Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson stepped out of her famous family's shadow and into her own spotlight with Control in 1986 — an album that was exactly what its title promised: a declaration of independence from her father's management, her family's expectations, and the industry's assumptions about who she was supposed to be. She went on to become one of the best-selling and most influential artists in music history, with a catalog that merged pop, R&B, hip-hop, and dance music into a sound that was entirely her own.

Born in Gary, Indiana, in 1966, the youngest of the Jackson children, Janet appeared on The Jacksons variety show and in television sitcoms before turning to music. Her collaboration with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on Control, and then on Rhythm Nation 1814, created a sonic blueprint that influenced two decades of pop and R&B. Rhythm Nation addressed poverty, illiteracy, and substance abuse with a militaristic precision that was both danceable and deeply political.

Jackson's influence extends beyond music into choreography, visual art, and cultural conversation. She is the only artist in history to have seven consecutive number-one albums. Her openness about body image, mental health, and sexuality paved the way for a generation of artists who followed. Her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 was long overdue recognition of an artist who changed the game on her own terms.