September 26, 2006 @ 2:35 pm

Opinion: The Ghetto-ization of Damita Jo

Nova Slim

This album takes me to a place where I haven't been in a while: R&B and dance. I give that credit to Jermaine. I like to say he brought the country to the album, while he says he brought the ghetto. – Janet Jackson to Billboard. As much as we try not to, it’s difficult to hear the name Janet Jackson without thinking about the most expensive nipple in the history of television. So there’s a lot hanging on her forthcoming 20 Y.O., which promises to bring Miss Jackson back to her youthful, energetic R&B roots. But it might be the alleged blacklisting of Damita Jo from MTV and her current musical landscape that has sent her to a place she hasn’t been since she played little Penny Woods and John Singleton’s perpetually tortured heroine Justice in Poetic Justice. Although her first single “Call On Me” is produced by her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri (arguably the most successful producer over the last few years), Janet’s fanbase was crying foul earlier this summer over MTV’s lack of support for it’s first icon. During this time, Miss Jackson has been receiving nothing but love from the 106th & Park crowd, which is pretty amazing once you consider most of their audience probably wasn’t buying CDs until she dropped the least successful album of her career, Damita Jo. left The lack of fanfare from MTV is a headscratcher. Some fans say they are bitter over the “Nipplegate” fallout and single out race as a qualifier. Some say it’s because she’s a woman. But let’s assume for the sake of argument that it’s not racism or sexism. Perhaps it’s just a case of collective amnesia. It was, after all, Lil’ Kim’s bare, albeit whimsically decorated, breast that caused minor controversy at the 1999 VMAs. And let’s not forget that infamous spit-swap between Madonna, Britney and Christina Aguilera four years later. But we’re not here to deconstruct MTV’s mystifying logic. This is about our girl and how this whole bizarre incident has caused Janet to “come back to the table”, so to speak. Note the novelty of Khia on Janet’s latest single “So Excited” (which itself is a re-hash of Dupri’s own “Gotta Getcha”) and what Dupri revealed to Billboard’s Janine Coveney: Dupri is concerned that part of her fan base, including the loyal gay following so important to Jackson, expects glossy dance hits on par with "All for You" or "Together Again" that Dupri wants to move beyond. "They want her to do what she's done for so long," he says. "But urban uptempo records don't really work on urban radio. Urban uptempo records have a tendency to keep going to pop radio and [becoming] a pop record as opposed to keeping your urban base." Apparently Damita Jo wasn’t “urban” enough. Who, exactly, is 20 Y.O. being marketed to? Is this CD to bring back the wayward fans that left Janet in the cold during the course of her last outing? Or is it for the fans that supported her no matter what, like they’ve been doing for the past 20-plus years? Dupri has been vocal about the direction of this album and the reception of singles that bear his signature SoSoDef sound. Recently on the SoSoDef.com boards, he addressed how fans were pitting his work against the leaked “Enjoy”, which represents the classic, sunny, Jam & Lewis side of Janet we’ve come to appreciate. Dupri even questioned the fidelity of these Janet fans. The comment sparked a lively debate between hardcore Janet followers and SoSoDef loyalists. The best thing Janet’s legions of fans can do right now is support her, more than they supported the Damita Jo album. Janet’s facing healthy competition right now and it’s going to take a lot more than a strong debut to keep her not only relevant, but huge in the way only Janet Jackson can be. Aside from the creative team of Janet, Jermaine, and Jam & Lewis, it’s the fans that will decide if 20 Y.O. is the “event” Janet album the public needs. And to you folks that have been bumpin’ “So Excited” in the ‘hood, make this your first Janet purchase of many. This writer is not only purchasing 20 Y.O. in-store, but also downloading it from itunes. And I probably won't obtain Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds. After all, he did leave Janet out to dry after the Superbowl "wardrobe malfunction" incident. It’s a matter of principal. Read more vibe.com online exclusives.

Article tags: 20 Y.O., Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, So SO Def 

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