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The year was 1989. Janet Jackson, the youngest member of the multi-platinum selling, globally known, Jackson tribe, was on her way to attaining the legendary status of her brother, and releasing her now-classic fourth album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. It was a year ripe with many other albums that would go on to become classics. Madonna’s Like A Prayer album was burning up the charts alongside the likes of George Michael’s Faith, Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel, Milli Vanilli’s All or Nothing (pre lip-sync scandal), Soul II Soul’s Keep on Moving, and Prince’s contributions to the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s Batman film, among others. But in August of 1989, a month before Rhythm Nation was released, Janet released the lead single to the album, “Miss You Much.” The track quickly ascended the charts, becoming her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and sitting at the throne for four weeks—longer than any other single that year. The song also has the distinction of being the second-biggest selling song of 1989. 

In Brooklyn, during 1989, I was a very precocious boy. Though, still a child at the time, I lived and breathed pop culture in all of it 80’s loveliness. I watched the teenagers in my neighborhood dance in the streets to Janet’s music, doing their best to mimic her precise movements; often falling far short of her grace. Nonetheless, there we were, black and brown boys and girls, men and women, dancing to “Miss Jackson, if ya nasty.” We spent so many days trying to emulate her dance moves, and nearly breaking our teeth in the process. At the end of the “Miss You Much” video, when Janet calls “That’s the end?” followed by a deep and throaty collective, “No!” Janet does a chair routine, leading two other male dancers, with the ease and skills of the pro she is. We were riveted by her every move, in awe that she moved as well as Michael; possessing an energy, conviction, and fluidity that was distinctly her own.

The Background

Janet’s “Miss You Much” video was the first of three songs that made up the Rhythm Nation long-form video. The other two were “The Knowledge” and another of Janet’s classic songs and videos, “Rhythm Nation,” the single. With this album, Janet continued to prove to her naysayers— the critics and some of her jealous and insecure rivals who insisted she was a studio star and didn’t have the talents of her brother— they were wrong and that she was a bona fide star here to stay.

Rhythm Nation proved to be an excellent follow up to her breakthrough album, Control. Control is a black “womanist” manifesto that not only put Janet on the map, but it also gave young black women an assertive voice in music that many of Janet’s peers—Anita Baker, Sade, Whitney Houston, to name a few—weren’t doing at the time. She was a tough-talking, streetwise sistah who wasn’t asking for respect from men, she was demanding it. It was early in her career as a songwriter, but the elements of who Janet was showed through perfectly. 

In Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits (2002), Jimmy Jam explained that the label desperately wanted a Control II. They wanted Janet, Jimmy, and Terry (the creative hive mind) to repeat the same concept a second time while also throwing in some salacious gossip about her family. Jackson vehemently opposed the idea of a direct sequel to Control, stating in a Jet magazine interview in 1989: “That’s what I didn’t want to do. I wanted to do something that I really believed in and that I really felt strong about.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Rhythm Nation took on a slightly different narrative. It was Janet still taking control, but it was her way of also talking about things prevalent at the time like drugs, crime, and violence in the inner city that deeply affected young black and brown youth. However, never once did she forsake her sexuality or the need for a person to have fun. The album cohesively contains it all: The feel-good tracks (“Escapade,” “Alright”), the socio-political songs (“State of the World,” “Living in A World,” “The Knowledge”) and what Janet album would be complete without her sexy songs (“Waiting For Tonight”).

The Stats and Legacy

Rhythm Nation proved to be a global smash, reaching the top five, or top 10 of many worldwide charts. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in America and stayed there for four weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Australia, the top five in Canada and the UK, and the top 10 in Japan and New Zealand. All seven of the released singles charted in all of the major markets of the world with the massive success in Japan, Australia, and the UK. But it was in America that the singles had their greatest successes. All seven reached the top five of the Billboard charts, with the lowest charting song, “Alright” charting at No. 4. Four of the singles reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts: “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” The album proved to be a global with sales surpassing 17 million copies worldwide, according to the RIAA.

The Rhythm Nation tour was a trek for nine months that made stops in North America, Europe, and Asia and is still the highest grossing debut tour of all time. The Telegram and Gazette reported that over 2 million patrons attended the tour with many of the dates becoming instant sell outs. No artist has yet to beat her touring record. It was the only tour from a female artist in 1990 that made the top 10 of Pollstar’s touring numbers, eclipsing her rival Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour.  When numbers are adjusted for inflation, there is still no debut tour that has toppled Rhythm Nation from this long-standing record.

Rhythm Nation stands the test of time. Without Rhythm Nation and what has come forth from it—the songs, videos, choreography, tour—many of today’s artist wouldn’t have anything to inspire them. Watch any music video from male and female artist and you will see how they incorporate moves, rhythms, and even themes into their work that Janet mastered decades before, and in most cases—better. So the next time you want to know why Janet is so lauded, listen to the Rhythm Nation album and find out. Tune into her videos. Watch the precise choreography that she and her dancers expertly execute.

The post The Business of Entertainment: Reflecting on Janet Jackson and Rhythm Nation’s 30 Years appeared first on Black Enterprise.

The year was 1989. Janet Jackson, the youngest member of the multi-platinum selling, globally known, Jackson tribe, was on her way to attaining the legendary status of her brother, and releasing her now-classic fourth album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. It was a year ripe with many other albums that would go on to become classics. Madonna’s Like A Prayer album was burning up the charts alongside the likes of George Michael’s Faith, Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel, Milli Vanilli’s All or Nothing (pre lip-sync scandal), Soul II Soul’s Keep on Moving, and Prince’s contributions to the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s Batman film, among others. But in August of 1989, a month before Rhythm Nation was released, Janet released the lead single to the album, “Miss You Much.” The track quickly ascended the charts, becoming her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and sitting at the throne for four weeks—longer than any other single that year. The song also has the distinction of being the second-biggest selling song of 1989. 

In Brooklyn, during 1989, I was a very precocious boy. Though, still a child at the time, I lived and breathed pop culture in all of it 80’s loveliness. I watched the teenagers in my neighborhood dance in the streets to Janet’s music, doing their best to mimic her precise movements; often falling far short of her grace. Nonetheless, there we were, black and brown boys and girls, men and women, dancing to “Miss Jackson, if ya nasty.” We spent so many days trying to emulate her dance moves, and nearly breaking our teeth in the process. At the end of the “Miss You Much” video, when Janet calls “That’s the end?” followed by a deep and throaty collective, “No!” Janet does a chair routine, leading two other male dancers, with the ease and skills of the pro she is. We were riveted by her every move, in awe that she moved as well as Michael; possessing an energy, conviction, and fluidity that was distinctly her own.

The Background

Janet’s “Miss You Much” video was the first of three songs that made up the Rhythm Nation long-form video. The other two were “The Knowledge” and another of Janet’s classic songs and videos, “Rhythm Nation,” the single. With this album, Janet continued to prove to her naysayers— the critics and some of her jealous and insecure rivals who insisted she was a studio star and didn’t have the talents of her brother— they were wrong and that she was a bona fide star here to stay.

Rhythm Nation proved to be an excellent follow up to her breakthrough album, Control. Control is a black “womanist” manifesto that not only put Janet on the map, but it also gave young black women an assertive voice in music that many of Janet’s peers—Anita Baker, Sade, Whitney Houston, to name a few—weren’t doing at the time. She was a tough-talking, streetwise sistah who wasn’t asking for respect from men, she was demanding it. It was early in her career as a songwriter, but the elements of who Janet was showed through perfectly. 

In Billboard’s Hottest Hot 100 Hits (2002), Jimmy Jam explained that the label desperately wanted a Control II. They wanted Janet, Jimmy, and Terry (the creative hive mind) to repeat the same concept a second time while also throwing in some salacious gossip about her family. Jackson vehemently opposed the idea of a direct sequel to Control, stating in a Jet magazine interview in 1989: “That’s what I didn’t want to do. I wanted to do something that I really believed in and that I really felt strong about.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Rhythm Nation took on a slightly different narrative. It was Janet still taking control, but it was her way of also talking about things prevalent at the time like drugs, crime, and violence in the inner city that deeply affected young black and brown youth. However, never once did she forsake her sexuality or the need for a person to have fun. The album cohesively contains it all: The feel-good tracks (“Escapade,” “Alright”), the socio-political songs (“State of the World,” “Living in A World,” “The Knowledge”) and what Janet album would be complete without her sexy songs (“Waiting For Tonight”).

The Stats and Legacy

Rhythm Nation proved to be a global smash, reaching the top five, or top 10 of many worldwide charts. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 in America and stayed there for four weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Australia, the top five in Canada and the UK, and the top 10 in Japan and New Zealand. All seven of the released singles charted in all of the major markets of the world with the massive success in Japan, Australia, and the UK. But it was in America that the singles had their greatest successes. All seven reached the top five of the Billboard charts, with the lowest charting song, “Alright” charting at No. 4. Four of the singles reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts: “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).”

The Rhythm Nation tour was a trek for nine months that made stops in North America, Europe, and Asia and is still the highest grossing debut tour of all time. The Telegram and Gazette reported that over 2 million patrons attended the tour with many of the dates becoming instant sell outs. No artist has yet to beat her touring record. It was the only tour from a female artist in 1990 that made the top 10 of Pollstars touring numbers, eclipsing her rival Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour.  When numbers are adjusted for inflation, there is still no debut tour that has toppled Rhythm Nation from this long-standing record

Rhythm Nation stands the test of time. Without Rhythm Nation and what has come forth from it—the songs, videos, choreography, tour—many of today’s artist wouldn’t have anything to inspire them. Watch any music video from male and female artist and you will see how they incorporate moves, rhythms, and even themes into their work that Janet mastered decades before, and in most cases—better. So the next time you want to know why Janet is so lauded, listen to the Rhythm Nation album and find out. Tune into her videos. Watch the precise choreography that she and her dancers expertly execute.

The post The Business of Entertainment: Reflecting on Janet Jackson and ‘Rhythm Nation”s 30 Years appeared first on Black Enterprise.

Does your child love ladybugs? You can make this simple, No-Sew Ladybug Costume in less than an hour and your little critter will look adorable. Remember the grade school trick to making symmetrical hearts? If you can fold a piece of paper in half and cut out a heart, you can make this project! Just remember to tie the cape around your child’s shoulders; never tie it around your child’s neck.

Want more Halloween ideas? Take a look at more No-Sew Halloween Costumes.

Materials:

• 1 piece of red felt, measuring 18-inches by 18-inches
• 2 sheets of black craft felt
• 2 red or black pipe cleaners
• 1 piece of red or black ribbon, measuring 54-inches by ¾-inch
• hot glue gun (adults only)
• chalk
• 1 roll red or black duct tape
• scissors
• black t-shirt
• black pants
• 2 red or black pom-poms (optional)
• 1 headband (optional)

Instructions:

Make the Ladybug Wing Cape:

1. To make the ladybug wing cape, fold the 18-inch by 18-inch piece of red felt in half. Draw a half-heart shape on the felt with chalk. Be sure the curved part of the heart is facing away from the fold on the fabric. Cut out the heart along the chalk line.
 

2. Open up the heart shape, and make sure the curves are at the bottom and the point is at the top. Cut the point off, making the top end flat.

3. Hot glue the center of your ribbon 1-inch from the flat top of the lady bug wing cape, then fold over top inch of felt and hot glue it to the ribbon, leaving both ends of the ribbon loose so they can be tied around your child’s shoulders—always avoid tying this around your child’s neck. (See photo.)

4. Cut several hearts out black felt. Turn cape over and glue black hearts to back in a ladybug spot formation.

Make the Antennae:

There are several ways to create ladybug antennae for your costume:

1. Create antennae by bending a pipe cleaner in the middle and duct taping the bent part to a headband.

2. Add hearts or pom-poms to ends of the pipe cleaners with hot glue.

2. Alternately, cut a band of felt 1-inch wide and long enough to wrap around your child’s head with about 1-inch extra. Hot glue the felt into a headband, and attach a bent pipe cleaner with hot glue. Cover the bent part with a small felt heart. Curl the ends of the pipe cleaner around a pencil.

3. Or, if your child is wearing a hooded sweatshirt as part of her costume, attach two pipe cleaners to the front of the hood with duct tape. Curl pipe cleaners around a pencil, and hot glue hearts or pom-poms to the ends of the pipe cleaner with hot glue.

Put the Costume Together:

1. Have your child wear a black, white, or red long-sleeved shirt or turtleneck and black white or red pants.

2. Put the antennae on your child’s head.

3. Secure the cape on your child using the ribbon. It’s best to avoid tying anything around your child’s neck for safety reasons, so I take each ribbon end and lop it around my child’s shoulders, going over his shoulders and then under his armpits so the ribbon ends come out dangling down his back. Then I tie both ends together at his back leaving them loose and giving him plenty of room.

The post No-Sew Ladybug Costume Tutorial appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Everyone’s afraid of something. We can’t all be Daredevil or Green Lantern, and even they’re afraid now and again. But what separates everyone is what we’re afraid of. Common stuff like public speaking or heights isn’t universal by any means, and some people have weirdly specific fears. I, for example, am afraid of moths and squirrels. Probably not too many people in that specific Venn diagram. But if anything can strike fear into whole generations of people, it’s specific, hallmark horror films. Some of them have traumatized people for decades and likely will forever. On the new AMC series Eli Roth’s History of Horror, he asks some of the world’s great horror luminaries to discuss what movies traumatized them.

Roth interviews a million people in just this one clip, and it’s amazing to see what scares the people whom we associate with causing fear. Stephen King, for example, was afraid of The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Jason Voorhees actor Kane Hodder was terrified of The Birds, and The Howling director Joe Dante thought Boris Karloff as The Mummy was coming to get him. Irrational fears, but deep-seated and perpetual. As director Edgar Wright says at the end of the clip, though, it’s better to be scared in a theater than scared in real life.

In order to be properly afraid in the theater, movies need a focal point, a villain, a monster for the audience to collectively fear. What must that do to the actor portraying them? In another clip from History of Horror, three of the biggest horror icons of all time–Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Kruger), Tony Todd (Candyman), and Tobin Bell (Jigsaw himself)–explain the processes they each go through to become their respective movie monsters, and the freedom it offers them. Englund specifically says playing Freddy allowed him to be far less self-conscious, since the character looked like weeks-old ground chuck anyway.

Eli Roth’s History of Horror premieres Sunday, October 14 at midnight on AMC.