with this book under your arm going to the gayest school that you could possibly go to Literally, like literally and this this Lutheran school, they're like, the principal was like, ah remember the bullying got so bad that the principal actually called my mom and I to the office.
00:42:28
Speaker
And instead of being like, we need to address these bullies, he was like, we need to make sure that Zach's not gay. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, wow. that was my mom And that was my mom's note to herself where she was like, were he's not going back to the school.
00:42:45
Speaker
Yep. We love mom. We love mom. We love mom. And then it came out the next year. so Surprise. Right, right. Really a surprise. Right. Yeah. right um So whenever anybody accused me of being gay before I was out, I'm like, how dare you be right about me that I'm not ready to admit yet?
00:42:59
Speaker
Right. Right, yeah. Because I remember the following year i had come out and then this there was a young girl that I was friends with at the time. Her name was Margarita. And ah she like came up to me and she goes, so you told me that you weren't. And was like all mad. And I was like, well, girl, I was like scared. Like, of course. And I'm also like, obviously.
00:43:20
Speaker
Obviously. Right. and well i remember So I went to, for the first two years of my high school, I went to an all boys Catholic high school. And I remember when I was starting, there was a guy who was, I think in junior or senior year who was out at that point. Now this is like, so if I was class of 98, this is 94. So, you know, not really historically a great time for homosexuals.
00:43:43
Speaker
Nope. Not in this country. So, but like he was tormented and they would torture this kid and they would like throw spit balls at him and like just throw papers at him and he would go through the hallways. It was really, really terrible. I mean, and nobody,
00:43:54
Speaker
Nobody helped him. So at that point, I was like, I am not going to say anything. And I for sure am going to be like, nope, I like women. No, I'm going to put pictures of women inside my locker. You know, but of course it's like photos of Madonna and like photos of, you know. Yeah. You're like, Madonna's so hot. I totally fuck her. Her body. ah Her body, those tits.
00:44:14
Speaker
Right.
00:44:17
Speaker
That's what I think of when I think of Madonna is those tits. Those tits. Just want to just want to grab them. you know Whatever it is they do. Whatever it is funny. But so funny but yeah.
00:44:30
Speaker
Gosh. yeah But yeah. but so So the Demita Joe album though was like this big moment for me in high school because my senior year. And so like, I really loved that album. I just, i I look back on it. And even at the time I was like, I don't think at that I would have done the singles the way that they did them.
00:44:46
Speaker
No, definitely not. Like, I think for me, if I was in charge of the album, um I would have led with All Night. Yes. I think that's the clear standout. um And then I would have done R&B Junkie. Yep, totally. um And then I would have done The Islands. because Oh, no, sorry. Island Life. Island Life, thank you.
00:45:05
Speaker
That's my favorite. Because that one was produced by Scott Storch, who was really big at the time. ah He was just coming off of the Justified album with Justin and Christina Aguilera's Strict.
00:45:18
Speaker
um And then from there, Then from there, like, oh, oh, and then also like ah Strawberry Bounce ye was very of the time.
00:45:30
Speaker
um That's really where I probably would have puttered out. Yeah. I think after that, because I mean, you could you could do just a little while as like the last like closer single. Yeah.
00:45:41
Speaker
You know, but I don't think that there's anything else that would have really hit, you know. And it's crazy ah to think about all For You, which was a huge hit. like All For You and Someone To Call My Lover both huge hits.
00:45:56
Speaker
The album was a huge success, but they stopped singles after Son Of A Gun. Which is terrible because Come On Get Up... Justice for like Come On Get Up. Literally one of her best and I cannot believe, I mean, we i we had Doesn't Really Matter, but i does it doesn't really count to me.
00:46:11
Speaker
Doesn't really matter, but it doesn't really count. and It's not really on the album. It's on the album, it's not on the album. Right, yeah. But yeah, I mean, like, I love Trust to Try, but I knew that wasn't going to be a single, but it's like, I would have eat i would have traded in Son of a Gun for Come On Get Up to have like a full on music video.
00:46:28
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, it just, it deserved it. Well, it's interesting. I mean, that this is probably just, you know, as times were changing, you know, things were shifting in culture and the way that we digested music was definitely changing because this is definitely like the time where Napster and LimeWire were huge and everyone was downloading things illegally. But I mean, we were coming off eras from Janet. Janet was a very heavy Singles artists where like Rhythm Nation had seven.
00:46:53
Speaker
Right. Seven singles. Eight if you wanted to include the Airplay only single of State of the World. um I think Janet had nine singles. ah The Velvet Rope had like six or seven singles. So for all for you to only have three.
00:47:09
Speaker
I guess. all i get up Come on Get Up was released as a single I think in Japan. Yeah. And it was five years since Velvet Rope. Right. Yeah. She also had time her and Michael were both very much like we're going release an album, do a two year promo cycle, and then we're not going to be gone for right four years. Right.
00:47:27
Speaker
Which you just can't do now. No, I mean, but and we got all for you, which is, again, a phenomenal album. Phenomenal. I mean, you ain't right. ah Great album opener. For real, though.
00:47:39
Speaker
Absolutely. This one's for the clubs. know.
00:47:45
Speaker
I was like, 15 year old me was like, absolutely. This is for the clubs. I know what the clubs are. I know what the clubs are. Let's go clubbing.
00:47:56
Speaker
oh my God. yeah Yeah. I, I, cause I, if I was in charge of all for you, I i think that they did it right with the first two singles. For sure. Those were great.
00:48:07
Speaker
I don't know. I would have come on, get up. Definitely. Yeah. I, I think I would have tried for trust to try. I think it would have been interesting. I just don't think that radio would have liked that at all.
00:48:20
Speaker
I really don't. It was definitely different for the time that it was. um But Janet loves a rock moment. She does. and and And I think Black Cat was like the only one that was really like super, super notable for her.
00:48:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. um But I feel like – because I – also, this is like – internet lore and this might actually be true but i believe jimmy jam and terry lewis did make special radio edits for trust to try come on get up uh i want to say Feels So Right. Oh, so good. Feels So Right.
00:48:58
Speaker
good. And I believe China Love. Oh, nice. Which I thought was interesting. I was like, China Love getting single release. Interesting. But I mean, none of them, well, except for Come On, Get Up and like overseas at got like official.
00:49:11
Speaker
I will say the other one that that never ever gets brought up is I love when Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did the Disco version of Every Time. That's probably the one I listen to more than any anything else I love that.
00:49:26
Speaker
Yeah. like, just down tempo. Because, like, there's something about their production, too. Like, Jermaine Dupri has a very specific sort of, like, bounce in his production, but in his rhythm tracks.
00:49:36
Speaker
And the way that they do dance music, especially with Janet Jackson, like, it's just... Yeah, come on, get up rock with you. um Even that disco remix like there's just not doesn't really matter what is it together again. Like, it's just so like, I don't know, it feels good. There's just something about it that's just so their production is phenomenal.
00:49:57
Speaker
Their production is phenomenal. And I, they did some really great remixes for Janet. Oh yeah. Like they did a several remixes of runaway. Yes. um
Janet Jackson vs. Madonna: Media Rivalry and Streaming Challenges
00:50:06
Speaker
Like the, they called them street and urban remixes. Those, those are very similar. um They did.
00:50:11
Speaker
They did. They did a, actually now that I'm thinking about it, they did like four or five remixes of runaway. Yeah. And then. um they're but they're not ah They're not, they're not, unfortunately. Right. um And they did It's not part of the remix EP Of Someone to Call My Lover But they did this 80s remix of Someone to Call My Lover it's kind of It was supposed to be on the remix EPs Oh, it's I'll send it to you please, i want hear that Yeah, they call it in the total 80s remix And there's this whole like dance break at think So they did like this really cool Voco-odered, robotic voice like Kind of like the I want to rock right right right with you With the
00:50:51
Speaker
That maybe we'll meet at a club Maybe yeah we'll meet at a club They like did that throughout the song um But then they like at the After the bridge of the song and They go into this really cool dance break That samples Or is it's at least structured after oh shoot Some 80s song yeah You'll know it when you hear it And it's an incredible remix It's really good yeah I did not think this was going to be a Janet Jackson podcast today You didn't? Well, I didn't.
00:51:21
Speaker
I think that, I mean, I'm happy to serve it today. Thank you for surprising me. Absolutely. i mean, she, it hurts me so much that she doesn't get the, I feel like finally over the last maybe 10 years, she's been getting the love that she deserves, but she should have been getting it this entire time.
00:51:39
Speaker
Yeah. um I'm happy that she's getting this icon award. God, yes. It's so well-deserved. I really hope that they like take an active interest in her catalog again and like the label sort of like gets it together. i mean, maybe it's her. I could be blaming the label. I have no idea. I don't know what her involvement is.
00:51:56
Speaker
Part of it could be her because she when she did that, what is it, four-episode documentary series on Lifetime, i i love you, Janet. I have to say I was a little disappointed with it. and yeah It was just really focused. It was softball.
00:52:13
Speaker
I just was like, i as a fan, would have loved to have seen more coverage about your career and seen more about the different... album eras and the milestones that you achieved throughout all of this training for your dancing like I want to know how you became such an amazing dancer like you were the blueprint yeah yeah and and I mean I get that she loves her family but like I didn't walk away from it learning much right at all um well and I think it's again it's because of the way that they sort of build it when it was happening like I feel like everything that was hyping it up was like Janet in her own words yeah she was like I've never said this before
00:52:48
Speaker
Right. I love cheese. You know, like it's like innocuous. And I'm like, all right, girl. Yeah. I think the coolest thing that came out of that was they did show home footage of her and Michael writing Scream.
00:52:59
Speaker
Yes. That was really cool. Yeah. Really. just Which way have we talked about this? we We might have. I feel like I'm remembering this conversation, but the um the stems of Scream leaked online. Uh-oh.
00:53:11
Speaker
And how it samples... ah It samples... In the closet. By him. Okay. It also samples the knowledge. Right. By Janet. And it samples...
00:53:24
Speaker
There's one other thing that it samples, but it's, like do but they're like, it's, it's, they took those instrumentals and piece them up so much. Right, right, right, right. That like, when you hear the actual track, you don't hear those at all.
00:53:37
Speaker
But when you break it down, there's there's like a 98 track multi-track stem thing, which is insane. That sounds like the Pro Tools session. Yeah, it was nuts. And then, and like all of these like vocals that didn't make it into the final cut of the song.
00:53:51
Speaker
I'm always curious about that sort of stuff and how where this gets out because I have a version of the stems from Frozen. And I don't know what they're from, but i was making a mix and it actually exists on my SoundCloud. There's a mix that I did called Sunshine Moonshine or Sunshine Moonlight or something. And I put the song Frozen in the mix, and then from that I just go into the only just the orchestra, the string section, and it just does the entire song, just the strings.
00:54:19
Speaker
But when I was going through the stems, there's like a flute part that I found in there, and I was like, oh, this is good. I can sort of solo this. And I do it in the thing, and you hear it, and it's gorgeous. after like the I think it's like after the last chorus.
00:54:32
Speaker
But then... Brian and I were listening and it like we went back to the song and I'm like, this doesn't actually exist anywhere in the song. Interesting. Right. I was like, I don't know where this is from. i said, because it's not, I don't hear it in the live show either. i said, so I don't even know what what flute part this is. And it's really weird. So I'm like, as of right now, I can't find it except to say that it exists only on my SoundCloud.
00:54:52
Speaker
Yeah. Sorry, Madonna. Oh, my gosh. You're welcome, Z, for a Ray of Light getting brought back into episode. Oh, i was going to say. We're almost an hour in and we hadn't mentioned it yet. Oh, thank God. It needs to be like homophonic and then in parentheses, a Ray of Light standing podcast. Yeah. No, not parentheses. That like Ray of Light symbol where was like, well, I guess it was of parentheses. Right, right. The light in the middle.
00:55:17
Speaker
Oh my gosh. That's for the real ones. Right. That is for the real ones. are going to be like what the fuck are they talking about? right but And that's why me, Z and Zach have matching ray of light tattoos. Exactly. on our asses. Amazing. God damn it. I love it. Yeah. I, you know what? i I would love to see a photo of Janet Jackson and Madonna.
00:55:41
Speaker
That has to exist. There's at least not online. Really? At least not online. that Yep, I have tried. Anything that you find is Photoshop. Oh. Yeah. they There is no photo of them together.
00:55:55
Speaker
I'm sure that they've met. For sure. They've had to have met. i yeah I mean, there's clearly that, like, you know, the... the those famous like interviews back and forth in the early nineties where she's like, where Janet's like, um it is dance music.
00:56:11
Speaker
So that's similar. but um And then she's like, like, well, what I do has class to it. And then, and then Madonna's response, ah she's interviewed by Kurt Loder.
00:56:22
Speaker
And she's like, I don't know. I've never met the woman. I don't know anyone that she knows, but maybe she'll tell me one day. Yes. Well, rather transparent, wouldn't you say? And just like like throwing this like shade back and forth.
00:56:36
Speaker
I wonder if that has to do with the with ah Madonna dating Michael. I think it had to do with and her dating Michael. And then also I think that i think that Madonna made a statement i after the child abuse allegations had come out.
00:56:50
Speaker
Oh. i say I say made a statement. I'm sure that someone interviewed her. Right, she right, right. yeah ah Whatever she said was probably taken out of context or whatever. All I'm going to hear in my head for the rest of the day well, it is dance music.
00:57:05
Speaker
ah Yeah, it is dance music. I'll say that. So I guess it is similar. which i thought Which I've used in a meme when people were when we had brought up or someone had brought up ah the fact that Abracadabra by Gaga. Oh, yeah.
00:57:20
Speaker
sounds similar to the instrument this and this is real gay c this is we're deep in it right now right it sounds like the instrumental to victor calderon's remix of frozen right right right right right there that it's the same chord progression right and um yeah and so i use that i was like well it is dance music i'll give you that
00:57:41
Speaker
Because people of that, because then people of course were like, you can't, Gaga can't do anything original. It's like, okay, like, so I'm like, just take a joke, please. take Take a joke. And like, oh my God, it's not that serious. It's just, what did we say last episode? It's just pop music. It's just pop music. It's just pop music.
00:57:58
Speaker
But I don't know. Anyway. Well, I think it's gotten time to the show, the famous part of the show, where we like to so talk about a song that we don't talk about enough. It can be a deep cut, a remix, a bonus track, if you will. Yeah, I'm going to keep it Janet.
00:58:14
Speaker
and i Okay, keep it Janet. I don't know if I've mentioned this one before. I feel like maybe I have. um But now that I'm actually looking at it on Spotify, it's streamed terribly. It has apparently not done well at all on Spotify. Okay. um Which is kind of wild for a Janet Jackson song. It has under like under a million streams, um which feels wild.
00:58:35
Speaker
But ah From 20YO, love, love, love Daybreak. Interesting. love Daybreak. It's another hey Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and it's fantastic. Just those opening, like the little like music box of it all, how it starts.
00:58:52
Speaker
It is such a good, like, Take this song, if you are listening to this song, when you are done with this podcast, go on over to Janet Jackson's Discography, type in Daybreak, take it outside. If you have nice weather where you are, put it in your car, roll your windows down if the weather is nice, and just play this song. I guarantee it will change your mood, I promise you.
00:59:11
Speaker
The other writer on this track, Jonta Austin, who also does amazing pop R&B stuff, has written, wrote one of my other... Later in life Whitney Houston songs that I love from I Look To You. um What do you call it? ah ah Call You Tonight?
00:59:26
Speaker
I was just going to say it was Call You Tonight. Oh my God. and That's another song we don't talk about enough. We don't talk about enough. And that one I feel like that is a song that you play like as the sun is setting. Yes. you're having a little cookout or something. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck me. Wow. That's great. That's like a hidden gem in Whitney's discography like that no one ever mentions.
00:59:47
Speaker
but Yeah. I feel like the name Janta Austin, I feel like I've seen that name a lot, especially around this time. period I was going to say like the mid-aughts, like from like 2005 to like 2009. Yeah. Like that. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. That's a great selection. a great. I love that song.
01:00:03
Speaker
um my God. Do I want to keep it Janet? I had another song in mind. Do it. Do it. No. It's good. Go to something else. Go to something else. Yeah, not? Oh my gosh, am I being a bad Janet fan if I don't do Janet? No. Although I did bring up Ask for More on a previous episode. You did. And I'm still sourcing a CD of that. I'm still trying to get one. Yeah, we are still trying. I tried to order one online, truthfully, and I was just like, I'm just going to buy it. And I ordered it online, and then the guy was just like, I don't really like to, because the shipping is so expensive, because it's only available in the Netherlands.
01:00:36
Speaker
Of course. and they're just like, can you buy something else too? And I'm like, not good luck so i will get it i will get it okay okay um i i will i'm gonna do something else just because it was on my brain it's gonna sound a little random but we'll tie in because this song features the woman that we just talked about hosting the amas j-lo um i last weekend for some random reason this song back it up by prince royce featuring j-lo and pitbull Just got stuck in my brain.
01:01:08
Speaker
Wow. ri A random ass song that was not a hit. Yeah. It's in Spanglish. and Not Spanglish. Spanglish. Which is funny because they had J-Lo do the Spanglish or the Spanish portions of the song.
01:01:23
Speaker
I mean. gente Latino. um but But yeah. Like it's. it The song is a bop. It's a total summer bop. is it yeah It's got a dance hall vibe.
01:01:35
Speaker
um Again, it's like one of the... I think that her and Pitbull have done like eight collaborations now. at At least. But like anything that she does with Pitbull and anything that she does with We Sin and Yandel.
01:01:48
Speaker
Yeah. The other two. i Or I think she's got one with Zeon and Lennox as well, which is fantastic. like All of her collaborations are so fun. Yeah. And I feel like this came out... so I forget what year. I want to say roughly around the time that those songs came out, though. It was like 2015-ish, maybe 2016, something like that, maybe 2014.
01:02:06
Speaker
And let me tell you, if you're not paying attention to J.Lo's catalog at this point in time, not only do I think the songs are great, but you really it's the videos that you should watch because like the video for like Follow the Leader, like the dance breaks that she does in these things are so phenomenal. She's so talented.
01:02:21
Speaker
but Yeah. so we JLo got so much hate last year, which pissed me off. Yeah, I'm never here for it. I am never here for it. will not tolerate any sort of JLo slander. She works her fucking ass off. She's talented.
01:02:33
Speaker
And I'm going to say it. i think that she can sing. Again, she is she is she a Whitney
J.Lo's Singing Style and Prince Royce's New Album
01:02:38
Speaker
Houston? Absolutely not. But she is a great singer and has gotten better as she's gotten older. She definitely has.
01:02:44
Speaker
There are definitely... there are there ah great moments in her catalog there are weaker moments in her catalog but I've heard the acapellas and I'm just saying like yeah you can only do so much with the auto-tune and there's a lot of things that I've heard from her that again is like you said does she have the strongest voice no she has what I call prosciutto voice it's a little thin there's nothing wrong with it it's a style it's what it works for the music that she makes so you just gotta I don't know I got nothing but love for JLo Yeah, we love J.Lo. And stream back that up back it up because it's a great summer song.
01:03:14
Speaker
Absolutely. you want a summer song to dance to, to work out to, play in your car as you're driving with the sunshine, shining. Yep. And crazy, um Prince Royce just released a new album today.
01:03:27
Speaker
Well, let's celebrate that. just saying, you're so current. I am so current. Wow. And it's ah it's an album full of covers. oh He's covering Have My Love? No.
01:03:40
Speaker
Unfortunately not. can Can you imagine? I would die for that. yeah So Prince Royce, if you're listening, I'm sure you are, a friend of the pod. um But yeah, he's got a new album. I think it's called Eterno. And it's all these, like he does like Benny King's Stand By Me. It's like these a classic, classic songs. Excellent. Yeah, he looks great.
01:03:56
Speaker
So I'm like... Love that. we You better at work, Prince. you bet You better work, Prince. Right. ah
Episode Wrap-up: Reflections and Gratitude
01:04:02
Speaker
Wow. Well, this was a journey. It was. This was a journey. It definitely was. We were like, Janet Jackson, every, like, good at going everywhere. Right. We're like, we're going to talk about Rihanna and then Janet.
01:04:12
Speaker
And then Janet. I'm probably going to call this episode What the Fuck, Rihanna. Right. Parentheses. Happy birthday, Janet. It's perfect. Perfect. Cut. right Send it. There we go. Because like truthfully, that's what it was. Well, thank you so much for joining. Always. And to everyone else, have a wonderful rest of your week whenever you're listening. And we will talk to you all soon. Bye.