Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on September 19, 1989, by A&M Records. Despite demands from label executives for material similar to her previous album, Control (1986), she insisted on creating a concept album addressing social injustice. Collaborating with her producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, she co-wrote six of the album's tracks. Its remaining songs were written by Jam and Lewis, with the exception of "Black Cat", which is Jackson's composition. She also co-produced the album, with label executive John McClain serving as executive producer. While writing lyrics for the album, Jackson, Jam and Lewis drew inspiration from news media, exploring subject matter such as racism, poverty and substance abuse. Although critics viewed the album's theme as transparent—too generalized to adequately address any of these issues—she was hailed as a role model for youth because of her socially conscious lyrics.

Produced during the height of the new jack swing genre, the album blends rhythm and blues with industrial music and the utilization of rap vocals, swing note, synthesized percussion and the use of sample loop. The title track "Rhythm Nation" embodies each of these traits, laying the foundation for trends in R&B music throughout the decade. Other songs on the album range from mechanized dance rhythms to soft balladry, giving it the broad appeal of multi-radio format regarding airplay. Due to its innovative production and lyrical exploration, critics have regarded the album as the pinnacle of Jackson's artistic achievement. It became her second consecutive album to hit number one on the Billboard 200, as well as the top of the charts in Australia and the top ten in Japan, New Zealand and the UK. Certified sixfold platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it has sold over fourteen million copies worldwide. It has been named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and is listed in the Quintessence Editions Ltd. reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Its seven commercial singles all peaked within the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first and only album to achieve that feat. Jackson received nine Grammy Award nominations, winning Best Music Video, Long Form for "Rhythm Nation" in 1990. Music videos for the singles, which displayed a mix of Broadway-style choreography and militant imagery gained heavy rotation on MTV; Jackson was presented with the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1990 for significant contribution to the art form. The supporting Rhythm Nation World Tour became the world's most successful debut concert tour by a recording artist. It proved her to be a consummate performer rather than a studio-only phenomenon, as well as a fashion icon among young women.