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funknrolll · 4 years

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FOCUSING ON JANET JACKSON: THE STORY OF THE ICONIC LEGEND, THE HIGHLIGHTS OF HER SUCCESSFUL CAREER, THE FIERCE AND INSIPIRING MESSAGE DELIVERED THROUGH HER TIMELESS ART

Hi music lovers, today I’m focusing on Janet Jackson, I tried to cover as much as I could with this article. Just know that I will write other articles about her, therefore if you do not find some particulars in this essay, just know that they will be in another future article!! I hope you enjoy this article💜

For 54 years the music icon “Miss Jackson” has and still is paving the path for many artists and inspiring us all with her legacy, talent, grace, and beauty, being the role model everyone should look up to. Today I am focusing on the highlights of Janet Jacksons extraordinary career.

Born Janet Damita Jo Jackson on May 16, 1966, in Gary, Indiana, the artist, was the youngest of ten children, but undoubtedly not the least talented. Indeed, at the young age of 10, she got the part of Penny Gordon on the tv show Good Times and her acting skills were already showing. The young child prodigy also made a few memorable appearances on the tv show Diff’rent Strokes as Charlene Dupree and soon got her role on the renown show Fame as Cleo Hewitt. Though the show business was not all flowers and roses for young Janet, who, even at the age of 10, was already showing her iron will to achieve the very much desired success. Indeed, as the artist recalled, “‘I would set my alarm clock for 5.30am, get myself dressed, and get myself out of the door for work five days a week,’ she says. ‘And for a 10-year-old to have that kind of discipline – there’s a lot to be said for that.’.

Then Janet decided to pursue the music career in the 80s, establishing herself as a singing star of the first order. At the age of 16, she dropped her first self-titled album. The pop, funk-influenced, fresh, and danceable record was the beginning of a glorious and remarkable career. Young Love even reached number six on Billboard’s R&B chart. The following year the artist issued Dream Street. The exquisitely pop album was entirely in the fashion of good 80s tunes. Not to mention the surprise guest artist who lent his signature voice in Don’t Stand Another Chance and All My Love To You.

However, in 1986 came Janet’s commercial, and most importantly, creative breakthrough. The artist teamed up with none other than Minneapolis-based producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to create Control, the game-changing, legendary R&B-pop masterpiece that paved the way for the new emerging sounds of the late 80s. Through the empowering lyrics, the artist declared her independence with passion and grace as she affirmed in the title track, “this time, I’m gonna do it my way,” and she really did it. Moreover, the pure brilliance of this work lies in the extremely self-assured vocals and sleek slamming beat combo that presented Janet as a confident tough-minded artist who is in charge of her life and her choices. In support of her brand-new persona, Jam and Lewis crafted a set of gleamy, computerized hip-hop-nuanced funk and urban R&B backing tracks. The album eventually sold over 5 million copies, establishing Janet as a new influential pop star and role model. With this album, the artist was already showing her immense talent.

In 1989 the artist teamed up again with producers Jam and Lewis and released the hotly anticipated follow-up concept album: Rhythm Nation 1814. With this work, the artist became more overtly political, exploring socially conscious themes and issues, which were the whole fulcrum of the album. The singer took some risks with this Rhythm Nation as protest songs were quite uncommon in R&B, but making those risks paid off as the masterpiece not only assured Janet an even higher artist plateau, but it also had wildly successful results. As the artist sang in the title track “Join voices in protest to social injustice” or “A generation full of courage, come forth with me,” in this work, Janet explores themes such as racism, sexism, and feminism and flourishing as a person and artist in an environment ruled by both issues. However, some nonpolitical songs could not miss, ranging from smooth and silky ballads such as Someday Is Tonight, Alone and Come Back to Me to the pop rock influenced Black Cat, to the funk-influenced Miss You Much and Alright to the bright and romantically-themed Love Will Never Do (Without You) and Escapade. The album was a triumph and was accepted enthusiastically by the audience. In support of this masterpiece, Janet undertook her first tour, and it was a smashing success.

In 1992 the artist, along with rapper Tupac Shakur starred in John Singleton’s all-time classic, Poetic Justice. Janet gave proof one more time of her extraordinary acting skills taking up the role of Justice, a hairdresser, grieving over her boyfriend’s death, who writes poems to get through the sorrow of her bereavement.

Subsequently, 1993 saw the artist fully embracing her sexuality, which was crowned with her breakthrough homonymous album: Janet. The new image was trumpeted with a strikingly iconic Rolling Stone cover picture: an uncropped photo with the artist topless covered by two hands. The picture was then used as the album cover. One more time, Janet teamed up with the iconic duo Jam-Lewis and the outcome churned out did not leave the audience disappointed at all. The powerful trio left the synthesized funk in favor of warm, gently, inviting undulating grooves. The 28 tracked album is the product of the artist’s groundbreaking eclecticism. This masterpiece is a perfect mix of whooping cuts sprawling a sonic extravaganza where only 12 were proper songs, and the rest short interludes. The new quirky sounds were aligned perfectly with the brand-new public persona the artist created. The album shifts from the old school shuffle-beat-pop of Whoops Now to the New Jack Swing of You Want This. The leading guitar of What’ll I Do is a 60s flavored old school-rock hit with a bit of Janet’s signature sound. The danceable grooves of Funky Big Band are spiced up with old-jazz samples, while the erotic moans in Throb are a clear nod to Donna Summer’s Love to love you, baby, with some electro-trance influences I must say. A major sociopolitical hit could not miss on this masterpiece. The pop song New Agenda featuring a noteworthy cameo from rap Public Enemy’s head MC. Chuck D is indeed touching some relevant themes such as gendered racism and sexism, which issues were and still are much present in today’s society. The album is also featuring some enjoyable ballads such as the major hit and R&B Again, which appeared at the end of the movie mentioned Poetic Justice. With The Body that Loves you, Janet shifts to some jazzier, smooth, and silky sounds, while the slow R&B-nuanced Any Time Any Place is a groovy erotic jam. The angry This Time is a successful experiment in mixing rocky inflections with lyrical singing. The centerpiece was the album’s first single, the groovy alluring infectious ballad That’s The Way Love Goes. Not only is the collection a groundbreaking masterpiece sprinkled with revolutionary sounds, but what is striking most about this work is the intention with which it was produced. Indeed, Janet is a clear statement and frank celebration of female sexual liberation, which was and still is considered a taboo topic. Through this album, Janet explores black sexuality and lust, which is something black women have always been stereotyped about. Hence, with the explicit lyrics, the mellow and groovy sounds, the artist unveils these relevant topics making a monument to black lust, ultimately taking the power of her own sexuality back, which is portrayed as a beautiful, liberating act. With this masterpiece, Janet was baptized as one of the first real trailblazers and role models who paved the path for multiple African American female artists in addressing and embracing their sexuality fully. Additionally, the video of If was praised for being a beautiful, uplifting celebration and portrait of interracial lust.

Furthermore, how can we forget when Janet introduced her legendary brother Michael at the 35th Grammy Legend Awards on February 24, 1993? The artist wearing a gorgeous total white look and matching high heels matched Michael’s nestled pearls jacket. Not to mention her iconic, memorable hairstyle: beautiful box braids slicked-back into a high ponytail topped off with a had-band turned ponytail-holder matching the whole outfit. The jewelry was also in harmony with the outfit, as the artist opted for silver medium hoops (which went gorgeously with the hairstyle), a classy silver chained necklace, and of course, a couple of silver rings. Janet stepped on stage with the biggest, brightest, and most gorgeous smile to introduce her brother with one of the most touching speeches ever, beginning with “Before he won 12 Grammy Awards before he dazzled millions of fans around the world with his amazing talent as a performer. Before, he impacted millions of lives with his ongoing humanitarian efforts. Before all of that, he was one other thing, he was my brother”. Then she presented the audience an enlightening book of the instructions on how to become a legend choosing Michael as a guide. But the best part was yet to come. Indeed, Janet expressed her love and gratitude for her brother, and honestly, she had us crying the ugliest tears ever and Michael too “I just want to say one thing, seriously. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and how much you’ve inspired me and how proud I am to be your sister. And how much I love you, I do”. It was lovely seeing Janet and Michael sharing a beautiful moment on stage and joking with each other. It was indeed a beautiful, heartwarming moment to witness.

In 1995 Janet’s came in support of her brother Michael in Scream, the lead single contained on the album HIStory. The duet between the younger sister and Michael finds the pair spitting out tightly wound lines railing against tabloids. The industrial beats and clattering percussions encased an incredible one of the most mind-blowing vocal performances ever. The sense of frustration and rage makes it one of the most vivid and enduring songs. Not to mention the iconic video directed by Mark Romanek housing the siblings in their own hyper-modern spaceship complete with an indoor zen garden, remote-controlled art gallery, and futuristic squash court. The iconic video came in black and white, with the spacecraft flying over the earth and Michael standing in his distress capsule. Then the tv screen flickers and Janet closes her eyes in the distress capsule. A deafening noise reverberates through their headphones, and the siblings scream in pain. An anime comes on tv, and Michael breaks the glass of the capsule. With this intro, the legendary duo begins a mesmerizing and extremely arduous choreography in unbelievable perfect sync with each other. Not to mention the iconic outfits consisting of black and silver PVC pants, silver bikini for Janet, and black or grey spiked shibori crop-tops styled by David Bradshaw.

In 1997 came Janet’s follow-up album, The Velvet Rope, representing the product of her artistic revolution. With this album, the artist is summarizing the essence of the three previous works: the self-empowering messages from Control, the skin-deep social consciousness of Rhythm Nation, and the sexual liberation of Janet. Through the mature and experimental new sounds, the artist takes the listeners on a journey through the exploration of her psyche and sexuality: the outcome leads us to a darker path than the previous works released. Indeed, the singer sought to combine the sensuality of the last record to some more socially conscious parts such as domestic abuse, AIDS, and homophobia. Indeed, Vanessa-Mae’s prog-rock violin solo on the title track is setting the tone for profoundly spiritual work. The bass-heavy house track Together Again was an elegy for AIDS victims, which showcased a poignant vocal and lyric. Furthermore, from the raw and extremely vivid words of What About “What about the times you hit my face?../What about the times you said you didn’t fuck her; she only gave you head?” it is quite clear what the song is dealing with. And the anti-homophobia song par-excellence Free Xone shifts the moods and tempos segueing from a Prince’s Love Symbol (if you know what album I am talking about) like jam to an intriguing masterful sample from Archie Bell and the Drells’: Tighten Up. Extremely popular on the radio was Got ‘Til It’s Gone featuring the rapper Q-Tip and a reggae-crafted beat of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi. I Get Lonely featuring Blackstreet was another tremendous hit that traversed the dark side of desire. Then Every Time is a melancholic piano-based touching ballad (not going to lie this song had me crying ugly tears!!). The edgy rhythms and he drum-and-and-bass lite in Empty are enhanced by Janet’s delivery racing in a staccato. Then the smooth groovy slippery Go Deep is worthy of some of the best Michael Jackson’s jams (can you notice the resemblance with some of Michael’s songs?). Special is another fabulous piano-based ballad drenched in meaningful lyrics, a true anthem of self-worth-discovery delivering an essential lesson “You see? You can’t run away from your pain. Because wherever you’ll run, there you will be. You have to learn to water your spiritual garden. Then you will be free.”. The idyllic song is abruptly stopped halfway by Janet saying “work in progress,” because after all, we are all a work in progress in our journeys through self-discovery and self-love, right? In the second part of the song, the hidden track “Can’t Be Stopped” is a monumental celebration of being Black where the artist is encouraging other African-Americans to have the same pride “You were born with blood of Kings and Queens and can’t be stopped.” Furthermore, through interludes such as Sad and Memory, the artist explores her deepest emotions and grief. For instance with the few words of the album opener Twisted Elegance “It is my belief that we have the need to feel special/And its this need that can bring out the best in us/Yet the worst in us/This need created the velvet rope” Janet is putting into a small number of words the whole purpose and meaning of this monumental masterpiece. The Velvet Rope is, in fact, a metaphor for a place deep inside. We all strive to protect where all our feelings and thoughts lay. Janet, with this album, is courageously unveiling her Velvet Rope, letting herself firstly and the listener beyond it directly into her sacred “spiritual garden.” Indeed, it is not a mystery that the singer chose the symbol of the Sankofa ( which is also the symbol of the Adinkra tribe in West Africa) to represent the album. Indeed, its paraphrase means “You must learn from your past to move forward,” and this is again the whole concept of The Velvet Rope.

In 2000 the artist appeared in Eddie Murphy’s comedy The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps as professor Denise Gaines.

The next year, on March 12, 2001, the artist was honored with the MTV Icon Award, where the glittery talent roster included Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, Stevie Wonder, Aaliyah, ‘Nsync and Macy Gray, to pay their tribute to the legendary icon. To keep the hype of her new upcoming album release, Janet performed All For You the title track of her next album due on April 24, 2001. The singer ascended the stage in a gorgeous stylish all-white outfit and blew the audience away with her enchanting voice and impeccable choreography. After the performance was over, the artist thanked her dancers and her fans, saying, “It’s such a special night in my Life. An amazing night. Thank you so much. Because of you guys, I’m here. Thank you. I love you.”. Needless to say that we love our beautiful, humble queen more.

Moreover, after the super-personal and provocative Velvet Rope, Janet teamed up again with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to produce the sparkling danceable 70s/80s-influenced All For You. Come On Get Up (one of my favorite tracks in the album) breaks into a frenzy dance upbeat tempo and synth followed by some joyous and impeccable vocals. When We Oooo is an R&B downtempo percussive-based groovy alluring ballad that takes us to another dimension. The R&B ballad China Love is characterized by an extremely neat yet unique instrumental. The sounds of traditional Oriental chimes delve into the past love connections and other new age ambiguities. The glossy, silky slow ballad Love Scene is a sensual jam, perhaps one of Janet’s sexiest song in the album. Trust A Try is the product of a collaboration with hip-hop producer Rockwilder. The monumentally theatrical vocals are accompanied by a reinvention of the opera-genre rearranged into the rock key with electric guitars and cinematic strings. You Ain’t Right is a brutal attack on a gossipy friend characterized by a groovy upbeat tempo and some prominent vocals. The optimistic and hopeful ballad Better Days is entirely in harmony with the whole theme of the album (such an uplifting gem). The complete instrumentation with the guitar solo and striking strings are having us daydreaming of beautiful and distant places. The album is featuring singer Carly Simon in Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You), which is mashed-up with Carly Simon’s song You’re So Vain. Another track containing a sample from America’s Ventura Highway is the upbeat synth-based ballad Someone to Call My Lover, such a well-crafted reinvention of the original song. The extra-slow groovy Truth is a typical Janet’s ballad in the fashion of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On. Feels So Right is another sparkling glossy R&B lo-fi track characterized by a prominent beat and some almost whispered sensual, charming vocals. Lastly, the title track, All For You, is a clear nod to the most memorable 70s funk masterpieces. The alluring upbeat and funk-influenced sound is having the listener daydreaming of the dancefloor at the Studio 54.

In 2004 Janet released her 8th album: Damita Jo again produced by the iconic duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The highly anticipated work is another groovy, sensual, erotic, and unapologetic masterpiece, where the artist explores the crucial role of sex in a new relationship. The preponderance to slow-tempo, sensual grooves, sexual imageries, and spoken interludes are now Janet’s trademark. It’s Janet, and she’s unapologetically sexy. The R&B ping-pong rhythms of the title track accompany the sampled bells, the rap inflected scratches, and the mellow vocals perfectly. Sexhibition is alluring the listener with its infectious stuttering beats and the sampled groovy electro R&B chug, along with Janet’s intermittent vocal bubbles. The sensual vocals in Strawberry Bounce are mixed into an effervescent loop over which, if you listen attentively, you can hear elements of Jay-Z’s Can I Get A and Deon Jackson’s Love’s Make the World Go Round. The next track, My Baby, featuring Kanye West, is a regular R&B laidback slow-jam with on-point beats. Spending Time With You is yet another slow R&B groovy jam that sounds exceptionally familiar (of course, if you are familiar with Michael Jackson’s music). Indeed, the prominent beats, the sampled bells, and the mellow and sensual-almost whispered vocals are clearly drawing inspiration from Janet’s older brother Michael. Segueing the slow-tunes mentioned above, All Nite (Don’t Stop) is a pumping electro-funk whose infectious beats allure the listeners to the dancefloor. Yet R&B Junkie keeps the retro 70s funk vibe high with some well-crafted catchy upbeat synths and characteristic inflected vinyl scratching having us daydreaming of the 70s dancefloors. The album shifts into ’60s retro dazzle with I Want You. The squeaky-clean sugary puff sounds in the verve of the best ’60s classics are a clear homage to the glory of Berry Gordy’s Motown Records. With Like You Don’t Love Me, we are taken back to modern R&B, nodding to new soul stylings with its catchy production, the infectious beats, subtle guitars, and keyboard accompanied by the sensual girly crooning. Thinkin’ Bout My Ex is another slow downtempo jam where the artist explores the emotional consequences of heartbreaks. Following Thinkin’ Bout My Ex, the extra-slow Warmth is a swirling erotic jam. Moist is the sequel of Warmth, another down-tempo piano-based track. The next track, Truly, is leaning towards a new soul genre. With its luscious harmonies and silky vocals, the song is such a sublime masterpiece. Slolove is another in-the-verve-of 70s up-tempo jam characterized by meticulous funk beats. Closing the album Just A Little While is an apparent salute to Prince’s Dirty Mind (precisely When You Were Mine) combining effervescent elements of 80s Prince’ inspired guitars and keyboards. The wide variety of music genres and 60’, 70’, and 80s influences on the album are the product of Janet’s revolutionary and eclectic vision showing the artist flexing her musicology muscle.

In 2006 Janet was a 40 years old woman feeling half her age. Her 40th birthday also conveys with her breakthrough as a music icon and legend 1986. Hence, she released her new album, 20 Y.O. The collection is one more time featuring 5 interludes, all of them titled 20. The first interlude is, however, the most relevant one as the singer gives a clear explanation of the purpose and the meaning of this work: “Well, there’s something to... Are you recording?/ There’s something to be said for not saying anything/I’ve talked about racism, spousal abuse, empowering women, children/I’ve talked about a lot of things/What do I talk about this time?/ I’ve covered a lot in my 20 years/, And I’ve uncovered a lot in my 20 years/, But I wanna keep it light/I don’t wanna be serious/I wanna have fun/I know/I don’t know/That’s what I do know”. The first track opening the album boasts a collaboration with rapper Khia. If you listen attentively, you’d also realize that the song is a masterful sample of Rockit by Herbie Hancock. The outcome is an urban R&B synth-based with prominent on-point-beats. The next three songs present some other masterful samples, such as Show Me complemented with Kraftwerk’s Boing Boom Tschak, Get It Out Me with Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock and Do It 2 Me with Brenda Russell’s If Only for One Night. The threads that relate to all these tracks are the playful prominent danceable and sharp beats and grooves. Segueing the steamy rocky-R&B erotic This Body in which the artist adds some sensual vocals that match perfectly the whole theme of the track: the reversal of female objectification. Therefore, the music and the vocals match the intensity of the narrative, and the manic electric guitar replete with steel drum rimshots. After the second interlude, the artist is back again to a classic R&B string-based downtempo mellow jam. Next track Call On Me, boasts another collaboration with rapper Nelly. The song is yet another well-crafted sample with S.O.S Band’s 1983 major hit Tell Me If You Still Care. The sparkle of the sampled bells in Daybreak glides like Escapade and Runaway. The next track, the neo-soul with a touch of retro vibes Enjoy, is a total breath of positivity and fresh air. The ambiance-neo-soul Take Care is a classic silky dazzling ballad in the verve of Come Back To Me. Love 2 Love is yet another sensual slow jam. In the 5th interlude closing the album, the artist states the fugacity of the 20 years, and ultimately she thanks God for the sense of humor. Then she starts joking with one of her old friends “Twenty years/Time flashes by like lightning in the sky/Twenty years of questions come down to ‘Who am I?’/Thank you God for giving us all a sense of humor”… “All right, it’s ten to six/You’ve gotta go, ’cause I’ve gotta go/Oh, now she’s throwin’ me out now that she had her little say/We have some lovely parting gifts for you, Lynette/Thanks for coming down/Haha, oh, she tryin’ to shut me up/ Do do duh do do do..”

The next year we find Janet in Tyler Perry’s movie Why Did I Get Married? The film set in a Rocky Mountain resort follows four couples who meet each year for a therapeutic vacation. The 8 friends converge to discuss their relationships and address their issues. In the movie, we see Janet play the role of Patricia, a well-meaning psychiatrist and writer who helps her friends to solve their marital problems. The sequel of the movie, Why Did I Get Married Too?, came in 2010, but this time it includes a lengthy section set at the Bahamas. The film is one more time an amid portrait of four couples dealing with marital crises. With these movies, Janet is showing one more time her never-ending acting talents, especially in the second one, when she had to bring to Life Patricia’s painful past. It is indeed, that hurtful past with the broad range of emotions that Janet managed to bring to life amazingly well, making the movie even more credible and touching.

In 2011 Janet released her book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, in which she recounters her struggle with weight and confidence. The book is as well featuring letters from her fans. True You topped the new York time’s bestseller list in the following month. The same year Janet was the first female artist to ever perform at the I.M. Pei glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum, raising contributions for the restoration of artworks.

Nine years later, Janet is back with Unbreakable, a profound and insightful masterpiece. In this album, we find a brand-new Janet with brand new sounds more new-soul oriented. The themes of the collection are as well different from the previous ones. In the title track is the artist expresses her gratitude over a relaxed and longing groove. The intensity increases with the dance uptempo song BURNITUP featuring hip-hop icon Missy Elliot. The mood changes with the probing synths and booming bass in Dammn Baby. The next two tracks, The Great Forever, and Broken Hearts Heal, are a tribute to her brother Michael who passed in June 2009. What is mesmerizing about The Great Forever is that Janet sounds almost like Michael. While Broken Hearts Heal is a poignant uptempo ballad with a retro touch that brings us back to the glorious Michael’s 1978 Off The Wall. The subtle crystal beat is exactly giving the vibe of Workin’ Day and Night. The lyrics as well are giving hints that the song is dedicated to Michael “It was a long, long time ago/But I remember it like yesterday/Amazing times while we were growing/’Round all the brightest stars the world had seen/ We made-up songs to do our chores to/And harmonized while we all did our part/Danced and sang our way through most anything/Always felt safe in each others’ love/It was in summer that you left me/The fall and winter never felt so cold/, And Lord knows words can never express it/Life feels so empty I miss you much/Painful tears like never before/We can’t laugh together till we cry/But our love’s ain’t no material thing/ Inshaallah, see you in the next life”. The social-message-song Shoulda Known Better rides on an electro-dance sound and synths to reach euphoria, which is perfectly aligned with the hopeful message of revolution and social change. With After You Fall, Janet lets the listener into her deep thoughts, showing her fragility. The neat and simple arrangement and the gorgeous vocals are flawlessly completing the whole theme and purpose of the song, putting the vulnerability and the grief into sound. The sparkling infectious electro-disco Night is a clear nod to sturdy Minneapolis funk, more precisely Prince’s Sexy Dance (Prince self-titled album 1978). Segueing the effervescent rhythms of Night, No Sleeep is a more relaxed hypnotic downtempo jam. Then Dream Maker/Euphoria kicks in with a Michael-like cry hitting high notes, then settling into a luscious psychedelic groove. 2 Be Loved and Take Me Away are two classic fresh danceable pop songs. The dark nuanced Promise sets the tone for the touching performance of Lessons Learned, where one more time, the singer lets the listener into her deepest fragilities. The dark-tinged new soul Black Eagle keeps the moods sober, unraveling a poignant, beautiful message. The gospel-flavored Gon B’ Alright, is a prominent link to the past in the verve of Sly and The Family Stone and Larry Graham Central Station with a touch of Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting Something.

After the release of Unbreakable, Janet began The State Of The World Tour, which was launched in 2017. The title of the tour set the record straight on the themes addressed during the shows. Indeed, some testimonies from some lucky fans who attended the concerts recall the opening video making perfectly clear the message Janet wanted to deliver. A blood-red clip that flashed the names of unarmed black men shot and killed by police, denouncing white supremacy and ending in a chant of “We Want Justice.” Subsequentially, a giant portrait of the singer filled the screen, her image covered by the slogans “We will not be silent. LGBTQ rights. Black Lives Matter. Immigrants are welcome. Liberty and Justice for all”. Through the concert, the artist highlighted the importance of information with the lyrics from Rhythm Nation “information keeps us strong” and “if you want to be in control you gotta get yourself in the know.” The show featured as well lighter topics, and Janet did not spare herself some slick choreographers.

And how can we possibly forget Janet’s ICONIC performance and INSPIRING speech while accepting the Billboard Icon Award in 2018? The artist took the stage, offering the audience one of the fiercest and most impeccable performances ever of Nasty meshed up with When We Ooo (at the end of the song) and Throb. The singer also sought inclusivity not just with words; indeed, the performance featured a collective of dancers of all sizes, colors, and shapes. Eventually, Janet, introduced by Bruno Mars, graced the audience with an incredibly inspiring and beautiful acceptance speech: “I am deeply humbled and grateful for this award. I believe that for all the challenges, for all our challenges, we live at a glorious moment in history. It’s a moment when at long last, women have made it clear that we will no longer be controlled, manipulated, or abused. I stand with those women and with those men equally outraged by discrimination who support us in heart and mind. This is also a moment when our public discourse is loud and harsh.”. What a beautiful, stunning, inspiring queen!!

Furthermore, this summer 2020, the artist was supposed to start her Black Diamond world tour, but unfortunately, it has been postponed.

With this said, through her extraordinary career, Janet has proved so much and has achieved so much. Her unbelievable work ethic and talent have brought her to become one of the best artists on earth, and this is a fact. Her inspiring music celebrating women, especially African American women, impeccable choreographies, the iconic music videos celebrating, and uplifting black people have paved the path for many artists. With her vast contribution not just in the music business, Janet has become a legendary icon to many women and men. All hail to the queen.

Thank you for your attention💜 G.✨

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1962dude420-blog · 3 years

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Today we remember the passing of Tupac Shakur who Died: September 13, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), better known by his stage name 2Pac and, later, by his alias Makaveli, was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Much of Shakur's work has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues that plagued inner cities, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.

Lesane Crooks was born to Afeni Shakur (née Alice Faye Williams), a member of the Black Panther Party, and she renamed him Tupac Amaru Shakur—after Peruvian revolutionary Túpac Amaru II—when he was a year old. He spent much of his childhood on the move with his family, which in 1986 settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where Shakur attended the elite Baltimore School for the Arts. He distinguished himself as a student, both creatively and academically, but his family relocated to Marin City, California, before he could graduate. There Shakur took to the streets, selling drugs and becoming involved in the gang culture that would one day provide material for his rap lyrics. In 1990 he joined Digital Underground, an Oakland-based rap group that had scored a Billboard Top 40 hit with the novelty single “The Humpty Dance.” Shakur performed on two Digital Underground albums in 1991, This Is an EP Release and Sons of the P, before his solo debut, 2Pacalypse Now, later that year.

2Pacalypse Now was a radical break from the dance party sound of Digital Underground, and its tone and content were much closer to the works of Public Enemy and West Coast gangsta rappers N.W.A. The lack of a clear single on the album limited its radio appeal, but it sold well, especially after U.S. Vice Pres. Dan Quayle criticized the song “Soulja’s Story” during the 1992 presidential campaign. That same year Shakur joined the ranks of other rappers-turned-actors, such as Ice Cube and Ice-T, when he was cast in the motion picture Juice, an urban crime drama. The following year he appeared in Poetic Justice, opposite Janet Jackson, and he released his second album, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. The album did not stray far from the activist lyricism of his debut, but singles such as “Holler If Ya Hear Me” and “Keep Ya Head Up” made it much more radio-friendly.

With increased fame and success came greater scrutiny of Shakur’s gangsta lifestyle. A string of arrests culminated with a conviction for sexual assault in 1994; he was incarcerated when his third album, Me Against the World, was released in 1995. Shakur was paroled after serving eight months in prison, and he signed with Suge Knight’s Death Row Records for his next release. That album, All Eyez on Me (1996), was a two-disc paean to the “thug life” that Shakur embodied. It debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and sold more than five million copies within its first year of release. Quick to capitalize on his most recent success, Shakur returned to Hollywood, where he starred in Bullet (1996) and Gridlock’d (1997).

On the evening of September 7, 1996, Shakur was leaving a Las Vegas casino, where he had just attended a prizefight featuring heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, when he was shot by an unknown assailant. The incident, believed by many to be the result of an ongoing rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rap communities, shocked the entertainment world. Shakur died six days later. In spite of his relatively short recording career, Shakur left an enduring legacy within the hip-hop community. His popularity was undiminished after his death, and a long succession of posthumous releases (many of them were simply repackaged or remixed existing material, and most were of middling quality) ensured that “new” 2Pac albums continued to appear well into the 21st century. Shakur was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

#September 13 #1996 #R.I.P.#Tupac Shakur

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troybeecham · 3 years

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Today the Church remembers St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Monk.

Ora pro nobis.

St. Bernard de Clairvaux, (born 1090 AD, probably Fontaine-les-Dijon, near Dijon, Burgundy [France]—died August 20, 1153 AD, Clairvaux, Champagne; canonized January 18, 1174; feast day August 20), was a Cistercian monk and mystic, the founder and abbot of the abbey of Clairvaux, and one of the most influential churchmen of his time.

Born of Burgundian landowning aristocracy, Bernard grew up in a family of five brothers and one sister. The familial atmosphere engendered in him a deep respect for mercy, justice, and loyal affection for others. Faith and morals were taken seriously, but without priggishness. Both his parents were exceptional models of virtue. It is said that his mother, Aleth, exerted a virtuous influence upon Bernard only second to what Monica had done for Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century. Her death, in 1107, so affected Bernard that he claimed that this is when his “long path to complete conversion” began.

He turned away from his literary education, begun at the school at Châtillon-sur-Seine, and from ecclesiastical advancement, toward a life of renunciation and solitude. Bernard sought the counsel of the abbot of Cîteaux, Stephen Harding, and decided to enter this struggling, small, new community that had been established by Robert of Molesmes in 1098 as an effort to restore Benedictinism to a more primitive and austere pattern of life. Bernard took his time in terminating his domestic affairs and in persuading his brothers and some 25 companions to join him. He entered the Cîteaux community in 1112, and from then until 1115 he cultivated his spiritual and theological studies.

Bernard’s struggles with the flesh during this period may account for his early and rather consistent penchant for physical austerities. He was plagued most of his life by impaired health, which took the form of anemia, migraine, gastritis, hypertension, and an atrophied sense of taste.

Founder And Abbot Of Clairvaux

In 1115 Stephen Harding appointed him to lead a small group of monks to establish a monastery at Clairvaux, on the borders of Burgundy and Champagne. Four brothers, an uncle, two cousins, an architect, and two seasoned monks under the leadership of Bernard endured extreme deprivations for well over a decade before Clairvaux was self-sufficient. Meanwhile, as Bernard’s health worsened, his spirituality deepened. Under pressure from his ecclesiastical superiors and his friends, notably the bishop and scholar William of Champeaux, he retired to a hut near the monastery and to the discipline of a quack physician. It was here that his first writings evolved. They are characterized by repetition of references to the Church Fathers and by the use of analogues, etymologies, alliterations, and biblical symbols, and they are imbued with resonance and poetic genius. It was here, also, that he produced a small but complete treatise on Mariology (study of doctrines and dogmas concerning the Virgin Mary), “Praises of the Virgin Mother.” Bernard was to become a major champion of a moderate cult of the Virgin, though he did not support the notion of Mary’s immaculate conception.

By 1119 the Cistercians had a charter approved by Pope Calixtus II for nine abbeys under the primacy of the abbot of Cîteaux. Bernard struggled and learned to live with the inevitable tension created by his desire to serve others in charity through obedience and his desire to cultivate his inner life by remaining in his monastic enclosure. His more than 300 letters and sermons manifest his quest to combine a mystical life of absorption in God with his friendship for those in misery and his concern for the faithful execution of responsibilities as a guardian of the life of the church.

It was a time when Bernard was experiencing what he apprehended as the divine in a mystical and intuitive manner. He could claim a form of higher knowledge that is the complement and fruition of faith and that reaches completion in prayer and contemplation. He could also commune with nature and say:

Believe me, for I know, you will find something far greater in the woods than in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you cannot learn from the masters.

After writing a eulogy for the new military order of the Knights Templar he would write about the fundamentals of the Christian’s spiritual life, namely, the contemplation and imitation of Christ, which he expressed in his sermons “The Steps of Humility” and “The Love of God.”

Pillar Of The Church

The mature and most active phase of Bernard’s career occurred between 1130 and 1145. In these years both Clairvaux and Rome, the centre of gravity of medieval Christendom, focussed upon Bernard. Mediator and counsellor for several civil and ecclesiastical councils and for theological debates during seven years of papal disunity, he nevertheless found time to produce an extensive number of sermons on the Song of Solomon. As the confidant of five popes, he considered it his role to assist in healing the church of wounds inflicted by the antipopes (those elected pope contrary to prevailing clerical procedures), to oppose the rationalistic influence of the greatest and most popular dialectician of the age, Peter Abelard, and to cultivate the friendship of the greatest churchmen of the time. He could also rebuke a pope, as he did in his letter to Innocent II:

There is but one opinion among all the faithful shepherds among us, namely, that justice is vanishing in the Church, that the power of the keys is gone, that episcopal authority is altogether turning rotten while not a bishop is able to avenge the wrongs done to God, nor is allowed to punish any misdeeds whatever, not even in his own diocese (parochia). And the cause of this they put down to you and the Roman Court.

Bernard’s confrontations with Abelard ended in inevitable opposition because of their significant differences of temperament and attitudes. In contrast with the tradition of “silent opposition” by those of the school of monastic spirituality, Bernard vigorously denounced dialectical Scholasticism as degrading God’s mysteries, as one technique among others, though tending to exalt itself above the alleged limits of faith. One seeks God by learning to live in a school of charity and not through “scandalous curiosity,” he held. “We search in a worthier manner, we discover with greater facility through prayer than through disputation.” Possession of love is the first condition of the knowledge of God. However, Bernard finally claimed a victory over Abelard, not because of skill or cogency in argument but because of his homiletical denunciation and his favoured position with the bishops and the papacy.

Pope Eugenius III and King Louis VII of France induced Bernard to promote the cause of a Second Crusade (1147–49) to quell the prospect of a great Muslim surge engulfing both Latin and Greek Orthodox Christians. The Crusade ended in failure because of Bernard’s inability to account for the quarrelsome nature of politics, peoples, dynasties, and adventurers. He was an idealist with the ascetic ideals of Cîteaux grafted upon those of his father’s knightly tradition and his mother’s piety, who read into the hearts of the Crusaders—many of whom were bloodthirsty fanatics—his own integrity of motive.

In his remaining years he participated in the condemnation of Gilbert de La Porrée—a scholarly dialectician and bishop of Poitiers who held that Christ’s divine nature was only a human concept. He exhorted Pope Eugenius to stress his role as spiritual leader of the church over his role as leader of a great temporal power, and he was a major figure in church councils. His greatest literary endeavour, “Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles,” was written during this active time. It revealed his teaching, often described as “sweet as honey,” as in his later title doctor mellifluus. It was a love song supreme: “The Father is never fully known if He is not loved perfectly.” Add to this one of Bernard’s favourite prayers, “Whence arises the love of God? From God. And what is the measure of this love? To love without measure,” and one has a key to his doctrine.

St. Bernard was declared a doctor of the church in 1830 and was extolled in 1953 as doctor mellifluus in an encyclical of Pius XII.

O God, by whose grace your servant Bernard, kindled with the flame of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

#christianity #jesus #saints #monasticism #god #father troy beecham #troy beecham episcopal #father troy beecham episcopal

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o-neillwith2ls · 4 years

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You better leave now

Prompt number: 14

Fandom: Stargate SG-1

Rating: T

Warnings: None

Now for your viewing pleasure… what happened before number 13! Possibly… probably--- you know this is all Stargates fault for not giving us a getting together scene, they left it to our imaginations--US! the people watching and loving a show about aliens using the pyramids as landing mats and big circular gates to travel to other planets! It's entirely their fault!

He had been promoted again. This time to Head of Homeworld Security, which means he would be based in The Pentagon, and therefore would be far away from Colorado Springs and his team, the family that meant so much to him.

So, SG-1 had come over for a final ‘Team Night’ during his last night before hid big move. It was a bit melancholic as they reminisced and laughed about old missions, lost comrades, and the infinite possibilities for their futures. Daniel and Teal’c had both left over half an hour ago, he and his second in command were all that was left.

He supposed that there was some poetic justice to the fact it was just the two of them now. Her being the last person he would say goodbye to. Somehow, he knew that it would be the case, but he’d always thought it would be on a battlefield and he would die in her arms. He’d say goodbye to her, maybe finally tell her that he loved her before slipping happily into eternity. Maybe share that single kiss that they would always remember. He never thought it would be like this. The Goa'uld defeated, and him getting a promotion and leaving. Untold secrets and dreams unfilled.

When a slow song came on the CD player, she had stood and asked him to dance. He told her no, he doesn’t dance but in the end, she pulled him up and he didn’t resist. He placed hands around her waist, hers reached up to his shoulders, their feet moving tentatively to start with, but as she relaxed in his arms something had changed.

Their bodies slid closer, and he was sure she could feel his heart racing in his chest. She was so close. Her left hand had slid into his hair and played with the silver white hairs at his nape, the other hand had wrapped around his neck keeping him close.

At their own accord, his hands had slipped from the safety of her waist to the curve of her hips. When she tucked her head into the curve of his neck, he swore he heard her hum.

His resolve was quickly melting. He knew he couldn’t hold on to both his sanity and the woman he loved. He thought they were tempting face since he knew could never have both at the same time. Reluctantly he pulled back to look into those hazy relaxed blue eyes, he hoarsely whispered to her, “You better leave now.” The words were a cross between a warning and a plea.

She hesitated for a second, her head moved slightly away from his neck so she could study his face closely. He could almost see her thoughts. This was the part where she would say, ‘This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have stayed. Good luck in your new job, Sir’.

She would say words and then his heart would break, because he knew she was the last woman he would ever love, and they could never be together. But that’s okay because she could go on to have a wonderful career, she’d marry that cop and have two point five beautiful children with him. The cop would take her for granted because he’d never really know just how wonderful his wife was, just how much his wife meant to the world, to the galaxy, he’d never be able to appreciate it, but she would be loved at least. He was prepared for that answer, nothing could sidetrack it, no, nothing would—

“No.” She told him.

He looked down surprised at her and his eyebrows went up in shock. “Excuse me?”

Her gaze didn’t waver. She licked her lips briefly before she reached up and kissed him with such enthusiasm, it took him by surprise.

He try to pull back in protest when he realised he couldn't, her hand was holding his neck and his head in place and now her lips had parted and her sweet tongue which still tasted of beer slipped slickly into his mouth.

He felt his body humming as his tongue responded, her mouth was so warm and inviting, especially when she tilted her head for better access and he moved in, impossibly closer than he had been before.

His heart was mended and shattering into a thousand pieces at the same time, beating fast in anticipation and certainty. His mind raced and time stopped and he was scared to let go, scared the dream come apart at the seams and leave nothing but the torn fabric of the soul of the man he was eight years ago, before he met her.

The lack of air caused them to pull back from their kiss. She pulled back only a little and looked into his eyes. “No more chain of command.” She stated as he stared at her in shock. “I’m making clear my standing if you don’t want--” but she didn’t have the chance to finish her sentence as he understood. With that, she pulled his head down into another mind-blowing kiss.

Jack was a master of multitasking as he deepened the kiss.

No more chain of command between them meant … that there were no more obstacles. That they were free! He was in DC and, yes, as head of Homeworld Security he wasn’t in a command chain, therefore the curse which had held them back for eight years had finally been broken. She could kiss him and he could kiss her, more importantly then that they could -- His thoughts were distracted by the sound and feel of her moan in his mouth, which only made him weak at the knees.

He pulled back so they could catch their breaths. HIs nose rubbing hers as she returned the gesture, one hand came and stroked over his t-shirt. Before the matters went further, he had to know.

“What about him?” he asked her.

“Over.” she said, her head shaking a little bit to confirm the negative message. “Wedding is off. We’re no longer together.” She looked at him and suddenly worried. “You?”

“She ended it; said I have issues.”

Sam looked at him confused. “Issues?” She asked before Jack looked at her again, telling her with his eyes and a quick nod of the head. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” he nodded. They stood silent just holding each other for a few seconds before he asked her, “Are you sure you want this banged up old General?”

She giggled and kissed him again. “This is what I want, what I’ve always wanted.” She said, looked him directly in the eyes. “I want you, Jack. I want you because I love you. I need you and only you. You were always the one.”

Jack didn’t need telling again. He took her by the hand, led her down the hall and to his bedroom, he was going to be sure this was a night to remember. The first of a lifetime to come.

#fictober20 #fictober 2020 #fictober2020 #stargate sg1 #stargate sg-1 #jack o'neill #samantha carter sg1 #Sam x Jack #shippy

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sellyoursoulforagoodfic · 4 years

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The Montgomery Files: Chapter 7

Dredd x reader

By @adventuresintooblivion

Word Count: 2194

Summary: A gala. With embezzlement. And Wolfe’s family. Oh joyous day!

Note: Takes place after my series that you can find in the Masterlist.

Montgomery sighed softly, picking idly at her Lo Mein. Tonight was a weird night. Dredd and Y/LN were on a mission together for fucking once but it was guard duty of all things. It was for a fundraiser for kids or something like that. But not only were they undercover, the event was hosted by the Wolfes of all people.

After Chief had told the couple about their assignment, Montgomery had been called into Control for a special favor. While the Chief didn’t cash in her special favors very often, this one seemed to be particularly important. And illegal. Hence, why it had been given to Montgomery.

Her skills with a computer were somewhat infamous amongst her peers. However, they all were aware that what she did wasn’t always within the confines of the law. Most people tended to turn a blind eye since it kept street Judges alive. This was different though.

This assignment wasn’t dangerous and it was almost impossible for either Dredd or Y/LN to get injured let alone killed. It was a fundraiser for crying out loud. What were they doing, hiding guns in the punch? But with the Wolfe’ involved, Montgomery couldn’t help but wonder if this was a bit personal.

Despite the fact that she usually thrived on this underground night life, Montgomery couldn’t help but wish she was at home watching some stupid mystery show. Over the past couple years, she’d practically begged Operators and Handlers alike for a chance like this. To be working with the two best Judges to walk the planet and be allowed to do as much shady shit as she wanted? It was a dream.

And five minutes in it became obvious that Dredd had a stick up his ass the size of the empire state building. His tux was bare minimum. He refused to drink or even grab Y/LN anything. Something about not being intoxicated while on duty. Then to top it off, he wouldn’t dance.

Again Montgomery was staring into the live feed, the gaudy decorations making her go a little cross eyed. For some relief she happened to glance over at a separate screen which displayed, in live time, the charity funds and where they were going. A list next to the sum of money in the account caught her attention. It was all of the guests credit card information, security number and all. Even the bogus cards that had been given the Dredd and Y/LN were listed. If Montgomery wanted to, she could get herself a nice pair of boots.

She pushed the thought aside as she began tracking the funds. Money began to pour in as the bidding started. The website said the money was supposed to fund a research program for children affected by pollution. It was called KIDS2BCURED. While the name was cheesy enough to make it sound real, it didn’t mean anything.

Montgomery flipped through the half dozen windows she had open for this project before finally settling on the bank accounts. It was supposed to arrive in a joint bank account for employees and supervisors to use in order to fund their research. However, no matter how much bidding was done at the fundraiser, no money showed up.

Montgomery frowned. Maybe there was some weirdly high tech security on this.

But then she got curious and began tracking down the paper trail from KIDS2BCURED. It existed on a couple pieces of paper but besides registering for the name the actual company didn’t exist.

Suddenly one of her windows pinged as it begam active. As she pulled it up she glanced at the headline. This was a list of all the bank accounts owned by the Wolfe’s respective business ventures. The one labeled as DuoCare Pharmaceuticals was suddenly filling up with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Montgomery followed the paper trail on this as well, wondering how real this company was compared to KIDS2BCURED. Soon she found a copyright license for the name and a deed to a warehouse. The nice a reputable kind that’s surrounded by the shittiest part of town and other empty warehouses. And the bank account itself was owned directly by Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe.

“Welp, that’s illegal.” Montgomery couldn’t stop the chuckle as it came unbidden to her lips.

Rodrigez peeked around the wall of the cubical, “Oh? Illegal? Now you wouldn’t be snooping around unauthorized locations again?” His sing-song voice barely penetrated the drone of the party coming through her headphones.

This time Montgomery rolled her eyes, “No, I’m authorized to go where I want this time. But you know the friendly neighborhood fuck-up?”

He nodded eagerly, slowly making his way over to peer at her computer screen.

“Her parents are totally embezzling money from the richest and most powerful families in the Megacity.”

“Aren’t half of those Mafia?”

Montgomery nodded and continued typing.

Rodrigez continued, “No fucking way. That’s too ballsy to be someone related to her. Wait, do you think she knows?”

Before she could answer Rodriez hopped back on his computer and began typing furiously. His face lit up with an intense focus. Montgomery glanced over curious. All she could see was Wolfe’ picture on the screen.

“Oh Montgomery, this is poetic. She’s there.” he exclaimed.

Montgomery felt her mouth fall open, “She’s at the fundraiser?”

He nodded, “She requested off just for it.”

Montgomery squealed happily, “Oh this is gonna be great. Wait, am I a bad person for wanting this to happen?”

Rodrigez shrugged as Montgomery switched the comms on, “Y/LN, Dredd?”

It was Y/LN who replied, “Yes?”

The Handler grinned, “So how’s babysitting?”

“Dear God, Montgomery, don't get me started. Is there something you need?” She groaned into the microphone.

“Hmm? Oh nothing except a possible arrest warrant for Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe.”

There was a long moment of silence on the other side of the comms, “Hello?”

Y/LN cleared her throat, “Yeah, I’m here. I just...What for?”

“Embezzlement. Turns out that little fundraiser they host eventually works around to line their own pockets.”

A deep chuckle came over the comms, “Oh that is too perfect. Has the warrant been made official yet?”

Montgomery rolled her eyes, “Come on, Dredd, what do you take me for?”

Montgomery quickly sent the information to the Chief as a soft groan emanated over the speaker.

“I think you’re a Handler that straddles the line of the law and who frequently dips their toe into questionably legal activities. You’re also really fucking loud,” he replied. The screen finally flickered to life as he finished.

“So why haven’t you arrested me yet?”

Dredd didn’t dignify her with an answer as the scanners began to identify party goers. People dressed in the most expensive of fabrics this city could create. Montgomery chuckled dryly as she noticed the copious amounts of potpourri. So this is what the rich did to hide the stench of the squalor that surrounded them.

A soft ping pulled her from her thoughts as a notification appeared on Dredd’s screen.

His deep voice soon followed, “Arrest order received. We will commence with caution.”

Y/LN grumbled, “You know if it was anyone else besides the Wolfe’ the we wouldn’t be waiting for a warrant. We’re Judges.”

Dredd sighed softly and turned to look at his wife, “They donated thousands of dollars to the Academy since Wolfe joined. Not to mention they have a monopoly on the materials used to make our uniforms bullet proof. Understandably, the Chief is a bit nervous about this whole thing.”

Montgomery interrupted, “Hey guys, maybe we should talk about this later when we aren’t being recorded.”

Y/LN pressed her lips together before standing and making her way towards the Wolfe’. Dredd followed close behind. His hand rested on his firearm gently as they got within speaking distance. Judge Wolfe was standing beside them.

In Montgomery’s opinion, her dress was hideous. It was a silver strapless monstrosity. The color plus the copious amounts of ruffles left her looking like a pale scrawny chicken with no breasts. Her badly dyed hair didn’t help matters in the slightest. And she was about to get the shock of her life.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe you are under arrest for fraud, embezzlement and forgery. You’re coming with us.” Y/LN pulled out her cuffs and began restraining the suspects.

Mr. Wolfe stammered, “E...Excuse me? We’ve done no such thing! Where is the proof?”

Dred spoke over Mr. Wolfe’ rambling, “Sir, you know how this goes. We are waiting to sentence you away from your daughter. Don’t make this any harder on yourself.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? These are my parents, they can’t do anything illegal.” Judge Wolfe’ shrill voice pierced through the clamour of the crowd.

“Stand down Judge. This isn’t your case.” Y/LN shot her down. She wasn’t about to deal with her tonight.

“No I will not stand down! I mean seriously, this can’t be happening. They wouldn’t steal. They donate to a bunch of charities-.”

Y/LN finished for her, “While lining their pockets. We’re not going to discuss this further.”

Wolfe whipped out her badge, “I am a Judge too and I order you not to take them.”

Dredd began pulling the Wolfe’s away, “You don’t have that authority. Stop making a fuss.”

“Also, I’m your partner. I know you’re a Judge. You’re supposed to know how this process works,” Y/L/N grumbled.

Wolfe stomped her foot, “If you take another step I’ll arrest you for...uh...kidnapping.”

Y/LN growled, “Wolfe this is your last chance, get out of the way.” Wolfe folded her arms in defiance, “Alright, you’re charged with obstruction of justice. One night in a holding cell.”

Wolfe’ mouth fell open. She didn’t move in time to escape the cuffs and before long all three Wolfe’ were escorted out.

Y/LN let out a large sigh of relief as she smiled at her husband, “That was so satisfying.”

“DAMN FUCKING RIGHT IT WAS!” Both Y/LN and Dredd flinched, grunting at the pain that lanced through their ears.

Dredd growled, “What the fuck, Montgomery?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. That was so cool. I had to put the comms on mute so I didn’t yell your ears off.”

“Don’t worry; I recorded it,” Rodrigez chimed in.

The heavy door on the transport closed with a heavy thunk. The Wolfes all hung their heads in shame. Y/N was about to leave but before she could get very far, something tugged on her hand.

She turned to see Dredd giving her only what she could call a sheepish grin. She couldn’t stop her answering smile from spreading across her lips.

“What?”

“Well.” He pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together. “I can’t help but notice that you’re all nice and dressed up.”

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her body molding against his, “You look rather handsome yourself.”

Dredd chuckled, “Why thank you. Now, we have a rare opportunity presented to us. We are both dressed up, out on the town and have the rest of the night free. Fuck the Wolfe. They’ll still be there in the morning.”

Y/N blinked in surprise, “Judge Dredd, putting off the law?”

He pressed his lips against hers, silencing her before pulling her away from the gathering crowd. They quickly disappeared into a nearby hotel. Y/N laughed nervously as she looked around.

The place was decorated lavishly. Even though they’d never been here before it was obvious it’d been decorated for some event. The chandeliers glinted like thousands of stars against a marble ceiling. Plush chairs were set around a large fireplace. Tables and desks shone with an intense red that Dredd didn’t know could belong to wood.

A clerk dressed in a tux glanced up from the front desk, “Hello, are you two here for the Midnight Gala?”

Dredd pressed his lips together, “ Yes?”

The clerk nodded before typing quickly on his computer, “Names please?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Y/LN,” Y/N answered.

After a few clicks he smiled, “Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Y/LN I’m so glad you could make it. I have your reservations right here. Would you like me to print out your invitations?”

Dredd shared a look with his wife before replying, “That’d be great.”

As they were being escorted through the hotel, Y/N leaned over to her husband, “What the fuck?”

The comms buzzed to life, “You’re welcome.”

“Montgomery? You’ve got to stop this, you’re being creepy.”

“Then turn off your cameras.”

Y/N grumbled before finally asking, “You did this?”

Montgomery chuckled, “You two looked so adorable such busy busy Judges. I figured you could use the break.”

Y/LN smiled despite the fact that the Handler couldn’t see her, “That’s awfully sweet of you. So, what’re you planning?”

“Nothing.” She replied. “But after you’re done I”ll be rooting for you to fuck him sideways.”

Y/N suppressed the urge to admonish her but instead turned off her camera and squeezed Dredd’s elbow, urging him to do the same.

#dredd x reader #judge dredd x reader #dredd imagines #judge dredd imagine #dredd imagine #reader insert #the montgomery files #Dredd OCs

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. A prominent figure in popular culture, she is known for sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, and elaborate stage shows.

The tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family, she began her career with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame. After signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums Control (1986) and Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap and industrial beats, which led to crossover success in popular music.

In 1991, Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records, establishing her as one of the highest-paid artists in the industry. Her fifth album Janet (1993) saw her develop a public image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her music. That same year, she appeared in her first starring film role in Poetic Justice, and has since continued to act in feature films. Jackson then released her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997), which is distinguished for its innovative production and dark lyrical content. By the end of the 1990s, she was named by Billboard magazine as the second most successful recording artist of the decade after Mariah Carey. Her seventh album All for You (2001) coincided with a celebration of her impact on the recording industry as the inaugural MTV Icon. After parting ways with Virgin Records, she released her tenth album Discipline (2008), her first and only album with Island Records. In 2015, she partnered with BMG Rights Management to launch her own record label, Rhythm Nation, and released her eleventh album Unbreakable the same year.

Having sold over 100 million records, Jackson is one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time. She has amassed an extensive catalog, with singles such as "Nasty", "Rhythm Nation", "That's the Way Love Goes", "Together Again" and "All for You"; she holds the record for the most consecutive top-ten entries on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart by a female artist with 18. In 2008, Billboard placed her number seven on its list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, and in 2010 ranked her fifth among the "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years". In December 2016, the magazine named her the second most successful dance club artist of all-time after Madonna. She has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers. Jackson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Life and career

1966–1985: Early life and career beginnings

Janet Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of ten children, to Katherine Esther (née Scruse) and Joseph Walter Jackson. The Jacksons were lower-middle class and devout Jehovah's Witnesses, although Jackson would later refrain from organized religion. At a young age, her brothers began performing as the Jackson 5 in the Chicago-Gary area.

In March 1969, the group signed a record deal with Motown, and soon had their first number-one hit. The family then moved to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jackson had initially desired to become a horse racing jockey or entertainment lawyer, with plans to support herself through acting. Despite this, she was anticipated to pursue a career in entertainment and considered the idea after recording herself in the studio.

At age seven, Jackson performed at the MGM Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. A biography revealed her father, Joseph Jackson, was emotionally withdrawn and told her to address him solely by his first name as a child. She began acting in the variety show The Jacksons in 1976.

In 1977, she was selected to have a starring role as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom Good Times. She later starred in A New Kind of Family and later got a recurring role on Diff'rent Strokes, portraying Charlene Duprey from seasons three to six. Jackson also played the role of Cleo Hewitt during the fourth season of Fame, but expressed indifference towards the series, largely due to the emotional stress of her secret marriage to R&B singer, James DeBarge. Jackson later elaborated on her time on the show in an interview with Anderson Cooper, revealing that the cast would occasionally play pranks on her, but she spoke fondly of them.

When Jackson was sixteen, her father and manager Joseph Jackson, arranged a contract for her with A&M Records. Her debut album, Janet Jackson, was released in 1982. It was produced by Angela Winbush, René Moore, Bobby Watson of Rufus and Leon Sylvers III, and overseen by her father Joseph. It peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200, and No. 6 on the publication's R&B albums chart, receiving little promotion. The album appeared on the Billboard Top Black Albums of 1983, while Jackson herself was the highest-ranking female vocalist on the Billboard Year-End Black Album Artists.

Jackson's second album, Dream Street, was released two years later. Dream Street reached No. 147 on the Billboard 200, and No. 19 on the R&B albums chart. The lead single "Don't Stand Another Chance" peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. Both albums consisted primarily of bubblegum pop music.

1986–1988: Control

After her second album, Jackson terminated business affairs with her family, commenting "I just wanted to get out of the house, get out from under my father, which was one of the most difficult things that I had to do." Attempting a third album, Jackson teamed with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. They set out to achieve crossover pop appeal, while also creating a strong foundation within the urban market. Within six weeks, Jackson and the duo crafted her third studio album, Control, released in February 1986. The album shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and was certified fivefold platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over ten million copies worldwide.

Control was declared "remarkably nervy and mature" for a teenage act, also considered "an alternative to the sentimental balladry" which permeated radio, likening Jackson to Donna Summer's position of "unwilling to accept novelty status and taking her own steps to rise above it." The album spawned five top five singles, "What Have You Done for Me Lately", "Nasty", "When I Think of You", "Control", and "Let's Wait Awhile", and a top 15 hit with "The Pleasure Principle". "When I Think of You" became her first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100. Control received six Billboard Awards, including "Top Pop Singles Artist", and three Grammy nominations, most notably "Album of the Year". It also won four American Music Awards from twelve nominations, an unbroken record.

At this point, Jackson was successfully "shaking off the experience of being a shadow Jackson child", becoming "an artist in her own right". The album's lyrical content included several themes of empowerment, inspired by an incident of sexual harassment, with Jackson recalling "the danger hit home when a couple of guys started stalking me on the street and instead of running to Jimmy or Terry for protection, I took a stand. I backed them down. That's how songs like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for Me Lately' were born, out of a sense of self-defense."

Its innovative fusion of dance-pop and industrial music with hip-hop and R&B undertones influenced the development of the new jack swing genre by bridging the gap between the latter two styles. The accompanying music videos shot for the album's singles became popular on MTV, and obtained a then-unknown Paula Abdul a recording contract for her choreography work with Jackson. Billboard stated "[Jackson's] accessible sound and spectacularly choreographed videos were irresistible to MTV, and helped the channel evolve from rock programming to a broader, beat-driven musical mix."

1989–1992: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

Jackson released her fourth album, Rhythm Nation 1814, in September 1989. Although her record label desired a direct sequel to Control, Jackson chose to include a socially conscious theme among various musical styles. She stated, "I know an album or a song can't change the world. I just want my music and my dance to catch the audience's attention, and to hold it long enough for them to listen to the lyrics." The album's central theme of unity was developed in response to various crimes and tragedies reported in the media.

Peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the album was certified sixfold platinum by the RIAA and sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Rolling Stone observed Jackson's artistic growth shifted from "personal freedom to more universal concerns—injustice, illiteracy, crime, drugs—without missing a beat." The album was also considered "the exclamation point on her career", consisting of a "diverse collection of songs flowing with the natural talent Jackson possesses", which effectively "expanded Janet's range in every conceivable direction", being "more credibly feminine, more crucially masculine, more viably adult, more believably childlike." With singles "Miss You Much", "Rhythm Nation", "Escapade", "Alright", "Come Back to Me", "Black Cat" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", it became the only album in history to produce number one hits in three separate calendar years, as well as the only album to achieve seven top five singles on the Hot 100.

Famous for its choreography and warehouse setting, the "Rhythm Nation" video is considered one of the most iconic and popular in history, with Jackson's military ensemble also making her a fashion icon. The video for "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" is notable for being the first instance of Jackson's transition into sexual imagery and midriff-baring style, becoming her trademark. Rhythm Nation 1814 became the highest selling album of 1990, winning a record fifteen Billboard Awards. The long-form "Rhythm Nation" music video won a Grammy Award.

Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990 became the most successful debut tour in history and set a record for the fastest sell-out of Japan's Tokyo Dome. She established the "Rhythm Nation Scholarship," donating funds from the tour to various educational programs. As Jackson began her tour, she was acknowledged for the cultural impact of her music. Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "the 23-year-old has been making smash hit records for four years, becoming a fixture on MTV and a major role model to teenage girls across the country", and William Allen, then-executive vice president of the United Negro College Fund, told the Los Angeles Times, "Jackson is a role model for all young people to emulate and the message she has gotten to the young people of this country through the lyrics of 'Rhythm Nation 1814' is having positive effects."

She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of her impact on the recording industry and philanthropic endeavors. The massive success experienced by Jackson placed her in league with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Tina Turner for her achievements and influence. Ebony magazine remarked: "No individual or group has impacted the world of entertainment as have Michael and Janet Jackson," arguing that despite many imitators, few could surpass Jackson's "stunning style and dexterity."

With her recording contract under A&M Records fulfilled in 1991, she signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Virgin Records—estimated between thirty-two to fifty million dollars—making her the highest paid recording artist at the time. The recording contract also established her reputation as the "Queen of Pop." In 1992, Jackson provided guest vocals on Luther Vandross's "The Best Things in Life Are Free", becoming a top ten Billboard hit and reaching the top ten internationally.

1993–1996: Janet, Poetic Justice, and Design of a Decade

Jackson's fifth studio album Janet, was released in May 1993. The record opened at number one on the Billboard 200, making Jackson the first female artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era to do so. Certified sixfold platinum by the RIAA, it sold over 14 million copies worldwide.

Janet spawned five singles and four promotional singles, receiving various certifications worldwide. The lead single "That's the Way Love Goes" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks. "Again" reached number one for two weeks, while "If" and "Any Time, Any Place" peaked in the top four. "Because of Love" and "You Want This" charted within the top ten.

The album experimented with a diverse number of genres, including contemporary R&B, deep house, swing jazz, hip hop, rock, and pop, with Billboard describing each as being "delivered with consummate skill and passion." Jackson took a larger role in songwriting and production than she did on her previous albums, explaining she found it necessary "to write all the lyrics and half of the melodies" while also speaking candidly about incorporating her sexuality into the album's content. Rolling Stone wrote "[a]s princess of America's black royal family, everything Janet Jackson does is important. Whether proclaiming herself in charge of her life, as she did on Control (1986), or commander in chief of a rhythm army dancing to fight society's problems (Rhythm Nation 1814, from 1989), she's influential. And when she announces her sexual maturity, as she does on her new album, Janet., it's a cultural moment."

In July 1993, Jackson made her film debut in Poetic Justice. While the film received mixed reviews, her performance was described as "beguiling" and "believably eccentric." Jackson's ballad "Again", which was written for the film, received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for "Best Original Song."

In September 1993, Jackson appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone, with her breasts covered by her then-husband, René Elizondo, Jr. The photograph is the original version of the cropped image used on the Janet album cover, shot by Patrick Demarchelier. The Vancouver Sun reported, "Jackson, 27, remains clearly established as both role model and sex symbol; the Rolling Stone photo of Jackson ... became one of the most recognizable, and most lampooned, magazine covers."

The Janet World Tour launched in support of the studio album garnered criticism for Jackson's lack of vocal proficiency and spontaneity, but earned critical acclaim for her showmanship. It was described as erasing the line between "stadium-size pop music concerts and full-scale theatrical extravaganzas."

During this time, her brother Michael was immersed in a child sex abuse scandal, of which he denied any wrongdoing. She provided moral support, defending her brother, and denied abuse allegations regarding her parents made by her sister La Toya.

She collaborated with Michael on "Scream", the lead single from his album HIStory, released 1995. The song was written by both siblings as a response to media scrutiny. It debuted at number five on the Hot 100 singles chart, becoming the first song ever to debut within the top five. Its music video, directed by Mark Romanek, was broadcast to approximately 64 million viewers and listed in Guinness World Records as the "Most Expensive Music Video Ever Made", costing $7 million. The clip won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

Jackson's first compilation album, Design of a Decade: 1986–1996, was released in 1995. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. The lead single, "Runaway", became the first song by a female artist to debut within the top ten of the Hot 100, reaching number three. Design of a Decade 1986/1996 was certified double platinum by the RIAA and sold ten million copies worldwide.

Jackson's influence in pop music continued to garner acclaim, as The Boston Globe remarked "If you're talking about the female power elite in pop, you can't get much higher than Janet Jackson, Bonnie Raitt, Madonna and Yoko Ono. Their collective influence ... is beyond measure. And who could dispute that Janet Jackson now has more credibility than brother Michael?"

Jackson renewed her contract with Virgin Records for a reported $80 million the following year. The contract established her as the then highest-paid recording artist in history, surpassing the recording industry's then-unparalleled $60 million contracts earned by Michael Jackson and Madonna.

1997–1999: The Velvet Rope

Jackson began suffering from severe depression and anxiety, leading her to chronicle the experience in her sixth album, The Velvet Rope, released October 1997. Jackson returned with a dramatic change in image, boasting vibrant red hair, nasal piercings, and tattoos. The album is primarily centered on the idea that everyone has an intrinsic need to belong. Aside from encompassing lyrics relating to social issues such as same-sex relationships, homophobia and domestic violence, it also contains themes of sadomasochism and is considered far more sexually explicit in nature than her previous release, Janet.

The record was hailed as "her most daring, elaborate and accomplished album" by The New York Times, while Billboard ranked it as "the best American album of the year and the most empowering of her last five." The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum, selling over ten million worldwide.

The lead single "Got 'til It's Gone" was released in August 1997, featuring guest vocals from folk singer Joni Mitchell and rapper Q-Tip. The song's music video, depicting a pre-Apartheid celebration, won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. "Together Again" became Jackson's eighth number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, placing her on par with Elton John, Diana Ross, and the Rolling Stones. It spent a record forty-six weeks on the Hot 100 and nineteen weeks on the United Kingdom's singles chart. It sold six million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. "I Get Lonely" peaked at number three on the Hot 100, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It was Jackson's eighteenth consecutive top ten hit, making her the only female artist to garner that achievement; and surpassed only by Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

Several other singles were released, including "Go Deep" and the ballad "Every Time", which was controversial for the nudity displayed in its music video. The album fully established Jackson as a gay icon for its themes regarding homosexuality and protesting homophobia. "Together Again", a "post-Aids pop song", and "Free Xone", considered "a paean to homosexuality" and an "anti-homophobia track", were praised for their lyrical context, in addition to Jackson's lesbian reinterpretation of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night".

The Velvet Rope received an award for "Outstanding Music Album" at the 9th Annual GLAAD Media Awards and was honored by the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum. A portion of the proceeds from "Together Again" were donated to the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

Jackson embarked on The Velvet Rope Tour, traveling to Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. The tour received praise for its theatrics, choreography, and Jackson's vocal performance. It was likened to "the ambition and glamour of a Broadway musical", and exclaimed as "only fitting that the concert program credits her as the show's 'creator and director'."

The tour's HBO special, The Velvet Rope: Live in Madison Square Garden, garnered more than fifteen million viewers. It surpassed the ratings of all four major networks among viewers subscribed to the channel. The concert won an Emmy Award from a total of four nominations. Jackson donated a portion of the tour's sales to America's Promise, an organization founded by Colin Powell to assist disenfranchised youth.

As the tour concluded, Jackson lent guest vocals to several collaborations, including Shaggy's "Luv Me, Luv Me", used for the film How Stella Got Her Groove Back, as well as "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" with Teddy Riley's group Blackstreet, and "What's It Gonna Be?!" with Busta Rhymes. The latter two music videos are both among the most expensive music videos ever produced, with "What's It Gonna Be?!" becoming a number-one hit on the Billboard Hip-Hop Singles and Hot Rap Tracks charts, reaching the top three of the Hot 100.

Jackson also contributed the ballad "God's Stepchild" to the Down in the Delta soundtrack. Jackson recorded a duet with Elton John titled "I Know the Truth," included on the soundtrack to Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. At the 1999 World Music Awards, Jackson received the Legend Award for "outstanding contribution to the pop industry". Billboard ranked Jackson as the second most successful artist of the decade, behind Mariah Carey.

2000–2003: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and All for You

In July 2000, Jackson appeared in her second film, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, as the role of Professor Denise Gaines, opposite Eddie Murphy. Director Peter Segal stated "Janet Jackson was a natural fit, and an obvious choice." The film became her second to open at number one, grossing an estimated total of nearly $170 million worldwide. Jackson's single "Doesn't Really Matter", used for the film's soundtrack, became her ninth number-one single on the Hot 100.

Preceding the release of her seventh album, MTV honored Jackson with the network's inaugural "MTV Icon" ceremony, honoring her "significant contributions to music, music video and pop culture while tremendously impacting the MTV generation." The event paid tribute to Jackson's career and influence, including commentary from Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Aaliyah, and Jessica Simpson, and performances by 'N Sync, Pink, Destiny's Child, Usher, Buckcherry, Mýa, Macy Gray, and Outkast. The American Music Awards also honored Jackson with the Award of Merit for "her finely crafted, critically acclaimed and socially conscious, multi-platinum albums."

Jackson's seventh album, All for You, was released in April 2001. It opened at number one on the Billboard 200 with 605,000 copies sold, the highest first-week sales of her career, and among the highest first-week sales by a female artist in history. The album was a return to an upbeat dance style, receiving generally positive reception. Jackson received praise for indulging in "textures as dizzying as a new infatuation", in contrast to other artists attempting to "match the angularity of hip-hop" and following trends. All for You was certified double platinum by the RIAA and sold nine million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single, "All for You", debuted on the Hot 100 at number fourteen, setting a record for the highest debut by a single that was not commercially available. Jackson was titled "Queen of Radio" by MTV as the single made airplay history, being "added to every pop, rhythmic and urban radio station" within its first week. The song broke the overall airplay debut record with a first week audience of seventy million, debuting at number nine on the Radio Songs chart. It topped the Hot 100 for seven weeks, also reaching the top ten in eleven countries. The song received a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. "Someone to Call My Lover" peaked at number three on the Hot 100. Built around a sample of the iconic 1972 hit "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon, "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" featured Simon herself, along with Missy Elliott on remixes of the single.

In July 2001, Jackson embarked on the All for You Tour, which was also broadcast on a concert special for HBO watched by twelve million viewers. The tour traveled throughout the United States and Japan, although European and Asian dates were required to be canceled following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Los Angeles Times complimented Jackson's showmanship. Richard Harrington of the Washington Post said Jackson's performance surpassed her contemporaries, but Bob Massy of Spin thought her dancers "threw crisper moves" and her supporting singers were mixed nearly as high, though declared "Janet cast herself as the real entertainment." Jackson donated a portion of the tour's proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The following year, Jackson began receiving media attention for her rumored relationships with Justin Timberlake, actor Matthew McConaughey, and record producer Jermaine Dupri. Upon the release of Timberlake's debut solo album Justified, Jackson provided vocals on "(And She Said) Take Me Now" per Timberlake's request, with the song initially planned as a single. Jackson collaborated with reggae artist Beenie Man for the song "Feel It Boy", produced by the Neptunes.

2004–2005: Super Bowl XXXVIII controversy and Damita Jo

Jackson was chosen by the National Football League and MTV to perform at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in February 2004. She performed a medley of "All for You", "Rhythm Nation", and an excerpt of "The Knowledge" before performing "Rock Your Body" alongside surprise guest Justin Timberlake. As Timberlake sang the lyric "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song", he tore open her costume, exposing her right breast to 140 million viewers.

Jackson issued an apology after the performance, saying that the incident was accidental and unintended, explaining that Timberlake was only meant to pull away a bustier and leave the red-lace bra intact. She commented, "I am really sorry if I offended anyone. That was truly not my intention ... MTV, CBS, the NFL had no knowledge of this whatsoever, and unfortunately, the whole thing went wrong in the end." Timberlake also issued an apology, calling the accident a "wardrobe malfunction." The incident became the most recorded and replayed moment in TiVo history, enticing an estimated 35,000 new subscribers. Jawed Karim has stated that the incident inspired the creation of YouTube, as he noted that it was difficult for him to find videos of the incident online.

It is regarded as one of the most controversial television events in history, and Jackson was later listed in Guinness World Records as the "Most Searched in Internet History" and the "Most Searched for News Item". CBS, the NFL, and MTV denied any knowledge of the incident and all responsibility for it. The Federal Communications Commission heavily fined all companies involved and continued an investigation for eight years, ultimately losing its appeal for a $550,000 fine against CBS.

Following the incident, CBS permitted Timberlake to appear at the 46th Grammy Awards ceremony but did not allow Jackson to attend, forcing her to withdraw after being scheduled as a presenter. The controversy halted plans for Jackson to star in the biographical film of singer and activist Lena Horne, which was to be produced by American Broadcasting Company. Horne was reportedly displeased by the incident, but Jackson's representatives stated that she withdrew from the project willingly. A Mickey Mouse statue wearing Jackson's iconic "Rhythm Nation" outfit was mantled at Walt Disney World theme park the previous year to honor her legacy, but it was removed following her controversial performance.

Jackson's eighth studio album Damita Jo was released in March 2004, titled after her middle name. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album received mixed to positive reviews, praising the sonic innovation of selected songs and Jackson's vocal harmonies, while others criticized its frequent themes of carnality. However, several critics' reviews focused on the Super Bowl incident, rather than critiquing the album itself. It was certified platinum by the RIAA within a month, and sold over three million copies worldwide.

The album's performance was affected by blacklisting from radio and music channels, in part at the behest of CBS CEO Les Moonves. Conglomerates involved in the boycott included Viacom and CBS, subsidiaries MTV, Clear Channel Communications, and Infinity Broadcasting, the latter two among the largest radio broadcasters. The blacklist was placed into effect preceding the release of Damita Jo and continued throughout the course of Jackson's following two albums. Entertainment conglomerate Viacom owns MTV, VH1, and many radio formats, and a senior executive commented that they were "absolutely bailing on the record. The pressure is so great, they can't align with anything related to Janet. The high-ups are still pissed at her, and this is a punitive measure."

Prior to the incident, Damita Jo was expected to outsell prior release All for You. Its three singles received positive reviews but failed to achieve high chart positions, although each was predicted to perform extremely well under different circumstances. Billboard reported that Damita Jo "was largely overshadowed by the Super Bowl fiasco.... The three singles it spawned were blacklisted by pop radio—they were also the album's biggest highlights".

For the album's promotion, Jackson appeared as a host on Saturday Night Live performing two songs, and she was also a guest star on the sitcom Will & Grace portraying herself. Jackson received several career accolades upon the album's release, including the "Legend Award" at the Radio Music Awards, "Inspiration Award" from the Japan Video Music Awards, "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Soul Train Music Awards, and a Teen Choice Awards nomination for "Favorite Female."

In November 2004, she was honored as a role model by 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and presented with the organization's Artistic Achievement Award saluting "a career that has gone from success to greater success." The organization responded to criticism for honoring Jackson in light of the Super Bowl incident by saying that "an individual's worth can't be judged by a single moment in that person's life." In June 2005, she was honored with a Humanitarian Award by the Human Rights Campaign and AIDS Project Los Angeles as recognition for her involvement in raising money for AIDS charities.

2006–2007: 20 Y.O. and Why Did I Get Married?

Jackson began recording her ninth studio album, 20 Y.O., in 2005. She recorded with producers Dupri, Jam and Lewis for several months during the following year. The album's title was a reference to the two decades since the release of her breakthrough album Control, representing the album's "celebration of the joyful liberation and history-making musical style."

To promote the album, Jackson appeared in various magazines, and performed on the Today Show and Billboard Awards. Jackson's Us Weekly cover, revealing her slim figure after heavy media focus was placed on her fluctuations in weight, became the magazine's best-selling issue in history. 20 Y.O. was released in September 2006 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album received mixed reviews, with multiple critics chastising the production and involvement of Jermaine Dupri. Rolling Stone disagreed with the album's reference to Control, saying "If we were her, we wouldn't make the comparison."

Jackson's airplay and music channel blacklist remained persistent, massively affecting her chart performance and exposure. However, lead single "Call on Me", which featured rapper Nelly, peaked at number twenty-five on the Hot 100, number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number six in the United Kingdom. The video for the album's second single, "So Excited", was directed by Joseph Kahn and portrayed Jackson's clothes disappearing through a complex dance routine.

20 Y.O. was certified platinum by the RIAA and sold 1.5 million worldwide, also receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album.After the album's release, Dupri was condemned for his production and misguidance of the album, and subsequently was removed from his position at Virgin Records. Slant Magazine stated, "After promising a return to Janet's dance-pop origins, [Dupri] opted to aim for urban audiences, a colossal mistake that cost Dupri his job and, probably, Janet her deal with Virgin."

Jackson was ranked the seventh richest woman in the entertainment industry by Forbes, having amassed a fortune of over $150 million. In 2007, she starred opposite Tyler Perry as a psychotherapist in the film Why Did I Get Married?. It became her third consecutive film to open at number one at the box office, grossing $60 million in total. Jackson's performance was praised for its "soft authority", though also described as "charming, yet bland".

2008–2009: Discipline and Number Ones

Jackson signed with Island Records after her contract with Virgin was fulfilled. She interrupted plans for touring and began recording with various producers, including Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Tricky Stewart, and Stargate. Her tenth studio album, Discipline, was released in February 2008, opening at number one. Despite radio blacklisting, the album's first single "Feedback" peaked at number nineteen on the Hot 100 and nine on Pop Songs, her highest charting single since "Someone to Call My Lover".

Also in February 2008, Jackson won an Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for the role. Jackson was also approached to record the lead single for the film Rush Hour 3. Jackson was awarded the Vanguard Award at the 19th annual GLAAD Media Awards, honoring her contributions in promoting equal rights among the gay community. The organization's president commented, "Ms. Jackson has a tremendous following inside the LGBT community and out, and having her stand with us against the defamation that LGBT people still face in our country is extremely significant."

Jackson's fifth concert tour, the Rock Witchu Tour, began in September 2008. Jackson parted with Island Records through mutual agreement. Billboard disclosed Jackson was dissatisfied with LA Reid's handling of the album and its promotion, saying "the label agreed to dissolve their relationship with the artist at her request." Producer Rodney Jerkins expressed "I felt like it wasn't pushed correctly.... She just didn't get her just-do as an artist of that magnitude."

In June 2009, Jackson's brother Michael died at age fifty. She spoke publicly concerning his death at the 2009 BET Awards, stating "I'd just like to say, to you, Michael is an icon, to us, Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much." In an interview, she revealed she had first learned of his death while filming Why Did I Get Married Too?.

Amidst mourning with her family, she focused on work to deal with the grief, avoiding any news coverage of her sibling's death. She commented, "it's still important to face reality, and not that I'm running, but sometimes you just need to get away for a second." During this time, she ended her seven-year relationship with Jermaine Dupri.

Several months later, Jackson performed a tribute to Michael at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, performing their duet "Scream". MTV stated "there was no one better than Janet to anchor it and send a really powerful message." The performance was lauded by critics, with Entertainment Weekly affirming the rendition "as energetic as it was heartfelt".

Jackson's second hits compilation, Number Ones (retitled The Best for international releases), was released in November 2009. For promotion, she performed a medley of hits at the American Music Awards, Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball at London's O2 arena, and The X-Factor. The album's promotional single "Make Me", produced with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, debuted in September. It became Jackson's nineteenth number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, making her the first artist to have number-one singles in four separate decades.

Later that month, Jackson chaired the inaugural benefit of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, held in Milan in conjunction with fashion week. The foundation's CEO stated "We are profoundly grateful to Janet Jackson for joining amfAR as a chair of its first event in Milan.... She brings incomparable grace and a history of dedication to the fight against AIDS." The event raised a total of $1.1 million for the nonprofit organization.

2010–2014: Film projects and True You

In April 2010, Jackson reprised her role in the sequel to Why Did I Get Married? titled Why Did I Get Married Too?. The film opened at number two, grossing sixty million in total. Jackson's performance was hailed as "invigorating and oddly funny", and praised for her "willingness to be seen at her most disheveled". Her performance earned an Image Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture". Jackson recorded the film's theme, "Nothing", released as a promotional single. The song was performed on the ninth season finale of American Idol along with "Again" and "Nasty".

In July, Jackson modeled for the Blackglama clothing line featuring mink fur, which was criticized by the animal rights organisation PETA. Jackson then helped design a signature line of clothing and accessories for Blackglama, to be sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales. Universal Music released the hits compilation Icon: Number Ones as the debut of the Icon compilation series.

In November 2010, Jackson starred as Joanna in the drama For Colored Girls, the film adaptation of Ntozake Shange's 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. The Wall Street Journal stated Jackson "recites verses written by Ntozake Shange, the author of the play that inspired the film ... But instead of offering up a mannered coffeehouse reading of the lines, Jackson makes the words sound like ordinary—though very eloquent—speech." Jackson's portrayal the film was likened to Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Her performance earned Black Reel Awards nominations in the categories of Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Ensemble.

Jackson announced plans to embark on her largest world tour in support of her second hits collection, Number Ones. The tour, entitled Number Ones, Up Close and Personal, held concerts in thirty-five global cities, selected by fans who submitted suggestions on her official website. During the tour, Jackson performed thirty-five number one hits and dedicated a song to each city. Mattel released a limited-edition Barbie of Jackson titled "Divinely Janet", auctioned for over $15,000, with proceeds donated to Project Angel Food.

Jackson released the self-help book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself in February 2011, co-written with David Ritz. It chronicled her struggle with weight and confidence, also publishing letters from fans. It topped The New York Times' Best Seller list the following month. Additionally, she signed a film production contract with Lions Gate Entertainment to "select, develop and produce a feature film for the independent studio."

Jackson became the first female pop singer to perform at the I. M. Pei glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum, raising contributions for the restoration of iconic artwork. Jackson was selected to endorse fashion line Blackglama for a second year, being the first celebrity in the line's history chosen to do so. She partnered with the label to release a fifteen-piece collection of luxury products.

In 2012, Jackson endorsed Nutrisystem, sponsoring their weight-loss program after struggling with weight fluctuations in the past. With the program, she donated ten million dollars in meals to the hungry. She was honored by amfAR for her contributions to AIDS research when chairing the Cinema Against AIDS gala during the Cannes Film Festival. She also participated in a public service announcement for UNICEF to help starving children.

2015–2019: Unbreakable and concert residency

On May 16, 2015, Jackson announced plans to release a new album and to embark on a world concert tour. She outlined her intention to release her new album in the fall of 2015 under her own record label, Rhythm Nation, distributed by BMG Rights Management. The launch of Rhythm Nation established Jackson as one of the few African-American female musicians to own a record label.

On June 15, 2015, Jackson announced the first set of dates for the North American leg of her Unbreakable World Tour. On June 22, the lead single "No Sleeep" was released from the album. Jackson's solo version of the single debuted on the Hot 100 at number 67, marking her 40th entry on the chart. The song went to number 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 immediately following the release. The album version featuring J. Cole enabled it to re-enter the Hot 100 with a new peak position at number 63, while also topping the Adult R&B Songs chart.

BET presented Jackson with their inaugural Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual award at the BET Awards 2015, which also featured a dance tribute to her performed by Ciara, Jason Derulo and Tinashe. It was announced she would launch a luxury jewelry line called the "Janet Jackson Unbreakable Diamonds collection," a joint venture between herself and Paul Raps New York. On August 20, she released a preview of a new song "The Great Forever," while also confirming the title of her eleventh studio album as Unbreakable.

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis stated that Jackson's concept for the album was developed simultaneously with the accompanying tour's production and that its composition will differ from the majority of her catalog. They also stated that the album's theme reflects "being able to be vulnerable and to be able to withstand what comes to you," drawing on Jackson's experiences over the past several years. The album's title track "Unbreakable" was released on September 3, 2015, debuting on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio station, hosted by Ebro Darden. The album was also made available for pre-order on iTunes the same day. "Burnitup!" featuring Missy Elliott debuted on BBC Radio 1 on September 24, 2015. Unbreakable was released on October 2, 2015. It received largely positive reviews, including those by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian. The following week, Jackson received her first nomination to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming her seventh album to top the chart in the United States.

On April 6, 2016, Jackson announced that she was "planning her family" with husband Wissam Al Mana, resulting in her postponing her tour. On May 1, 2017, Jackson announced she would resume her Unbreakable World Tour, now known as the State of the World Tour. The revamped tour launched on September 7, 2017. Refocusing the tour's theme to reflect socially conscious messages from Jackson's entire music catalog, a number of songs selected for the concert set list along with corresponding imagery depicted on stage address racism, white supremacy, fascism, xenophobia and police brutality. The tour opened to positive critical reception, with several commentators praising Jackson's post-pregnancy physical fitness, showmanship and socially conscious messages.

Her emotional rendition of "What About", a song about domestic violence originally recorded for The Velvet Rope, drew media attention highlighting her recent separation from her husband; Jackson's brother Randy alleges she suffered verbal abuse by Al Mana which contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. Proceeds from the concert of September 9, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas were donated to relief efforts supporting evacuees of Hurricane Harvey. Jackson met with Houston mayor Sylvester Turner and evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center prior to the performance. In May 2018, it was announced that Jackson would received the Billboard Icon Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. In an interview for Billboard magazine, Jackson revealed that she was currently working on new music. On August 16, 2018, it was announced that Jackson and Rhythm Nation had entered into a partnership with Cinq Music. The next day, Jackson released the single "Made for Now", a collaboration with Daddy Yankee.

In October 2018, she received her third nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On December 13, 2018, Jackson was announced as one of the seven inductees of the 2019 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On February 26, 2019, Jackson announced a four-month Las Vegas residency entitled Metamorphosis. The initial schedule comprised fourteen shows at the Park Theater at Park MGM resort; three additional shows were announced in May. In September and November 2019 Jackson performed a series of concerts in support of the 30th anniversary of the Rhythm Nation album in Welch Treasure Island Resort & Casino, San Francisco and Hawaii. In 2019, Jackson played a variety of festivals in the US and abroad, including The Glastonbury Festival.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Janet Jackson among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

2020: Black Diamond

On February 10, 2020, Jackson announced her upcoming Black Diamond World Tour as well as her upcoming twelfth studio album Black Diamond due sometime in 2020.

Artistry

Music and voice

Jackson has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Over the course of her career, she has received frequent criticism for the limits of her vocal capabilities, especially in comparison to contemporary artists such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. In comparing her vocal technique to Houston and Aretha Franklin, vocal coach Roger Love states that "[w]hen Janet sings, she allows a tremendous amount of air to come through. She's obviously aiming for a sexy, sultry effect, and on one level that works nicely. But actually, it's fairly limited." He adds that while her voice is suitable for studio recording, it doesn't translate well to stage because despite having "great songs, incredible dancing, and her star like presence, the live show is still magnificent. But the voice is not the star."

Biographer David Ritz commented, "on Janet's albums—and in her videos and live performances, which revealed a crisp, athletic dance technique [...] singing wasn't the point," saying emphasis was placed on "her slamming beats, infectious hooks, and impeccable production values." Eric Henderson of Slant magazine claimed critics opposing her small voice "somehow missed the explosive 'gimme a beat' vocal pyrotechnics she unleashes all over 'Nasty' ... Or that they completely dismissed how perfect her tremulous hesitance fits into the abstinence anthem 'Let's Wait Awhile'." Classical composer Louis Andriessen has praised Jackson for her "rubato, sense of rhythm, sensitivity, and the childlike quality of her strangely erotic voice." Several critics also consider her voice to often be enveloped within her music's production.

Music critic J. D. Considine noted "on albums, Jackson's sound isn't defined by her voice so much as by the way her voice is framed by the lush, propulsive production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis." Wendy Robinson of PopMatters said "the power of Janet Jackson's voice does not lie in her pipes. She doesn't blow, she whispers ... Jackson's confectionary vocals are masterfully complemented by gentle harmonies and balanced out by pulsing rhythms, so she's never unpleasant to listen to."

Matthew Perpetus of Fluxblog suggested Jackson's vocal techniques as a study for indie rock music, considering it to possess "a somewhat subliminal effect on the listener, guiding and emphasizing dynamic shifts without distracting attention from its primal hooks." Perpetus added: "Her voice effortlessly transitions from a rhythmic toughness to soulful emoting to a flirty softness without overselling any aspect of her performance ... a continuum of emotions and attitudes that add up to the impression that we're listening to the expression of a fully-formed human being with contradictions and complexities."

Jackson's music has encompassed a broad range of genres. Her records from the 1980s have been described as being influenced by Prince, as her producers are ex-members of the Time. Sal Cinquemani wrote that in addition to defining Top 40 radio, she "gave Prince's Minneapolis sound a distinctly feminine—and, with songs like 'What Have You Done for Me Lately?,' 'Nasty,' 'Control,' and 'Let's Wait Awhile,' a distinctly feminist—spin."

On Control, Richard J. Ripani documented that she, Jam and Lewis had "crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music sensibility." Author Rickey Vincent stated that she has often been credited for redefining the standard of popular music with the industrial-strength beats of the album. She is considered a trendsetter in pop balladry, with Richard Rischar stating "the black pop ballad of the mid-1980s had been dominated by the vocal and production style that was smooth and polished, led by singers Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and James Ingram."

Jackson continued her musical development by blending pop and urban music with elements of hip-hop in the nineties. This included a softer representation, articulated by lush, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance beats. She is described by music critic Greg Kot as "an artist who has reshaped the sound and image of rhythm and blues" within the first decade of her career. Critic Karla Peterson remarked that "she is a sharp dancer, an appealing performer, and as 'That's the Way Love Goes' proves—an ace pop-song writer." Selected material from the following decade has been viewed less favorably, as Sal Cinquemani comments "except for maybe R.E.M., no other former superstar act has been as prolific with such diminishing commercial and creative returns."

Jackson has changed her lyrical focus over the years, becoming the subject of analysis in musicology, African American studies, and gender studies. David Ritz compared Jackson's musical style to Marvin Gaye's, stating, "like Marvin, autobiography seemed the sole source of her music. Her art, also like Marvin's, floated over a reservoir of secret pain." Much of her success has been attributed to "a series of powerful, metallic grooves; her chirpy, multi-tracked vocals; and a lyrical philosophy built on pride and self-knowledge." Ritz also stated, "The mystery is the low flame that burns around the perimeters of Janet Jackson's soul. The flame feeds off the most highly combustible elements: survival and ambition, caution and creativity, supreme confidence and dark fear."

During the 1980s, her lyrics embodied self-actualization, feminist principles, and politically driven ideology. Gillian G. Gaar described Control as "an autobiographical tale about her life with her parents, her first marriage, and breaking free." Jessie Carney Smith wrote "with that album, she asserted her independence, individuality, and personal power. She challenged audiences to see her as a transformed person, from an ingénue to a grow-up, multi-talented celebrity." Referring to Rhythm Nation 1814 as an embodiment of hope, Timothy E. Scheurer wrote "It may remind some of Sly Stone prior to There's a Riot Going On and other African-American artists of the 1970s in its tacit assumption that the world imagined by Dr. King is still possible, that the American Dream is a dream for all people."

On Janet, Jackson began focusing on sexual themes. Shayne Lee wrote that her music over the following decade "brand[ed] her as one of the most sexually stimulating vocalists of the 1990s." Lilly J. Goren observed "Jackson's evolution from politically aware musician to sexy diva marked the direction that society and the music industry were encouraging the dance-rock divas to pursue." The Washington Post declared Jackson's public image over the course of her career had shifted "from innocence to experience, inspiring such carnal albums as 1993's 'Janet' and 1997's 'The Velvet Rope', the latter of which explored the bonds—figuratively and literally—of love and lust."

The song "Free Xone" from The Velvet Rope, which portrays same-sex relationships in a positive light, is described by sociologist Shayne Lee as "a rare incident in which a popular black vocalist explores romantic or sensual energy outside the contours of heteronormativity, making it a significant song in black sexual politics." During promotion for Janet, she stated "I love feeling deeply sexual—and don't mind letting the world know. For me, sex has become a celebration, a joyful part of the creative process."

Upon the release of Damita Jo, Jackon stated "Beginning with the earlier albums, exploring—and liberating—my sexuality has been an ongoing discovery and theme," adding "As an artist, that's not only my passion, it's my obligation." Stephen Thomas Erlewine has found Jackson's consistent inclusion of sex in her music lacking ingenuity, especially in comparisons to other artists such as Prince, stating "while sex indisputably fuels much great pop music, it isn't an inherently fascinating topic for pop music—as with anything, it all depends on the artist."

Videos and stage

Jackson drew inspiration for her music videos and performances from musicals she watched in her youth, and was heavily influenced by the choreography of Fred Astaire and Michael Kidd, among others. Throughout her career, she has worked with and brought numerous professional choreographers to prominence, such as Tina Landon, Paula Abdul, and Michael Kidd. Veronica Chambers declared, "Her impact on pop music is undeniable and far-reaching," adding, "A quick glance at the Billboard chart reveals any number of artists cast in the Janet Jackson mold." Chambers observed numerous videos which "features not only Ms. Jackson's dancers but choreography and sets remarkably like those she has used."

Janine Coveney of Billboard observed that "Jackson's musical declaration of independence [Control] launched a string of hits, an indelible production sound, and an enduring image cemented by groundbreaking video choreography and imagery that pop vocalists still emulate." Ben Hogwood of MusicOMH applauded the "huge influence she has become on younger pretenders to her throne," most notably Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera. Qadree EI-Amin remarked that many pop artists "pattern their performances after Janet's proven dance-diva persona." Beretta E. Smith-Shomade wrote that "Jackson's impact on the music video sphere came largely through music sales successes, which afforded her more visual liberties and control. This assuming of control directly impacted the look and content of her music videos, giving Jackson an agency not assumed by many other artists—male or female, Black or White."

Parallel Lines: Media Representations of Dance (1993) documents that her videos have often been reminiscent of live concerts or elaborate musical theater. However, in her 30-minute Rhythm Nation 1814 film, Jackson utilizes street dancing techniques in contrast to traditional choreography. The group dynamic visually embodies a gender neutral equality, with Jackson "performing asexually and anonymously in front of, but as one of the members of the group." Her music videos have also contributed to a higher degree of sexual freedom among young women, with Jackson "heavily implying male-on-female oral sex in music videos by pushing down on a man's head until he's in exactly the right position." However, accusations of cosmetic surgery, skin lightening, and increasingly hypersexual imagery have led to her being viewed as conforming to a white, male-dominated view of sexuality, rather than liberating herself or others.

Jackson received the MTV Video Vanguard Award for her contributions to the art form, and she became the first recipient of the MTV Icon tribute, celebrating her impact on the music industry as a whole. In 2003, Slant Magazine named "Rhythm Nation" and "Got 'til It's Gone" among the 100 Greatest Music Videos of all time, ranked at number 87 and number 10, respectively. In 2011, "Rhythm Nation" was voted the tenth best music video of the 1980s by Billboard.

Independent Journalist Nicholas Barber stated "Janet's concerts are the pop equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie, with all the explosions, special effects, ersatz sentimentality, gratuitous cleavage and emphasis on spectacle over coherence that the term implies."Jet magazine reported "Janet's innovative stage performances during her world tours have won her a reputation as a world-class performer." Chris Willman of Los Angeles Times stated the "enthralling" choreography of Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour "represents the pinnacle of what can be done in the popping 'n' locking style—a rapid-fire mixture of rigidly jerky and gracefully fluid movements." When Jackson was asked "do you understand it when people talk about [The Velvet Rope Tour] in terms of Broadway?", she responded, "I'm crazy about Broadway ... That's what I grew up on."

Her "Number Ones: Up Close and Personal" tour deviated from the full-scale theatrics found in her previous concert arena settings in favor of smaller venues. Critics noted being scaled down did not affect the impact of her showmanship, and in some cases, enhanced it. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "In past tours, Jackson's thin voice was often swallowed up by the sheer size of her production ... In the more scaled-down setting, Jackson brought a warmth and a passion that wasn't always evident in stadiums ... the best Janet Jackson performance I've covered in 20-plus years."

Thor Christensen of The Dallas Morning News reported Jackson often lip syncs in concert; he wrote: "Janet Jackson—one of pop's most notorious onstage lip-syncers—conceded ... she uses 'some' taped vocals to augment her live vocals. But she refused to say what percentage of her concert 'voice' is taped and how much is live." Michael MacCambridge of the Austin American-Statesman, who reviewed Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour, described lip-syncing as a "moot point", stating "Jackson was frequently singing along with her own pre-recorded vocals, to achieve a sound closer to radio versions of singles." MacCambridge also observed "it seemed unlikely that anyone—even a prized member of the First Family of Soul Music—could dance like she did for 90 minutes and still provide the sort of powerful vocals that the '90s super concerts are expected to achieve."

Similarly, Chris Willman commented, "even a classically trained vocalist would be hard-pressed to maintain any sort of level of volume—or, more appropriately, 'Control'—while bounding up and down stairs and whipping limbs in unnatural directions at impeccable, breakneck speed." Critics observed that in the smaller scale of her "Number Ones: Up Close and Personal" tour, she forwent lip-syncing. Chris Richards of The Washington Post stated "even at its breathiest, that delicate voice hasn't lost the laserlike precision."

Influences

Jackson describes Lena Horne as a profound inspiration, for entertainers of several generations as well as herself. Upon Horne's death, she stated "[Horne] brought much joy into everyone's lives—even the younger generations, younger than myself. She was such a great talent. She opened up such doors for artists like myself." Similarly, she considers Dorothy Dandridge to be one of her idols.

Jackson has declared herself "a very big Joni Mitchell fan", explaining: "As a kid I was drawn to Joni Mitchell records [...] Joni's songs spoke to me in an intimate, personal way." She holds reverence for Tina Turner, stating "Tina has become a heroic figure for many people, especially women, because of her tremendous strength. Personally, Tina doesn't seem to have a beginning or an end in my life. I felt her music was always there, and I feel like it always will be." She has also named other socially conscious acts, such as Tracy Chapman, Sly and the Family Stone, U2, and Bob Dylan as sources of inspiration.

In her early career, Jackson credited her brothers Michael and Jermaine Jackson as musical influences. According to Rolling Stone and MTV, other artists attributed as influences include the Ronettes, Dionne Warwick, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Prince, Parliament-Funkadelic, Zapp, and Tina Turner.

Legacy and influence

The youngest sister of the "precious Jackson clan", Janet Jackson has striven to distance her professional career from that of her older brother Michael and the rest of the Jackson family. Steve Dollar of Newsday wrote that "[s]he projects that home girl-next-door quality that belies her place as the youngest sibling in a family whose inner and outer lives have been as poked at, gossiped about, docudramatized and hard-copied as the Kennedys." Phillip McCarthy of The Sydney Morning Herald noted that throughout her recording career, one of her common conditions for interviewers has been that there would be no mention of Michael. Joshua Klein wrote, "[f]or the first half of her recording career, Janet Jackson sounded like an artist with something to prove. Emerging in 1982 just as big brother Michael was casting his longest shadow, Jackson filled her albums not so much with songs as with declarations, from 'The Pleasure Principle' to the radical-sounding 'Rhythm Nation' to the telling statement of purpose, 'Control'."

Steve Huey of Allmusic asserted that despite being born into a family of entertainers, Janet Jackson has managed to emerge a "superstar" in her own right, rivaling not only several female recording artists including Madonna and Whitney Houston, but also her brother, while "successfully [shifting] her image from a strong, independent young woman to a sexy, mature adult." By forging her own unique identity through her artistry and her business ventures, she has been esteemed as the "Queen of Pop". Klein argued that "stardom was not too hard to predict, but few could have foreseen that Janet—Miss Jackson, if you're nasty—would one day replace Michael as true heir to the Jackson family legacy.".

Jackson has also been recognized for playing a pivotal role in crossing racial boundaries in the recording industry, where black artists were once considered to be substandard. Author Maureen Mahon states: "In the 1980s, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Prince were among the African American artists who crossed over ... When black artists cross over into pop success they cease to be black in the industry sense of the word. They get promoted from racialized black music to universal pop music in an economically driven process of racial transcendence." The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women's Issues and Knowledge documented that Jackson, along with other prominent African-American women, had achieved financial breakthroughs in mainstream popular music, receiving "superstar status" in the process.

She, alongside her contemporaries "offered viable creative, intellectual, and business paths for establishing and maintaining agency, lyrical potency, marketing and ownership." Her business savvy has been compared to that of Madonna, gaining a level of autonomy which enables "creative latitude and access to financial resources and mass-market distribution." A model of reinvention, author Jessie Carney Smith wrote that "Janet has continued to test the limits of her transformative power", receiving accolades in music, film and concert tours throughout the course of her career.

Musicologist Richard J. Ripani identified Jackson as a leader in the development of contemporary R&B, as her music created a unique blend of genre and sound effects which ushered in the use of rap vocals into mainstream R&B. He also argues her signature song "Nasty" influenced the new jack swing genre developed by Teddy Riley. Leon McDermott of the Sunday Herald wrote: "Her million-selling albums in the 1980s helped invent contemporary R&B through Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's muscular, lean production; the sinuous grooves threaded through 1986's Control and 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814 are the foundation upon which today's hot shot producers and singers rely."

Simon Reynolds described Jackson's collaborations with her record producers as a reinvention of the dance-pop genre, introducing a new sonic palate. Den Berry, Virgin Records CEO and Chairman stated: "Janet is the very embodiment of a global superstar. Her artistic brilliance and personal appeal transcend geographic, cultural and generational boundaries." In July 1999, she placed at number 77 on VH1's "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll". She also placed at number 134 on their list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time", number seven on the "100 Greatest Women In Music", and at number two on the "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era", behind Madonna.

In March 2008, Business Wire reported "Janet Jackson is one of the top ten selling artists in the history of contemporary music; ranked by Billboard magazine as the ninth most successful act in rock and roll history, and the second most successful female artist in pop music history." She is the only female artist in the history of the Hot 100 to have 18 consecutive top ten hit singles, from "Miss You Much" (1989) to "I Get Lonely" (1998). The magazine ranked her at number seven on their Hot 100 50th Anniversary "All-Time Top Artists", making her the third most successful female artist in the history of the chart, following Madonna and Mariah Carey.

In November 2010, Billboard released its "Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list and ranked her at number five. She ranks as the top artist on the chart with 15 number ones in the past twenty-five years, garnering 27 top ten hits between 1985 and 2001, and 33 consecutive top 40 hits from 1985 through 2004. Recipient of eleven Billboard Music Awards, she is one an elite group of musical acts, such as Madonna, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks and Eric Clapton, whom Billboard credits for "redefining the landscape of popular music."

In November 2014, Jackson was voted 'Queen of Pop' by a poll conducted online by VH1.com. In October 2015, she received her first nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and four years later was inducted to the Hall. Jackson's music and choreography have inspired numerous performers.Virgin Records executive Lee Trink expressed: "Janet is an icon and historic figure in our culture. She's one of those gifted artists that people look up to, that people emulate, that people want to believe in ... there's not that many superstars that stand the test of time."

Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald remarked: "For every hand-fluttering, overwrought, melisma addict out there aping Mariah's dog calls, there's an equal number trying to match Jackson's bubbling grooves and fancy footwork, including Britney Spears, Aaliyah and Destiny's Child." Music critic Gene Stout commented she "has so broadly influenced a younger generation of performers, from Jennifer Lopez ... to Britney Spears, who has copied so many of Jackson's dance moves." 'N Sync and Usher have credited her for teaching them how to develop stage show into theatrical performance. Kesha, Toni Braxton, Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Crystal Kay, Kelly Rowland, Rihanna, Brazilian singer Kelly Key, and Christine and the Queens have all named her an inspiration, while others such as Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC, Cassie, Nicki Minaj, Keri Hilson, and DJ/singer Havana Brown, have all expressed desire to emulate her.

Elysa Gardner of USA Today wrote: "Jackson claims not to be bothered by the brigade of barely post-adolescent baby divas who have been inspired by—and, in some cases, have flagrantly aped—the sharp, animated choreography and girlish but decidedly post-feminist feistiness that have long been hallmarks of her performance style." Adrienne Trier-Bieniek stated "scholars trace the origins of pleasure as a Black feminist commitment within popular culture to Janet Jackson" who inspired the feminist perspective found in many pop stars' careers. Those who are considered to have followed in her footsteps have been referred to as "Janet-come-lately's."

Other artists who have drawn comparison to her include Mýa, Brandy, Tatyana Ali, Christina Milian, Lady Gaga, Namie Amuro, and BoA. Sociologist Shayne Lee commented that "[a]s Janet enters the twilight of her reign as erotic Queen of Pop, Beyoncé emerges as her likely successor." Joan Morgan of Essence magazine remarked: "Jackson's Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 and janet. established the singer-dancer imprimatur standard in pop culture we now take for granted. So when you're thinking of asking Miss Jackson, 'What have you done for me lately?' remember that Britney, Ciara and Beyoncé live in the house that Janet built."

Personal life

At age 18, Janet Jackson eloped with singer James DeBarge in September 1984. The marriage was annulled in November 1985. On March 31, 1991, Jackson married dancer/songwriter/director Rene Elizondo Jr. The marriage was kept a secret until the split was announced. In January 1999, the couple separated and were divorced in 2000. Elizondo filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against her, estimated to have been between $10–25 million, which did not reach a settlement for three years.

From 2002 to 2009, Jackson dated music producer/rapper/songwriter Jermaine Dupri. In 2010, Jackson met Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana and began dating him shortly after that. The couple became engaged and married privately in 2012. In 2016, Jackson announced that they were expecting their first child together. On January 3, 2017, Jackson gave birth to a son, Eissa Al Mana. In April 2017, it was announced that the couple had separated and were pursuing a divorce.

Discography

Studio albums

Janet Jackson (1982)

Dream Street (1984)

Control (1986)

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

janet. (1993)

The Velvet Rope (1997)

All for You (2001)

Damita Jo (2004)

20 Y.O. (2006)

Discipline (2008)

Unbreakable (2015)

Filmography

Good Times (1977–79)

Diff'rent Strokes (1980–84)

Fame (1984–85)

Poetic Justice (1993)

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

Why Did I Get Married? (2007)

Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010)

For Colored Girls (2010)

Tours and concerts

Headlining tours

Rhythm Nation World Tour (1990)

Janet. World Tour (1993–1995)

The Velvet Rope Tour (1998–1999)

All for You Tour (2001–2002)

Rock Witchu Tour (2008)

Number Ones, Up Close and Personal World Tour (2011)

Unbreakable World Tour (2015–2016)

State of the World Tour (2017–2019)

Janet Jackson: A Special 30th Anniversary Celebration of Rhythm Nation (2019)

Black Diamond World Tour (2020)

Concert residencies

Janet Jackson: Metamorphosis (2019)

#05/16

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scienter · 7 years

Text

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better (or don’t it’s up to you!)

I was tagged by @smilinstar and @knives-and-lint. Thanks guys! :D

Nickname(s): Lou (only by my family. don’t call me that.)

Gender: Female

Sign: Aquarius

Height: 5′1

Time: 6:07

Fav band(s): The Beatles, AC/DC, Nirvana, The Cure, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, Areosmith, Foo Fighters, The Goo Goo Dolls, TLC (they count, right? who cares. i love them.)

Fav solo artist(s): Pink, Keith Urban, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chuck Berry, Eminem, Taylor Swift

Song stuck in my head: It’s A Small World (I visited Disney World last week)

Last movie I saw: I, Tonya

Last show I watched: Jessica Jones

When did I create my blog: December 2014

What do I post: Meta and random musings on pop culture

Last thing I Googled: Beethoven

Do I have any other blogs: Yes

Do I get asks: Occasionally

Why did I chose my URL: It’s a single word that I know how to spell

Following: 401

Followed by: 816

Average hours of Sleep: 5 - 6

Lucky number: I don’t have a lucky number.

Instruments: I played the drums in high school. I’d like to play them again because I love rock music (but my procrastination keeps getting in the way).

What I am wearing: Jeans, t-shirt, and a hoodie

Dream job: Supreme Court Justice (It’d be the best job, but I know that it will never happen).

Dream trip: Australia and New Zealand (my family is from there)

Fav food: Chicken rice bowls & Gyros from Zo’s, Potatoes, Perogies, Coffee, Tiramisu

Nationality: American

Fav song: (Do I have to pick just one!? Because I can’t!)

Okay Top Five:

1 - Yesterday, The Beatles (They’re my favorite band, and I love all of their music. But Yesterday is hauntingly beautiful and poetic. It’s perfect.)

2 - Thunderstruck, AC/DC (They’re my second favorite band)

3 - Come As You Are, Nirvana

4 - Baba O’Riley, The Who (I LOVE THE DRUMS IN THIS)

5 - Brothers In Arms, Dire Straits

6 - Wait For It, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Okay I know that I said top five, but I couldn’t limit myself to just five! I tried, but I couldn’t!)

Last book I read: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Great book. Go read it.)

Top 3 fictional universes I wanna join: The West Wing (I WANT JED BARTLET FOR PRESIDENT), Gilmore Girls, The Cosmere

tag: @kmze @amykinz13 @drjanefster @stefansalfatore @do-you-think-im-spoopy @grracelesss @humormakeslifebearable @alixoftimble @fallingslowly8718 @itslizzi3stylestvd @clo0807 @pieces-of-april@threadsandspiderwebs @peace-love-colbert

#tagged #tag games #knives and lint #smilinstar #about me #random #misc

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notoriousjae · 7 years

Text

Time Drift (3/?)

Chapter Title: Moons and Junes and Ferris Wheels

Pairing: Kara Danvers/Cat Grant (And a bit of Alex Danvers/Lois Lane - yep); Past mentions of Sanvers (or future...mentions of Sanvers)

Rating: T+ (For now)

Chapter Description:

“I’m a journalist. I have no heart. You’re a singer, and yet you seem completely unphased, like you’ve done this a thousand times before--”

“Don’t you know?” And the girl offers her a flashing smile, something charming and wide and surprisingly strong, and Cat finds herself almost dazzled by it. “I’m Supergirl.”

This chapter’s song:

Both Sides Now; Written by: Joni Mitchell; Performed in link by: Mackenzie Johnson

Chapter 1: AO3 | Tumblr

Chapter 2: AO3 | Tumblr

Chapter 3 (Current): AO3 | Below:

Rows and flows of angel hair

And ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

I’ve looked at clouds that way

Writers through the ages have waxed as poetic over the beauty of moonlight as they have over love, itself. They’ve fallen to their knees and tried to grasp at its wisping, faded beams like a lost metaphor for love; they’ve pounded their desks and insisted that their lovers' eyes shone like moonlight because eyes might radiate the reflection of a far-away sun; they’ve insisted that moonlight guided a path or taken the last traces of it from their memories; hell, they've insisted the moon was life and love and fertility, itself.

Right now, Cat Grant only waxes that moonlight is a horrible, horrible guiding light as it traces the corners of her desk with a hint of white, her desk lamp flickering until it dies as she desperately tries to change the bulb with only this stupid moonlight to guide her.

A string of curses tumble out of her lips when she discovers just how hot the bulb is—didn’t she get here just a few minutes ago? How is it this hot?—bouncing the small little glass orb in her hands before managing to toss it into a trashcan. Its fall is cushioned by a mountain of discarded paper, at least, and Cat sighs as she runs a hand over her face, digging through her drawer to find the replacement with a few more choice curses towards that fucking inefficient moonlight before twisting it in, blinking when the lamp seems to blast a beaming smile of light through her desk that might rival a singer across the city.

Not that Cat is thinking of a singer across the city, at all.

She sighs, looking back down at scattered photos now that she can see, again, hands running along them with a hint of reverence. It’s selfish, really, but she wishes these children weren’t all the same age—weren’t all bright eyed and young and beautiful and all around Adam’s age—the sound of her chair’s legs scraping across the empty bullpen lost underneath the scratch of her pen.

The valiant fight to get this article released has been more than just a week-long battle and her stomach churns as she tugs out yet another blank piece of paper, fountain pen staining the edge of it to test before getting to work on another chart. She’s starting to look like some kind of schizophrenic in a late-night drama, tying strings together to corporation names and politicians, but a little bit of crazy, she’s learned the past couple of years (especially working in gossip), is necessary for success in journalism.

Soon, she creates a mini kidnapping board of pictures and small bylines of articles, pen scratching along with it.

A recorder clicks underneath her thumb.

“So what do we know…” Cat hums to herself, “We know that there’s been five publicized,” She’s careful about the word—knowing, now, because that’s what prompted this in the first place—thumb charting the names of the children at the top of the paper, “Kidnappings in the past four months, all of which have been stopped by an unknown vigilante. Two of the articles mention only one person, but three mention two…hmm. Another day.” Cat taps her pen against the edge of the desk. "Let's put a pin in that, Cat. Don't forget to come back to this."

She keeps talking.

All five kidnappings were orphans, and that was the only tie. Their medical records were sealed—all of their records were sealed—their ages were varied. Different genders, and for two of them there was no documentation on them, at all. No birth certificates--no apparent socials--no records of them existing, at all, save for two separate documents from an orphanage. But when questioned about the vigilantes (save for the youngest, who was too scared to mention anything, at all, and wouldn’t speak to anyone who saw her, at least on record) the children were all steel traps, not wanting to offer up their saviors on silver platters.

An odd kinship with their savior(s?). '(Come back to that, too, Cat.)'

The kidnappings were thwarted in different sections of the city, but all at night, and all in Metropolis. None of the kidnappers arrested were ever held for long (circumstantial evidence, or evidence that mysteriously was misplaced halfway through trial) and all suspects refused to talk. The only thing other than the sheer number of them connecting the kidnappings together was the fact that the vigilantes had thwarted them (which was an interesting angle in and of itself).

She’s been pressing Perry for weeks to release the children’s names—to see if they couldn’t get more information, although it’s certain to lead to red herrings. To see if they can’t publicize the events to at least shed light on it, to keep it from happening again, to make someone in Metropolis give a damn, because what if it had been her son? What if it had been—

A sigh, looking down at the page, because what she knows is, decidedly, little, and she could use a drink. Although she’s had three of those, tonight, already.

She’d sworn she wouldn’t go back to Clark’s last week…and she kept going. Every night. Every night, this week, she’s somehow managed to wander into a bar with an annoyingly charming name and an even more annoyingly charming piano-player. The first night, she left immediately after the girl’s set, but Tuesday…she’d stayed, and Kara Danvers had smiled at her like she was the only person in the room, smoke setting in blonde like some kind of perfume, and almost sensing the tension off of Cat’s shoulders, didn’t talk.

It seemed almost uncharacteristic because, for the few things she knew about the girl (which was practically nothing) Kara Danvers seemed to love to hear herself talk. Why else would someone ramble on so much?

But Kara had just ordered a club soda—ordered Cat another drink—and sat next to her like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she was utterly content to sit there in silence in the din of a bar. And, even more dangerously, Cat was glad to have the company…so she came back the next day.

The next night, and then the night after that, and somewhen along the line, they talked. They talked about…nothing, really. Pop culture or movies—both of which Kara Danvers seemed impressively ill-informed about, but Cat hasn’t had time to see a movie in theaters in a near year, anyways—

“Well, maybe you can show me what I’m missing, sometime—” Kara had joked, teeth tucking a lip and thumb sliding just along the edge of Cat’s wrist, and the journalist almost suggested that movies were always on at 2 AM in an apartment with a TV she hadn’t used (still hasn’t) for more than the news in years. But she hadn’t. She just said maybe with a hum and a flick of a wrist and a dropping stomach that didn’t shatter like glass when Kara swallowed and leaned a little closer like she’d been hoping the offer would come but took the potential like sunshine, regardless.

And that’s one thing Cat’s learned—Kara Danvers is a hopeless ball of fucking sunshine. She smiles and beams and somehow has a presence that insists the world will be perfectly alright simply because she exists within it, but is far too humble to even suggest that notion in the first place. But there’s something about her eyes—something so tragically sad about her eyes that Cat wouldn’t be surprised if an English poet, somewhere, wrote a hundred-word poem about the devastation of them, painted underneath that ever-waxing moonlight….

Cat swore that night, too, that she wouldn’t go back.

But she did. She listened to a constantly-rotating setlist of music with open ears and a warm chest—she learned how deeply Kara Danvers can laugh underneath the light of smoke without a singular, pathetic stage light highlighting the blue of her eyes—and she listened to her bounce around keys as effortlessly as Cat only wishes she could bounce around a typewriter. And tonight, after listening to a bar full of people desperately try to throw suggestions at her (in an apparently routine game), she listened to Kara be anything other than ordinary before the blonde had happily plopped next to her on a barstool an hour later, taking one look at the stretch of Cat’s shoulders before almost knowingly asking her what was wrong.

And Cat (idiotically) told her. She launched into a rant lacking any form of breath, punctuation, or pause that might make Dalton Trumbo pale, or proud, or both. She told the singer about her week—about the kidnappings and the lack of justice and the lack of leads to do anything meaningful with the story. She launched into wanting to make a difference—in wanting to protect them—and when she looked up just a few short hours ago, there was something almost…familiar in those haunting, happy eyes.

Kara looked like she was thinking—almost debating, now that Cat plays the moment in her mind—and Cat had been too busy downing another martini to pick up on it, then. To ask the questions a journalist should know to ask.

“You know,” The singer had so casually suggested to her, fingers dipping along the rim of a club soda, eyes settled on the wall before turning back to look at Cat with something surprisingly…knowing. Almost clairvoyant. “Just because you know the names of five children who were kidnapped…doesn’t mean that’s all of them. Those are just the ones that were publicized. Maybe…” She’d sucked a breath through her teeth, “You should start there. With what you don't know."

Cat had blinked, too busy being stunned to care about looking stunned before she’d reached out and squeezed the girl’s shoulder and practically ran out of the bar with some phrase or another (hopefully not 'Kara, you're a genius' and definitely hopefully not 'I'm an idiot'), heading immediately to the office.

The sun might rise, soon, if she keeps this up, but it would hardly be the first time she spent all night at this desk, and it will likely not be the last, reaching over to tug open the public record (and the not-so-public one she’d picked up from a contact on her way here), dipping down to her lowest drawer to tug out a bottle of gin.

Her mother would give her such a look for drinking it straight from the bottle (and that makes Cat wish she could see it) but sometimes journalism requires a lack of class and debauchery that Cat can only hope to excel in, someday.

“Alright…so now that we have what we know.” Slamming the bottle back into the drawer with a decisive, determined, happy hum, glad for the burn and the lack of coworkers in the building—particularly glad for the lack of Perry White—slowly starting from the top, “Let’s find out what we don’t.”

But now they only block the sun

They rain and snow on everyone

So many things I would have done

But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It’s clouds illusions I recall

I really don’t know clouds at all

“Guess I’m glad Radioshack hasn’t gone out of business, yet.” Kara hums, reaching her hand back up to her sister as she passes, holding up the small little trinket she’s managed, various pieces of mangled technology hanging from her lips muffling her voice. “You know that I don’t understand...any of what I’m doing, Alex.”

“Do you usually?” It’s a tease, plucking the small piece before Kara can throw it at her, tugging over a new motorcycle helmet between bare knees, humming as she tries to run the thin wire through it. “Like ever?”

“Do you?” Kara counters, finger running along the edge of a textbook’s page before flicking a few back, the only indication that the pages have moved at all in the soft flutters of paper throughout the apartment. The sound of her sister speed-reading is oddly comforting if just because it tickles faint memories in the back of her mind. “Last I remember, which is, you know, what you tell me so who knows if that’s even the case,” But brows are knit, concentration keen down at the small little package of wires resting on her knee and Alex spares a small moment to watch over her shoulder like she’s overseeing a science project. “You’re a bio-engineer.”

“I am a bio-engineer.” Alex immediately replies, glowering a little bit, not missing the way Kara’s lips barely tug up at the edges even amidst her concentration before her eyes flash, lasers slowly soldering a circuit. “Luckily for you, because it takes someone with like at least five degrees to even hope to understand how your brain works.”

“Not that hard,” It’s a self-deprecating laugh, “All signs up here point to food, music, and trying to do the right thing.” Kara tugs over her glasses, using them as a magnifying glass for the laser to split it--thin it--soldering the last two sections of the circuit. “Which, really, I know we’re still trying to make me go faster, have you thought of us just inventing an energy drink?”

“A simple girl, my sister. And no, the last thing the world needs is you on an energy drink. You might rip a hole in the space-time continuum.” As much as she watches--as much as Kara gripes--she knows that the technology is in good hands. “Again. There we go. This should keep what happened last week from happening again.” It’s a thin sigh, glad for a long lineage of quasi-surgeon’s hands if just because she’s not sure how else she would manage to wire this through the helmet without them. “Although watching that guy’s face as he tried to hit you in the head with a baseball bat was...okay, I admit it. It was pretty priceless.”

The perp--for some reason, police jargon has stuck so steadily with her, like she’d been used to hearing it, though she can’t quite remember where, flashes of emphatic hands and tired dark eyes and a thin, sympathetic smile--had the unfortunate idea of smacking Kara in the head. A very breakable object met an immovable one and the bat had splintered, the attacker’s hand painfully repelling backwards as Kara just grabbed him by the fabric of his shirt and sighed.

That’s not very nice, you know.

A chuckle, remembering the look of horror on his face.

“Come on, Alex, that had to be one of the worst nights of that guy’s life.”

The guy had peed his pants right then and there and Kara had felt so bad they just wordlessly took him to the police station and dropped him off. Alex laughed the entire way home until she realized their very crude comm systems had broken, because of it.

They’d spent months desperately trying to combine minds to come up with some form of soluble technology years ago--Kara pouring over limited textbooks every free second she had--and even with her sister’s surprising knack for engineering and Alex’s muscle memory of a future they can’t recall, the system they developed wasn’t...well it literally was not rocket science.

Alex is pretty sure she’d be better at rocket science. So would Kara. They’d probably be alright with rockets, actual. Maybe that’s something they’re missing—rockets.

But it’s time for an upgrade, anyways, and the textbooks have more than just theories in them, now, and Alex even manages to finally figure out how to utilize their old cell phones in a way that finally makes sense, fingers moving down to route the switch at the top of the helmet.

“Well then he shouldn’t have been breaking and entering.” Alex shrugs, rolling her neck as the faint smell of burning plastic meets her nose, giving it a moment before sliding on the familiar helmet, humming at the fit on it. “Feels good.”

“Yeah?”

Alex knocks on the edge of it, rolling her shoulders and nodding, again, “Yeah, feels good.”

Her fingers run along the rim of the helmet, tucking underneath it, remembering the last time one was yanked off of her with a sigh, shaking her head.

A squeal interrupts the reverie.

“Ah--shhiiiii--Kara, Jesus Christ.” Alex tugs off the helmet as her sister unknowingly touches the wrong wire, two hands immediately snapping up to lips in horrified apology, Kara rushing forward to make sure she’s alright, the piercing noise still ringing. “Shit.” Alex wags a desperate finger in her ear to try to physically rid herself of the tinnitus that immediately rattles her brain regardless of knowing that’s only going to make it worse.

“Sorry! Sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kara winces before gently adding after a beat, clearing her throat: “Did you hear it, though?”

“Oh, yeah. Not gonna hear anything else, though. Ever again.” Alex flops backwards on the ground, tugging the helmet into her lap as she looks it over, popping up the visor to check it. They’ll have to wire all of their spares tonight, as well. But it will be nice to have a new helmet. The last one was starting to smell like the inside of a boy’s lockerroom. A sigh, mind wandering: “I wonder how accurate that intel was on that ring we heard about from that kid last night…” Alex hums, thoughtful as her head rests back on the faded wood of a scratched apartment floor, yawning, taking a moment to rest.

“Well there’s only one way to find out,” Kara chirps, as perky as ever at the opportunity to make a difference and when Alex opens her eyes, she’s not surprised to see that trademark beam up close and personal, blonde hair cascading down between them as an ever-eager hero leans over her. “But I think you’re right, without knowing where it is, there’s not much we can do until we pinpoint a location, and I’m having about as much of luck narrowing down new leads as Cat.” Kara pauses and Alex’s eyes open, slitting, “Or Lois. Or, you know, the Planet at all. But, hey, you know the best place to wine, dine, and smooze the rich for intel….”

“The Gala?” Alex groans, mind exhaustedly running through a thousand scenarios, all of which end in dead-ends, which isn’t the worst way they’ve spent a weekend. At least this way they’re likely to make some money. Kara always kills it at the stupid rich things, and then kills it ten-fold at the after-parties.

“You know it. Music and service.”

“Food espionage it is.” Alex reluctantly agrees because she’s already imagining how difficult it will be to get into a banquet, even with their usual golden ticket--that golden ticket being Kara’s over-zealous piano fingers-- because she really doesn’t want to take up the other offer she’s received. Still, the years have passed where they bother keeping much from each other, so Alex hedges: “Lane did say something last week about needing a date….”

“Oh, look, you won’t even have to pretend to be a waitress this time.” Kara offers and Alex wrinkles her nose with a short shove to her sister’s laughing shoulder. “What? You’re a bio-engineer. You deserve better than the food-espionage.”

“Don’t forget it.”

“Too late.” Kara sighs, flopping down onto the floor next to her, tugging on her own helmet and laying down before flipping up the visor. A long moment passes before she whispers, “Cat will be there. All of the Daily Planet will. At least we know Clark will be there for back-up.”

“That’s the second Cat sighting this conversation. Bad news, bears.” Alex reminds, tugging her own helmet on, flipping up the visor, their shoulders brushing together as they lay on their worn wooden floor, the sound of the wind gently rustling through the window, Kara’s withering sigh joining the faint hum of it, lost amidst the heat and silence. “Is she still coming to the bar?”

“Everyday, now. And everytime I see her…” Kara’s voice catches like a thread snagged between a door, violently tugging through it at the indelicate touch of an insistent hand on the other end, fraying at the edges as her sister sucks in a sharp breath. “Is that what it’s like when you drink?”

Kara’s never asked before and Alex has always figured it’s because she either knew already or didn’t want to and dark hair splays on the floor underneath black as a head rolls to the side, the noise of the helmet rolling on the wood matched by Kara’s when she does the same, their eyes meeting through open visors.

“Do you...do you remember?” Kara presses and Alex just tugs off her helmet and gets back to work, pointedly ignoring the quiet whisper of a breath from her sister on the floor, guilt and anger curling in her lungs. Maybe there’s some things they still keep to themselves. “Because I don’t, Alex.”

Kara tugs off her helmet and dutifully gets back to working in silence when she doesn’t answer and it’s only an hour later that Alex hears her murmur it to herself, looking out the window, watching the birds in a way that feels so familiar that Alex’s breath catches in her throat.

“I just remember the idea of her. That’s all. And I think that’s being…overwritten, too. Now. By her.”

That’s all they have, now. Ideas.

And Alex hates it.

“So we have two weeks to figure out what information we need from the Gala.” Alex’s voice is all business and she watches Kara’s spine straighten with Kryptonian steel, head tipping back with a nod.

“And how much of it is likely going to be coming from Lex Luthor.” Kara adds, a subject they’re far less gentle about when her cousin isn’t in the room. Alex comes forward and gently wraps her arms around a waist, chin falling down to a shoulder as they both look out at the city. “I know you need to head to the lab, but…are you coming to the bar, tonight? It’s been a while since—”

“You bet. You volunteering?” She hums and Kara squeezes her hand--nods--leans forward into the warmth of the city before Alex pulls away. “Come on, let’s finish putting these together so that we can actually get some sleep. We’re going to have to canvas this place top to bottom. I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.”

That gift horse being the Luthor mansion. Just because they can’t do anything in daylight--just because they can’t be open about it--doesn’t mean they can’t throw Clark a bone or two while they’re in there.

Kara knowingly smiles, plopping down next to her and pulling up another circuit, a little easier going now that they’ve managed to do the first one without it exploding.

After this, she’ll head to the small lab and see if she can’t make any progress on their number one problem—getting home.

“You bet. You know,” Kara’s tone is bright when Alex tosses her another circuit, getting started on the first spare helmet, “I’m not the only badass in the family.”

Alex feels like she’s heard that before and smirks, because she feels like whoever said it is a genius.

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels

The dizzy dancing way you feel

As every fairy tale comes real

I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show

You leave ‘em laughing when you go

And if you care, don’t let them know

Don’t give yourself away

Cat lets out a quiet string of curses, heels clicking along asphalt as she tries to run without running, heart catching in her chest.

“Grant!” A voice rumbles behind her and it’s unnerving, really, how calm it is, like he doesn’t need to run to stop Cat in her tracks and she refuses—she absolutely refuses—to give him the satisfaction, quickening her pace to a run around the corner of an alley.

Unfortunately, a stampede of heavy footsteps follow her.

Four of them.

She’d spent all day digging through police records until she found a lead—barely—two separate kidnappings happening around the same location she’d remembered reading a beat on months ago regarding a Vice drop. Drugs or something, no one was sure, but there had been rumors in the gossip mill about Lex Luthor importing illegal goods on the docks—the same docks where two of the kidnappings took place.

It was a stretch, save for the fact that the plate for one of the cars the child was able to identify (one of the older children that had been taken), scribbled and never investigated on a six-month old police report, had been registered for a child-company of one of LexCorps’ start-up pet projects. Medi-Glo, a medical company specializing in cancer diagnosis equipment, which manufactured and distributed solely to the United States. All parts sourced within the United States—all labor proudly provided within the United States—all business apparently focused on the crown heart of the United States, Metropolis, underneath the knowing guidance of Lex Luthor.

But Medi-Glo routinely received export and import shipments within a warehouse on the docks…unusual enough for a company so adamant about in-house procedures and Cat knows enough about the world to know if a man is spending time in another bed, it’s because nothing’s happening in his own.

Medi-Glo, Cat had discovered through a phonecall to Olivia Marsdin, house-hopeful that was aiming to make a name for herself cracking down on drugs with her DA and was heading a very sensitive investigation against Lex Luthor, was under scrutiny. Lex Luthor was currently being interviewed from afar for his involvement...and supposedly had a shipment coming tomorrow, at 9 PM. To the very same docks Cat had been investigating. A shipment that had no other disclosed factors for its existence—the what, where, and why were all woefully unanswered—and when Cat pressed (pressed and maybe blackmailed, just a little) her old friend into a source to press, herself, she found herself wandering the streets of Metropolis to hunt down an ex-convict and current contract warehouse worker for Medi-Glo based upon one simple, undeniable truth about a male's existence:

Cat is certain that all men's lives revolve around alcohol as much as most women's do.

So it wasn't too hard to go off of that.

When she found him at his usual haunt of a dive bar in one of the less flattering parts of Metropolis, Cat let out a hissing sigh when he recognized her and, worse, immediately had three goons stand up from their pool table at his disposal.

That was the problem with 10-99-Misc contract workers, they apparently had no real loyalty to whatever company they worked for, but no real incentive to keep their jobs other than squashing threats…which Cat apparently is. Which is why she suddenly finds herself running through the streets of Metropolis from four genetically-modified giants (or they just really ate their idiot Spinach) that look more like skinheads than dock workers, heels skidding along the ground as she rounds another corner, heart pounding in her ears.

She was made for writing, not for running, and she tries to quell her pounding heart when one of the goons has the forethought to cut her off at the end of the alley, dark eyes blinking as she twists between his towering form and the end of the alley she’s trapped herself in, three other men advancing from the end of the street.

And suddenly, that fucking moonlight seems perfectly content to illuminate the entire street in absolute blinding precision, because Cat can see the man's smirk clearer than anything else in the world.

He's going to kill her.

“We heard you were snooping around. What, who Freddie Prince fuckin’ not good enough for ya, anymore, Kitty?”

Oh, God, he sounds like an idiot. She’s going to die at the hands of an actual stereotypical goon idiot and Cat stumbles backwards, nearly tripping in the open alley, but she’s not going to go out without a fight.

“I just…had a few questions, Mr…Rasputin, was it?”

She has no clue what his fucking name is, right now—breathless and more frightened than she’d admit—kicking off her heel and brandishing it because of course tonight was the one where she left her mace and—

“Nah.” He answers, clueless and advancing and Cat swallows, eyes frantic as she takes in her surroundings, looking for any way—any way at all—out. God, Mother was going to make her funeral ghastly, wasn’t she? Was she going to play that fucking horrible song from Beaches and--

No, no, she wasn’t going to die like this—

He grabs for her and she slams her heel into his eye and skitters backwards the same moment the man to her right, trying to block her exit, advances.

“Ahh, fuck, you bitc—”

Cat doesn’t think about it, anymore, she just screams and tries to run, three of the men advancing—

It sounds like there’s a crack in the sky, like a boom rustles her ear and shakes the very foundation of the world, itself. Like a plane snaps through the sky, trailing sound and air behind it through the air. But it’s so disorienting that Cat wonders if she heard it, at all—if she heard anything, at all—breath leaving her lips in a frightened rasp, expecting there to be a gun that’s made the noise, somehow, blinking when she looks up to see the three men stumbling like they’re frozen in time.

Because suddenly Cat isn’t alone with them in the alley, anymore.

There’s suddenly another figure--a woman--and the men’s breath seem to catch up to them, all sucking in at once, as the woman’s fist connects with one of their jaws with enough force for a second audible crack to sound through the alley.

“Hey, didn’t anyone tell you that the whole…alley thing was out of season?” And there’s a voice Cat would recognize everywhere and it’s so strange—so out of place—that Cat’s hand falls, certain she must already be dead. Certain that she can't be here, at all. "You guys are supposed to be doing this in warehouses, now."

Maybe she fell and knocked her head, or something—maybe she fell asleep on her desk working and—

One of the men throws a punch that the girl ducks, turning around just enough for Cat to see a flash of hair before she palm strikes him in the chest—

Her breath finally catches up to her lungs.

“W--Kara?” Cat blinks, the other heel she’d scrambled to grab in defense lowering from her hand as she takes in the unexpected sight of her even more unexpected heroine.

“Wh--” And a wave of blonde whirls around to showcase blinking blue eyes. It’s surreal, because their eyes are still caught across the alley and the other girl doesn’t look for a moment as her hand snaps up to catch an assailant’s hand (like it's almost reflex) before it can hit her in the face, using momentum to pull him closer and Cat gasps at the sound of bones crunching when she buckles her elbow down and snaps his arm, “Oh, I--hey!” It’s a near-sputter as recognition hits and Cat’s other arm slowly falls as Kara practically beams.

She must’ve fallen asleep on her desk. Cat must have--

And then Kara ducks, leg swiping out the leg of the second attacker, using his body as a stepping stool the moment he crumples on dirtied asphalt to pop up into the air and punch the third one, the sound of all of them groaning uncannily ringing out through the alley and there, amidst all of them, is this tall, dazzling blonde, hair cascading over shoulders and glasses askew like they’ve been pushed down to the bridge of her nose, but the rest of her outfit perfectly in place.

Kara elbows the last one in the stomach and he gasps before he falls down and a precise leg snaps down, hitting him right where it must matter because he immediately stops squirming and, just like that, Cat goes from her life being in danger to her life decidedly not.

And Cat just slowly--shakily--peels herself from the brick wall and swallows as Kara stumbles forward to gather up her forgotten clutch, handing it over with an almost nervous shuffle of glasses, hands curling over shoulders as the blonde skids forward to check on her.

Everything else about Kara perfectly, miraculously in place.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes…?” Cat slowly sucks in through her nose, the word timid and a little shaken in a way she detests, thoughtlessly leaning into those...surprisingly strong fingers. Strong fingers that just— “Even though I just...watched a lounge singer save me from four assailants in the...middle of an alley.”

“Oh, uh…” Kara laughs a little--pulls back--nose wrinkling as she doubles over and her hands fall to her knees like she suddenly realizes she’s tired, but she doesn’t look winded, at all. “My sister is, um...ex-military. Not...that I told you that. Don’t tell anyone that. She made sure I know how to protect myself. And I have a bit of a problem with helping people. But really, are you--”

Cat just raises a hand up between them to catch her thoughts for a moment before eyes flick down and she blinks to see all four of them either unconscious or groaning on the ground. “I’m…”

“Look, if you’re okay, we should really get out of here. If someone comes looking for these guys—” Kara looks over her shoulder and Cat pretends not to notice as she blinks, intentionally moving forward. Her mother was many things but she raised Cat to be an opportunist. “Uh...where are you going, C--”

“I was looking for them actually.” Cat notes, pointing her raised heel down towards the one with the broken arm—the idiot who she was so certain was going to kill her—and, seeing her opportunity, she strides forward, kneeling down next to him in front of a sputtering Kara.

“You even smell like a lackey, God. I guess we can drop pleasantries now, can’t we?”

“Fuck you, Grant.” He spits—actually spits at her—and Cat looks up when there’s another faint crunching sound, Kara looking decidedly innocent as she accidentally steps on his hand.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Really. Actually,” It’s a little quieter, “I really am, I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly. That’s just...really, really rude, to spit at people. It looks like Ms. Grant,” Kara turns up to her with that unnervingly blinding smile for such a dark alley when there’s three people unconscious in it, “Wants to ask you a question, so why don’t you listen?”

“What is Lex Luthor’s shipment?” Cat never wastes an opportunity, even when it comes with a sunny smile and nice legs.

“I know nothing about--”

“Lex Luthor?” Kara leans back, a hint of something in her eyes, flicking up from the body to Cat and shaking her head. "This is about Lex Luthor?"

“What. Is. Lex Luthor’s. Shipment.” Cat repeats and Kara reaches over and grabs her shoulder.

“Um...Ms. Grant,” The girl is tugging her upwards and Cat frowns at it--at being a Ms. anything, really--stumbling when Kara wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“What are you--” And fury grips her, then, because she didn’t get accosted in an alley just to--

“More people are coming.” Kara tugs her back the way she must have magically appeared from.

“What? How do you even--” And Cat hears it, then, the sound of footsteps, and decides not to complain anymore when Kara reaches down and twines their fingers and runs, wondering how the girl is so freakishly fast. It must be those long legs.

“No time, let’s just get to the running and not dying part, okay? What were you asking him--about some...what’s going on with Lex Luthor’s shipment?” Kara slows down to her pace, Cat realizes, but doesn’t stop holding onto her for a second, like she’s prepared to pick her up if she has to, and if there wasn’t so much adrenaline in her chest, Cat might laugh at the thought.

Like a lounge singer could pick her up and maintain speed, even if that lounge singer had just potentially saved her life.

“What does a Bruce Lee lounge singer care about--” Kara tugs her around the corner onto the main street and then into another nearby alley, eyes flicking around before she spots a fire escape ladder, kneeling down. “Oh, you’re fucking kidding me.” Cat snipes when she realizes Kara’s tenting her hands up like it's just another Friday for the girl, “If you wanted to look up my dress, you could’ve just--”

“Ms. Grant.” Kara’s voice is insistent and her jaw is set, “I’d love to, believe me, but can we focus on the fact that guys with guns are chasing you?”

Cat decidedly does not want to know how Kara knows they have guns and decidedly does not want to see them for herself.

“Oh, fine.” But Cat is already rushing forward, taking a few steps before Kara hoists her up higher than the girl should be able to--she must have impressive biceps, really; must have with those punches, anyways--and the journalist lets out a huff as she starts to climb upwards, ignoring the faint hum of relief when she hears Kara leap up and follow behind her, focusing on clamoring up. “Why--” She huffs as she pulls up to the top of it and God, she probably should think about doing that pilates thing Lois is always jabbering on and on and on about. “Are you calling me,” She tosses her other heel, throwing it over the side of the escape as she starts to rush upwards, the sound of her stockings padding against metal lost under her whispering breath because being able to hold on feels, for once, a little more important than fashion, “That.”

“Because I’m not,” Kara’s hand is suddenly around her waist, tugging her close near the top of the stairs, urging Cat down to press her against the wall, both of them molding against it in the shadows as a few shouts round down the alley and for a second, Cat can’t breathe. She can’t think. Her heart is hammering in her throat and she wonders if this once so-unassuming singer must know it from the way she leans forward, gently whispering in her ear like she’s trying to calm her heartbeat with a dolcet, soothing tone alone. That’s what she’s been doing all week, after all. “Supposed to know your name. Cat.” And she smiles like this doesn’t bother her, at all, adjusting glasses as she leans just a little back to offer a small smile. “I saw you on the news the other day. Well, a while back. Like…a month, probably.”

“Oh.” Cat sucks in a small breath as Kara leans up against her just a little tighter--presses just a little closer--and her breath quivers against a lip despite her even smile. Kara Danvers has an unrelentingly strong frame. “Well I hope my performance was up to your expectations.”

“Definitely. But something tells me you’d never give anything less. Come on,” And there’s that hand, again, twining with Cat’s and guiding her back up to a roof.

That means the men kept going down the alley, if Kara’s moving, at all—thank God—and Cat…realizes she has no clue why she’s taking a karate lounge singer’s word for it—

“Why exactly am I trusting you to guide me out of danger, again?” But Cat doesn’t let go--holds onto her hand like a lifeline as Kara guides her onto the roof and towards an open door, blinking when she elbows the lock off of it.

“Oh, it was just...a little rusty. Came right off. Look at that, hah.” She adjusts those glasses again and tugs Cat inside before closing it, wide shoulders visibly easing once they’ve gotten inside, Kara leaning against the door with a sigh, “And I don’t know. But I’m glad you did, because I think we’re in the clear for a little while.”

“In the clear...in a random building surrounded by men with guns that...you saved me from. Which I never thanked you for.” Cat realizes, squeezing the hand but not dropping it and this seems to cause Kara to have a moment of realization, herself, blue behind glass flicking down to joined hands before slowly trailing up, again.

“I can take that as a thanks. But it was...really nothing. Right time. Right place.” She might be blushing and Cat has to resist the very strange, very strong urge to press her against the dingy random building’s wall, the light flickering above them like something out of a horror movie, and kiss her.

Adrenaline rush, really. She probably almost died, tonight, and what’s a little kissing between strangers—bar-friends—or saviors and damsels in distress?

“Most people would say running to save the day and then running from men with guns would be a wrong time, wrong place thing.” Cat notes and watches as Kara shuffles on her feet, a hint of an awkward laugh on lips even as she leans closer.

“Well...I’m not most people.” Her chin dips, eyes bright and almost dangerously familiar as she smiles, “Ms. Grant.”

“Apparently not. You seem very calm right now, Ms. Danvers,” Cat hums and the girl blinks a little, almost unnerved, before she points out:

“So do you.” She makes the mistake of backing up against the wall and this time Cat advances like a shark who’s smelled blood in the water, eyes barely slitting as she watches the clench of her jaw--the flare of her nostrils--the untraceable look in those kind, unfamiliar blue eyes.

“I’m a journalist. I have no heart. You’re a singer, and yet you seem completely unphased, like you’ve done this a thousand times before--”

“Don’t you know?” And the girl offers her a flashing smile, something charming and wide and surprisingly strong, and Cat finds herself almost dazzled by it. “I’m Supergirl.”

And the pianist (that’s what she is, isn’t it? A pianist) laughs, then, leaning forward to curve a hand around Cat’s shoulder that should make her tense--should make her back turn into steel--but makes it ease, instead, brows knitting.

“Very funny.”

“Do you always interrogate the people that just tried to save your life?” And that smile’s so kind that Cat would find it easy to be blindsided by it in such a dark hallway, “Look, I was on my way to the orphanage around the corner when I heard you scream. I just...reacted. Like I said, right place, right--”

Cat leans up and kisses her cheek, smiling when she hears breath trip over itself like it has feet before it sucks through teeth, Kara’s eyelashes fluttering as she looks down at her.

“My hero.” Cat wipes a hint of lipstick off of that cheek and feels a swell of dangerous warmth when this stranger stutters in breath and smiles. “I’d offer to buy you a drink, but I still have work to do.”

“It’s funny...I work in a bar, don’t drink,” Kara clears her throat--fiddles a little--and it’s in this moment that Cat realizes she never let go of her hand and doesn’t feel particularly keen on asking her to. Maybe it’s a little more than adrenaline. “But I can eat a surprisingly large amount for dinner. So if you wanted a raincheck...”

Cat smirks, “Oh, I love an opportunist.”

“Well, that’s me. When opportunity knocks I just…” She pantomimes swinging open a door with a faint whistle and then winces, like Kara’s understood quite how much of an idiot she looks in that very moment. And Cat hates that she’s a little fond of it. “Open...the door.”

“They could run a study on you.” Cat notes, nose scrunching, eyes bright. “I mean, really--”

“Yep.” Kara winces.

“Half the time very, very smooth, and then there’s this ten percent--”

“Oh trust me, I know. I’ll spend the next day and a half ranting about that one sentence non-stop to my sister--”

“Alex, right?” Cat hums and Kara blinks, surprised, like she hadn’t expected Cat to remember the fact at all. “I’m an investigative journalist,” She reminds, “And a gossip columnist. Remembering the details comes in handy. You mentioned it, the first night you were on stage.”

“Right.” Kara shakes her head, “You know, um…” She holds up a hand, eyes closing like she’s listening, which would be ridiculous because there’s nothing to hear, here, save for the flickering electrical hum of a light above them and probably, if they listen hard enough, rats running through the dirt-smeared walls.

“What are you—”

“Stay here, okay? Promise.”

“Why are you—”

“I’m going to just go check really quickly. Just stay here, okay? If I knock on the door, run and hide but--”

“Oh.” Cat blinks, realizing: “You’re serious, aren’t you?

“Look, I’ll be right back. I just...you can never be too careful, right? Not that I, um, deal a lot with people and guns, but you can't be too careful--yeah, so you just stay here, promise?” And it’s uncanny, really, how when Cat slits her eyes Kara almost reads the protest on her tongue, gently curving that warm hand around her cheek like she has any right to do so and Cat stiffens. It’s hot outside and they’ve been running, so her entire body is hot and sweaty (unflattering), but there’s something about the warmth in that hand that— “Oh, I’m sorry, I--my sister always told me I’m too tactile and I--” She laughs a little and pulls away entirely and Cat catches those fingers before they can go too far.

“Shut up.” Cat sighs and squeezes, still feeling…vulnerable and a little nervous. She almost argues about going with her, because it could be suicide to go out and track down enemies that Cat has created, and the girl is too kind for her own good…

But then again, they know Cat’s face. And Kara apparently has a knack for this kind of thing and—

“I’ll be okay. Promise.” Kara’s voice is gentle and sincere and Cat closes her eyes before she pulls away, herself, tapping bare feet as she leans back against a wall, arms crossing, eyes looking to whatever might be up in those vast heavens of emptiness as she tries to temper her breath.

“Fine, I promise.”

“Thanks.” Kara ridiculously murmurs like Cat’s the one doing her a favor and she has half a mind to wonder how the hell someone can be quite so happy in a situation like this.

“Try not to get shot, please.” She barely remembers to hiss before the door closes— “And if you happen to find my heels, they cost me a fortune.”--before her head thuds dully against the wall. It takes longer than it should, each second of flickering lights in this strange, strange building causing her shoulders to sink further and further down and there’s only so many times she can check her watch before she resists the urge to slowly slide down the wall, fingers curling in on themselves.

It gives her enough time to replay over that little fight scene over and over again. She doesn’t remember her scream being loud--she remembers the heel and the thud and the feeling of the wall against her back and then...

She doesn’t remember hearing her running. Doesn’t remember hearing Kara breathing, at all, just suddenly there saving the day like a—

A step sounds downstairs and Cat scrambles to grab her purse, the only real weapon she has at the moment, brandishing it to see...a mop of blonde hair downstairs, hastily pulled up into a ponytail, a hand raising up in consolation as Kara greets her around the corner at the bottom of rusted stairs.

“Woah, hey, it’s me.” Kara nods down towards the purse and Cat lets out a sigh through her nose, the noise rattling among the flickering light between them, “No projectiles, please. I, um...I maybe snuck around to make sure we were completely okay. Those guys are gone.”

“Who the fuck are you, Josephine Baker?” Cat snaps, a little on edge despite the relief clear on her face, waving a hand at Kara’s obvious confusion.

“How does that make me Josephine Bak--”

“Nevermind. Sheet music. Let’s just--” She snaps a hand up and Kara stumbles forward a little bit to help her up, smiling down at her once she does. “I’m...glad you’re okay. We didn’t have a contingency plan if you didn’t come back. You just disappeared and I thought--”

“Sorry.” And the girl at least does look sheepish, at that. “But I have to say, all this is way too much excitement for an ordinary girl like me. Really works up an appetite…”

“Well, you’re pedaling that dinner hard, aren’t you?” Cat reaches up to curl fingers around a forearm, steadying herself, and it’s amazing how the girl leans into her like she’s done it a thousand times, dark eyes blinking at the sight in hands that greet her. “You...seriously found my shoes? Both of them.”

Kara just shrugs this a sheepish smile of a thing that leaves her breathless and searching for anything to hold onto in this…uncanny, ridiculous turn of events, tonight.

“Everyone’s gone.” She promises, voice gentle, and Cat doesn’t let go of her arm for a second as she slides her heels back on, happy to see they’re closer in height, now. And Kara just leans into her, adjusting with the weight without a second thought. “Maybe not the best thing, but they’re nowhere around here looking for us, which means I think your work night might be done, and...you don’t have to buy me dinner. I happen to know a place right around the street where I’d already brought a hamburger, if...you want to split it?”

And she looks so hopeful that Cat can’t help but laugh, a little, when realization sinks.

“Around the street?” Eyebrows raise, “Did you just invite me on a date to an orphanage?”

“You’d consider it a date?” And Kara just…she practically radiates and Cat has to huff out through her smile to temper her own.

“Who are you?” It’s a curious question, a hint of marvel at the end of it, “This...lounge singer who just saved my life in a fight you so casually shrug off, who wants to take me to dinner at an orphanage--”

“I’m just regular, ordinary, normal Kara Danvers.” Kara quietly supplies, brows wrinkling a little at her own words--a small shake of the head as Kara leans just a little closer, “And the truth is, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, I’m...a little worried about you. And the fact that you were just assaulted by three men in an alley who know your name. And I’d love to walk you home, even though I’m sure you don’t need it,” She holds up a hand with a shake of the head, “I’m sure you can hold your own, and I know I might not be much help, but...I promised these kids that I would be there tonight to sing them to sleep, and I’m even more worried about not seeing you again. So...yeah. I--well, I just--I don’t--really...want to see you...get hurt. And would like to share a hamburger with you. Sure.”

It’s inelegant and bumbling and Kara takes her glasses off to clean them afterwards before pushing them back up her nose with a nervous tick of a smile and when she opens up her mouth to start with the infernal talking, again, Cat just gently raises up a hand to her lips to stem any more of it.

“Kara?”

“Hmm?” It’s hummed nervously against her fingers and this definitely must not be the first time she’s been shushed in her life.

“You just saved my life.”

“What? I didn--” It’s cut off by a sharp look, those fingers pressing firmer and those lips are painfully soft underneath Cat’s skin.

“Shh.” Cat shakes her head, “You’re kind and sweet and...that folksy charm certainly helps your case, but while I am definitely not calling this a date,” She does have some standards. That’s a weird date, even for tonight. “I think I would very much like to share a hamburger with you, even if it is in an...orphanage.” Her nose wrinkles, a rough swallow as she admits, chest a little hollow at the thought, “Although, I’m not exactly...good with kids.”

“Oh, I find that hard to believe.” And when Cat looks up, she watches that smile stretch underneath her fingers and she wonders what in the world she did in that bar to cause Kara Danvers to have such blind faith in her, or was that just the type of person she was? “Ms. Grant.”

Cat would have an easier time believing it if she hadn’t just watched the girl easily take out four men in an alleyway brawl without breaking a sweat.

That’s a mental image that’s still taking some getting used to.

“Cat.” She finally offers, hand falling from lips to stretch upwards in greeting, smiling when Kara’s hand slides into her own. Humming, “It’s nice to formally introduce myself, Kara Danvers.”

“Oh,” Kara tangles their fingers after the shake and starts to guide her down the stairs, “Believe me, Cat, the pleasure’s all mine.”

A lecherous smirk spreads across her lips, brazen and bright as the lights flicker.

“Oh, yes, I’m sure it will be.”

It’s worth it just to watch Kara trip once they’re down the stairs and on even ground, mumbling something about a rock and horrible balance as she blushes underneath the city lights.

I’ve looked at love from both sides now

From give and take and still somehow

It’s love’s illusions I recall

I really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud

To say, ‘I love you’ right out loud

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds

I’ve looked at life that way

Alex sighs, running a hand over her face as her shoulders slump, elbows sliding further down the table’s surface, chin falling to rest on the table, mind lagging. The calculations should make sense, but there won’t be any chance to try them until she gets Kara out into the field (their literal field in Midvale, far enough away from their home to never be noticed, but close enough just to make sure they’re okay)—until Kara can convince Clark to try hurtling his cousin through space—and she sighs, gently unsnapping the ring around her neck.

She’d gone to the bar first, tonight, because the tension in her shoulders had been too much and playing with Kara was one of her few reliefs, these days. All of their helmets were wired in the apartment but Kara was right, the kidnappings were still an unsolved mystery, and…so was any hope of getting home.

The small lab is empty save for Alex’s desklamp and it likely will be for a few hours, yet. It still feels so weird, when she thinks of it. She’s worked here for two years, hidden, in exchange for providing some…medical services on the side to a few people in the city that can’t afford it. While she never was much of a doctor’s doctor, that’s changed over the years stuck here—she did go to Medical school, after all, before ultimately caving and switching her doctorate—and she’s glad for it. Just like Alex understands that Kara can’t turn her back everytime she hears a siren, now, Alex can’t turn her back on this, and where she’d normally be paid monetarily, she’s found an appropriate compensation in obscurity and medical supplies and compounds a little, well…illegal to get.

That’s how they ran into Lois in Metropolis, in the first place.

“Wonder what Mom would think, now, if she knew I was in the illegal medical trade. Try explaining the fact that I don’t harvest organs over dinner, could you imagine?” A faint laugh, “I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like that. Probably. Maybe if she knew I was saving lives for people that can’t afford it. Who would’ve known the Danvers sisters would’ve turned into such Robinhoods, huh?”

She holds the ring underneath the light, voice gruff as she greets her old friend.

“I guess you probably did. You know, we got it in our heads that we have to find a way back. That’s been our goal for so long, and I owe it to her—I do—but, and don’t tell Kara this, okay?” Fingers gingerly set the small ring on the table’s surface, elbow resting next to it, whispering like it’s a great secret, “I don’t even know why. I know, I know,” She raises both hands, leaning back in the chair, “It’s crazy. We’ve been working on these formulas for…God, three? Years, now. Three years. Can you believe that? I haven’t…seen you in three years.” Alex clears her throat, leaning back down on her palm, “We tried building that timeship, first, after the signal—God, do you remember that? Kara is great with math and the whole…engineering thing, but I had to wait for weeks for my eyebrows to grow back, you would’ve loved that. You would’ve come after me with a sharpie. I guess. Probably. And then we tried the signal again—we’re still working on that signal, but who’s even going to hear it? And now we’re getting Kara to go…really, really fast. Our last ditch effort, because Kara remembered something about a Barry Allen last year—what if she can’t go fast enough? She’s been training, you know. She’s been training for two years, but she reached a stagnant point, so we realized…what if we got Superman to throw her? If they can both go fast enough…maybe he can throw Kara and we can…”

Alex waves a hand, looking at the ring like it might talk back to her.

“Can you fucking believe it, our future rests on go really, really fast. Train Superman, and go really, really fast. Why am I telling you all this, anyways? You know it all. I’ve told you all of it and I…I don’t really know why.”

She has no clue why.

But Alex swallows, rough and desperate and full of glass, head shaking as she runs a nail along the rim of it, “You know…I don’t even remember what you look like.” She informs the ring, like it’s a person—like there’s eyes behind the glint of silver—leaning further back in the chair, enough to tempt fate as eyes skim over the ceiling. “I don’t look at your pictures, even if Kara…well, Kara used to want to look at them. I think it’s getting too hard for both of us. It’s just…it’s so weird. It’s like living in a swimming pool. All the time, and trying to—trying to…open your eyes underwater. That’s what it’s like, trying to remember, like we’re both drowning and when we open our eyes, it stings and we can’t really see or see the end of the pool and…and, fuck.” She laughs a little, wiping a restless hand under her eyes, “Kara’s the writer. I’m just tired. Why am I even….”

She picks up the small little chain, sliding it onto her pointer finger and brushing lips over the scratched surface of a ring.

“Anyways,” She breathes, “I guess I just needed your advice. I think…I think you were pretty good at that. Or you should be. You were? You think I’d get used to talking about this.” A self-deprecating laugh brushes against her tongue, chin exhaustedly falling back onto her palm, finger dancing underneath the dim desklamp, watching it roll along her skin, “We can work on this—we can work on getting home—or…or we can work on finding these kids. And that’s our one rule, you know? Kids always come first. We haven’t talked about it, but what if…” A short breath sucked through teeth, “If we can’t get back, what if Kara’s right? What if we should do everything we can? Every second I’m working on this is a second we could both be saving them.”

The ring doesn’t answer and Alex quietly clips it back around her neck, hand resting the cool metal against her sternum, heartbeat constant underneath it. And there’s a bit of peace in that that she’d never verbally recognize.

Kara, after all…she’s the writer. She’s the singer and the writer and the one who feels too much for the both of them. Alex….

“I know.” She whispers, like someone might have responded—like there’s a voice always on the back of her ear—eyes closing, focusing on the quiet hum of the lab behind her. Maybe if she leans far back enough, she’ll feel like she’s flying without Kara’s arms around her waist. People don’t realize that flying and falling…both of them are just the absence of sensation, anyways. That’s all falling is—it’s nothing—and flying, she’s learned, is a whole lot like that. “Kids are the future, anyways.”

Alex gives herself a second before she roughly closes the book of chemical compounds—of hypothetical serums and biochemical compounds they’ve both been researching to see if they couldn’t augment Kara’s speed—before tucking it back in her bag (like she’d let the past have these, she can’t be too careful) and heading back out of the door, into the moonlight.

And for a moment—for a breath—Alex might be able to hear her, a gruff, laughing, sympathetic voice in her ear full of heartbreak and understanding. A familiar scent and a smile along the pulse in her neck, dancing and constant and full of life.

You were always just as much of a hero as your sister, anyways, Danvers—runs in the family.

Alex decides she needs a drink and just hopes Kara hasn’t made it back home to pour all of her whiskey down the sink, yet.

But now old friends—they’re acting strange

They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed

Well something’s lost—but something’s gained

In living every day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It’s life’s illusions I recall

I really don’t know life at all

The night just gets weirder and weirder.

Cat’s not sure what she’s expecting, anymore, but there’s still some amount of surprise in her chest when they actually go to an Orphanage and there’s actually a group of orphans patiently awaiting them with a cheer, and Kara actually disappears around the corner for all of five seconds before returning with a guitar.

“So this wasn’t actually some kind of secret agent line-drop to try to get in my bed,” Cat whispers in her ear as the children all (thankfully) stop asking her questions in order to shuffle into spread out blankets and pillows on the floor. She'd think she was Mother Teresa if the journalist in her wasn't aware of how terrible of a person Mother Teresa could be. “You really are singing orphans a bed-time story.”

“Why would I lie about that?” Kara whispers back, seemingly genuinely confused and Cat just shakes her head.

“Seriously, how in the world has no one stolen all of your money or something in this city?” It’s unfortunate that the look Cat gives the girl is nothing short of fond and she feels it from the way Kara smiles back at her, bright and quiet.

“I don’t have any money. There's only so many ways I can tell you I don't have money, Cat. I don't have money. That's how no one has been able to steal it.”

Cat snorts and looks around for somewhere to sit before Kara just goes and sits right on the floor and the journalist thinks there’s nothing worse than looking out of place or awkward, especially in front of all of these kids who are all looking at her, so she shuffles out of her heels and…sits down next to her, chin tipping upwards with a smile.

And all of the kids look so excited that the smile turns a little more genuine.

“Come on, Kara!” One of them kicks their feet up and out as they restlessly roll in a blanket, a member of the staff (is it called a staff if they’re all volunteers?) leans against the doorway with a yawn, obviously awaiting the show.

Kara hums—actually hums—something melodic and unfamiliar and Cat clears her throat, not wanting the attention to move off of the blonde to focus on her, instead. Not like this. Not when they’re all so young.

“So you’re a musical savant, now? What’s next,” Whispering in an ear as knowing fingers start to tune the guitar. “Are you going to pull out a drum-set?”

“Oh, nothing like that. Trust me. Pianos are just…music theory—the basics. So is a guitar. Nothing special. Although I um…” A shrug, pausing before fingers run along one of those knob-thingies and twists the other knob thingie before plucking, again. Her mother forced her to play piano and, outside of swooning her fair share (which was her right) in college over ill-played acoustics in the greens of a courtyard, Cat had never bothered learning technical terms for anything other than a piano. “I can play drums.”

“Of course you can.”

It doesn’t take long until Kara seems satisfied with the tune and there’s something…different about it, here, when the girl starts. It’s not the guitar—well, not just the guitar—or the lack of smoke or voices or glasses clinking. It’s not the children who all seem like they’re suddenly underneath a siren’s song, their own little chatter dying as they listen.

It’s the space. Or lack thereof.

Because Cat is sitting right next to Kara as she plays—as she closes her eyes and smiles and strums fingers, voice quiet and gentle and—and Cat has never been so close to something like this, before. To the soft vibration of a lilting voice, and it’s intimate in a way Cat hadn’t known intimacy could be, soon finding herself as entranced as the children.

It’s the breathless moment she understands why she kept coming back to the bar, at all, and it’s too much. The nearly dying was one thing—the danger was another—the story slipping through her fingers as she traded her life for her lead was a different one, entirely…but this—

This is something Cat doesn’t know how to deal with.

Because Kara Danvers, this woman who’s listened to her all week with an unwavering smile and charmed an entire bar and wanted to share some fictional (because Cat hasn’t seen it, yet) hamburger with her in an orphanage, is singing Joni Mitchell to a room full of orphans and—

And when it stops, Cat realizes she doesn't want it to. She never wants Kara to stop singing, breath so warm and close and genuine by her ear.

Because Cat has never seen someone so endlessly beautiful before, in her life, with a smile to match.

The guitar is soft as the small huddled forms in the main room all slump by a small little window-ac unit that looks like it’s seen better days, the night hotter in this room than it was outside. But none of them seem to mind enough to untangle themselves from pillows and

“Joni Mitchell? God, Kara, they’re already orphans,” Cat whispers in her ear, not bothering to hide her smile, “Are you trying to depress them more?”

Kara just laughs, tucking up her guitar against her chest, not stopping strumming for a moment, despite the song’s end, something else evolving beneath her fingertips, “They don’t listen to the words. Trust me. Winn!” Her voice is happy and perky, nose wrinkling as she leans over the guitar to beaming little boy whose hair hangs in front of his eyes.

The same boy, Cat realizes, from a week ago that had dropped a heart into a stomach with breathless precision.

“Yeah?” He hums, skittering forward on eager knees like he’s been summoned.

“Did you listen to the words?” Kara’s voice is gentle and knowing and the boy laughs with a nearly toothless shrug, happy and immediate with his response:

“Nope!”

“See? Nope.” Kara’s smile is lopsided to match and Cat feels her chest warm as she slides just a little closer as a the girl just keeps playing chords, the children sagging further and further into the floor and halfway through the third song, Cat’s head falls down to a surprisingly-strong shoulder, humming along.

And somewhere underneath the quiet, musical strums of a guitar and a gentle, loving voice and a pile of sleeping orphans, Cat Grant realizes that this is what she’s going to remember about tonight. Not the nearly dying or the endless hunt or the sleepless night spent at her desk…

It will be the moment Kara once more tangles their fingers when all the children are asleep to guide her out of the room into the hall, depositing a guitar in the backroom before reaching into a bag—

A bag that Kara must have left here before she found Cat. Why had she left the orphanage, at all—when did she hear her scream?

—and materializes a foil-wrapped hamburger, watching as precise fingers take great pains to break it evenly before casually hopping onto a nearby bench, the hot air sinking between them as Cat slowly sits down next to her.

Kara’s knees tuck up on the worn wood, taking a happy (impressively large) bite of the burger, eyebrows raising as she waits for Cat to follow suit.

“How long has this been sitting here?” Eyes slit and she doesn’t like how familiar Kara is when she teases—

“What are you, a germaphobe?” But she raises up her burger in gesture and promise, “Not long. You’ll be okay, really.”

There's that insufferably bright beam (like how moonlight should be) when Cat hesitantly takes a bite—and then immediately another, because she’s suddenly positive she hasn’t eaten at all, today—that beam trembles into something a little gentler when an ex-editor’s hand reaches up to wipe a bit of sauce from the corner of those smiling lips.

They share a slightly sheepish smile, settling on a rickety, hot bench in the back of an orphanage in the middle of the night after almost dying, but not, sharing a hamburger that's been sitting her for God knows how long in content silence.

Cat knows, without a doubt, out of everything today--

She’ll remember this.

I’ve looked at life from both sides, now

From up and down, and still somehow

It’s life’s illusions I recall

I really don’t know life at all.

#supercat #supergirl #kara danvers/cat grant #sanvers #fic #ff #fic: time drift #fic: sc #fic: time drift ch3

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bluewatsons · 4 years

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Eamonn Carrabine, Imagining Prison: Culture, History and Space1, Prison Serv J 15 (2010)

In this article I explore the diverse ways in which stories of prison and punishment have been told in the literary and visual arts. Stories of crime and punishment are central to every society as they address the universal problem of human identity. Every culture generates founding myths to account for society’s origins, typically situated in some dreadful primordial event. The imaginary origins of Western civilization are to be found in tales of banishment, confinement, exile, torture and suffering. The theme of exclusion is symbolically rich and spaces of confinement — both real and imagined — have provided stark reminders of human cruelty and reveal just how thin the veneer of civilization can be. This article examines how prison space has been represented in the literary and visual arts so as to grasp the complex cultural landscapes of punishment.

Old Prisons

Before the eighteenth century imprisonment was only one, and by no means the most important, form of punishment. The old prisons were very different places from the new penitentiaries replacing them later in the century. Until then hanging was the principal penalty, with transportation abroad the main alternative, while whipping remained a common punishment for petty offences. The defining features of the old prisons are summarized2 as follows:

At mid-century in England, petty offenders were hanged or transported for any simple larceny of more than twelve pence or for any robbery that put a person in fear. The typical residents of eighteenth-century prisons were debtors and people awaiting trial, often joined by their families ... Most prisons were not built purposely for confinement, but all were domestically organized and the few specially constructed ones resembled grand houses in appearance (e.g. York Prison, c. 1705). Prisons were temporary lodgings for all but a few, and the jailer collected fees for prisoners for room, board, and services like a lord of the manor collecting rents from tenants.

A number of points are emphasized here. First, over two hundred crimes (ranging from petty theft to murder) were punishable by death, under the ‘Bloody Code’ of capital statutes, as the political order sought to maintain power through the terror of the gallows. Second, prisons were often makeshift structures and many were no more than a gatehouse, room or cellar and rarely confined prisoners for any great length of time. The largest prisons were in London, where Newgate was the most significant, but others like the Fleet and Marshalsea were reserved almost exclusively for debtors. Third, the prisons were run as private institutions and ran largely for profit: prisoners were required to pay for the cost of their detention. The jailer had almost no staff and so prisoners were chained up in irons to keep control, while those who could afford it could buy relative freedom and even comfort — all at a price.

Whatever the conditions were actually like inside the old prisons, we see them persistently spoken of as places of evil, where profane pleasures, abject misery and infectious diseases all mingled in what seemed like a grotesque distillation of the world outside. In fact, many literary and visual sources drew attention to the failings of the legal system and mocked the rituals of punishment. An excellent example exposing the absurdities of the execution ceremonies is Jonathan Swift’s (1726/7) poem ‘Clever Tom Clinch Going to be Hanged’ that delights in the comic spectacle of the drunken Clinch making his ‘stately’ procession to the gallows and ultimately pointless defiance as ‘he hung like a hero, and never would flinch’. Although Swift was a Tory, he was a radical Anglo-Irish one, ambiguously caught between the colonizer and colonized, his satire mercilessly exposing the gulf separating the noble ideal from grim reality. The most damning example is his A Modest Proposal (1729), a pamphlet calmly advocating that the Irish poor should eat their children in order to solve Ireland’s economic troubles.

Early modern authors were drawing on, and occasionally, transcending already existing literary forms. Daniel Defoe is the archetype. Indeed, he was imprisoned many times, mostly for debt but occasionally over his political writings, including a five- month stretch in Newgate following the 1702 publication of his The Shortest Way with the Dissenters, a pamphlet mocking High Church extremism. Although this punishment was severe, more degrading to Defoe were the three visits to the pillory he endured as part of the sentence. By the 1720s he was successfully writing feigned autobiographies, including Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, Colonel Jack, and Roxanna, which have become well known as amongst the first English novels. Moll Flanders takes the form of a gallows confessional and includes a spiritual rebirth in Newgate prison at the depths of Moll’s misfortune. In the book the prison is cast as a macabre gateway, yet in Moll’s case it does not lead to the gallows, but to a new life in the New World. Her crimes make her rich, and her penitence enables her to enjoy a prosperous life in Virginia. It is this heavily ironic structure that enlivens the text, but behind all the adventures lays the looming presence of Newgate, where Moll was born to a woman sentenced to death for shoplifting and to where sh inevitably returns. Like that other great picaresque novel from the eighteenth century, Tom Jones3 who was ‘born to be hanged’, the shadow of the gallows hangs over the central protagonist and the prison occupies a pivotal place in the narrative. The dramatic crisis is reached when the reckless but good natured hero ends up in the Gatehouse, following a series of amorous encounters and comic adventures, as a result of his half-brother Blifil’s treachery (who has Tom framed for robbery and sentenced to death). It is just at the darkest hour, when all seems lost, that Tom’s true parentage is revealed and the natural order is restored, enabling him to marry his childhood sweetheart.

Fielding’s fiction is much more tightly plotted than Defoe’s, and in doing so he exposes the distance between how things really are and how they ought to be. One suggestion is that in the real world Tom would have ended up hanged and the villainous Blifil may well have become prime minister4. An irony Fielding had earlier explored in his Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great (1743), where the notorious thief-taker becomes synonymous with Walpole’s leadership of Parliament — satirically drawing the barbed comparison between Wild’s criminal organization and Walpole’s manipulative control of government. There is a crucial tension between what actually happens in a Fielding novel, suggesting that the world is a bleak place, and the formal structuring of those events, implying pleasant symmetries, poetic justice and harmonic resolution. It is as if his earlier career as a successful comic playwright and later years spent as a harsh London magistrate combine to produce work obsessed with preserving traditional forms of authority, yet fascinated by the disruptive energy of the outcast.

Prisons of Invention

The work that most revels in the many contradictions governing representations of crime, justice and punishment during this era is John Gay’s (1728) hugely successful musical drama, The Beggar’s Opera. Using popular English and Irish folk tunes instead of intricate arias, and set in the criminal underworld rather than royal palaces, the piece gleefully parodies the generic conventions of the then fashionable Italian opera. Although the central characters have become mythical figures they were based on well known criminals from early eighteenth century London. The character Peachum, was modelled on the infamous thief-catcher Jonathan Wild, both of whom impeached (that is they informed on) their criminal associates for the reward offered by the authorities. The dashing highwayman-hero Macheath (later immortalised in Brecht-Weill’s Threepenny Opera and the popular song ‘Mack the Knife’) was based on Jack Sheppard, who had achieved celebrity status through the ingenuity with which he was able to escape different prisons, including Newgate. The original idea for the play is often attributed to Jonathan Swift, who suggested to Gay that he might write a ‘Newgate pastoral, among the whores and thieves there’, but the ploy of associating Newgate society with larger political corruption was already a familiar one. There is no doubt that the play was immediately successful and no one was in any doubt that the Walpole’s government was the target of the satire.

In the book the prison is cast as a macabre gateway, yet in Moll’s case it does not lead to the gallows, but to a new life in the New World.

The play also informed the visual art of William Hogarth. One of his earliest oil paintings depicts the climactic scene of The Beggar’s Opera (1729), where all the main characters are grouped on the stage [Figure 1], which mimics and mocks the compositional dynamics of contemporary paintings of more noble families. The juxtaposition between respectable and criminal, which the play successfully exploits, is developed in two of his famous sequences The Harlot’s Progress (1730/32) and The Rake’s Progress (1734/35). The titles are clearly ironic, as the engravings chart the demise of naïve protagonists caught up in corrupt social institutions. The prison depicted in Hogarth’s (1729) painting of The Beggar’s Opera is also important as it borrows from a Baroque tradition of theatrical stage design largely lost to us now (they have long since crumbled away), but had a major influence on the Gothic imagination emerging much later in the eighteenth century. By innovatively producing a scene per angolo (a way of looking at things at an angle) it appeared to deepen the stage and gave quite extravagant illusions of perspective. It is this lofty prison setting (combining elements of both palace and dungeon), that Hogarth captures in his painting, though others were to produce far more melodramatic images.

The most fantastic imagining of the prison as a space of labyrinthine nightmares is contained in the Carceri d’Invenzione series initially published by Giambattista Piranesi in 1750. These ‘prisons of invention’ draw on the operatic set design tradition, but transform the conventions into megalomaniac structures that have had an immeasurable impact on cultural sensibilities. In his own day Piranesi had achieved acclaim for a series of striking images of the decaying architecture of ancient Rome, the scale of which informed the awesome imagery contained in the Carceri (see Figure 2). Piranesi’s architectural settings bare scant relation to actually existing prison buildings (or even theatrical stage sets), but they do herald a new aesthetic combining both terror and beauty to sublime effect. Many critics have noted how the carceral spaces depicted by Piranesi are fantasy worlds that pervade gothic treatments of imprisonment. Indeed, ancient ruins, dark forests, inaccessible castles, dank dungeons and raging thunderstorms (amongst other elemental forces) were becoming attractive to a new sensibility developing in the eighteenth century.

This fascination with horror would be soon called the Gothic and while it could very easily fall into hammy melodrama (a tone wonderfully sent up in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, written in the 1790s) the creeping unease generated by Franz Kafka’s modernist fiction is hugely indebted to the romans noir. In his novels The Trial (1914) and The Castle (1922) and shorter stories like ‘Before the Law’, ‘In the Penal Colony’ and ‘The Metamorphosis’ they each take up the theme of an innocent victim caught up in relentless machinations well beyond their control. From Josef K’s arrest for a nameless crime in The Trial (with no hope of acquittal) to Gregor Samsa’s grotesque metamorphosis (into a giant insect) the stories explore the question of confinement with immensely unsettling results. In the latter tale the horror derives not so much from the monstrous transformation but in the initially embarrassed and then indifferent way his family react to Gregor’s plight — eventually leaving him to die alone in his room — raising profound questions about our own responses to the suffering of others.

Figure 1.

Aside from fuelling the Gothic imagination, these diverse forms of penal representation have also informed actual carceral spaces. It has been noted5 how:

from France came a number of architectural projects attempting to create prisons from the images of incarceration in the arts. Those produced by Boullée, Ledoux, Houssin and Bellet in the 1780s and 1790s are well known: oppressive, massive, and monumental, with balefully lit cachots surrounded by monolithic masonry. Only the capaciousness of the stage set was lost. They were declarations that architecture was, above all, an art of evocation. The incalculable weight of stone, the encasing exteriors, the immuring courts filled with shadow, the melancholy dungeons pierced with a single ray of light, the entire prison was becoming a cultural reminiscence.

This is a crucial point. All these images looked to the past and appeared anachronistic when compared to the burgeoning prison reform movement then gathering force. As yet it did not possess a distinctive architectural vision, but when it did find one it would be one that looked forward.

Figure 2.

Nevertheless, from the 1760s onwards many prison exteriors consciously drew on these forbidding elements, while the interior practices remained mostly intact. Bender (1984:58) has described how the old system based on gaoler’s fees stubbornly resisted change, while new prison designs ‘outwardly assumed a fearful, awesome, sublimely intimidating aspect — imagery envisioned in the graphic arts by Piranesi and in architecture by George Dance’s 1768 design for London Newgate.’ At the same time the famous prison reformer John Howard denounced the interior design of the New Newgate as ‘hopelessly old-fashioned’. The rebuilt Newgate was the last and grandest prison to be constructed before the full impact of late eighteenth century reform was realised. Between the demolition of old Newgate in 1767, which was still essentially a medieval gatehouse, and the completion of the ‘Model Prison’ at Pentonville in 1842 nearly every gaol and house of correction in England had been demolished and rebuilt according to new principles of confinement.

The Penitentiary Ideal

Throughout the eighteenth century the cultural and ideological importance of the law ensured that it remained at the forefront of public debate. These discussions took many forms, yet always provided commentary — ranging from the burgeoning newspapers, satirical journals, political pamphlets through to literary sources like poems, novels and plays. Such sources could deliver quite damning critiques of the government through stories of crime and punishment. This literature is important as it is closely allied to the rise of the liberal public sphere from the early eighteenth century. The ‘public sphere’ was much more than a purely discursive realm but was grounded in a network of social spaces and institutions that regulated manners and promoted urbane conduct.

Satire was a form of political opposition highlighting the cultural tensions between the civilised and barbaric in metropolitan life, so that accompanying the development of a refined public sphere were numerous attempts at ‘social hygiene’ seeking to regulate the unruly and the vulgar. It is in this context that John Howard’s (1777) The State of the Prisons can be understood, a book popularising prison reform by documenting just how bad conditions were in English prisons, especially when compared to European institutions. Howard was offended by the indiscriminate mixing of men and women, the lack of segregation between the tried and untried, the open sale of alcohol, gambling and generally filthy conditions, where diseases like typhus were rife, rules disregarded and prisoners whiled away their time in ‘sloth, profaneness and debauchery’. Ultimately, the unruly prison was morally degenerate and the squalid antithesis of Christian benevolence. Influenced by religious piety and Enlightenment reason, Howard and his fellow reformers advocated the benefits of classification, isolation and sanitation to create the impression that prison was the natural form of punishment.

But there was no single victory of the penitentiary idea. Reformers were divided over the kind of work prisoners should do and the role of solitary confinement. It was in this climate that Jeremy Bentham pitched his famous Panopticon prison design in 1787. The novel idea was that inspection would be continuous from a central watchtower, but the caged inmates would not know whether they were being watched in their peripheral cells because of a series of blinds shielding the inner tower. Critics not only worried over the tyranny exemplified in the design, but disliked Bentham’s insistence that the panopticon could be ran as a profitable commercial business. This latter objection ultimately led to the rejection of his plans. Nevertheless, significant elements of his design have informed subsequent prisons.

Revisionist historians have demonstrated how the penitentiary offered a vision of social order set to discipline the urban poor, while containing the social disruptions unleashed by rising unemployment and new class divisions in the first half of the nineteenth century. By the middle of the nineteenth century the characteristic features of the modern prison are in place and almost the entire range of Georgian criminal sentences — the pillory, the whipping post, the gallows, and the convict ship — had disappeared from public view by the 1860s. There is no doubt that the new institution was involved in the ideological legitimation of industrial society and the extension of disciplinary techniques through new systems of classification, examination and surveillance.

Realism and Punishment

If satire was the defining form of cultural opposition in the eighteenth century, then it is the language of realism that explored the many contradictions of imprisonment in the nineteenth century. One of the first and greatest exponents of realism was the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. From the 1790s onwards he produced paintings depicting torture, madness and terror that are still profoundly moving. Amongst the earliest are Interior of a Prison and Yard with Lunatics (both 1793-4), which recall Piranesi’s fantasy architectural settings of shadow, misery and chains. Later drawings like his now famous series The Disasters of War (1814-1818) document the true horror of combat in dreadful detail. By the middle of the nineteenth century French painters like Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet strove for ‘Le Réalisme’, heralding a further move away from conventional wealthy subjects to lowly urban themes capturing not just the alienation but also the vitality of contemporary metropolitan life. Contrasting somewhat with realist conventions are the intense pieces produced by Vincent van Gough, including the famous Prisoners Round (1890), depicting prisoners walking in a futile circle in an exercise yard http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_037.jpg Van Gough’s painting though is not overly concerned with providing an accurate representation of prison life, but through the evocative colours and exaggerated forms the haunting image has something more telling to say on the experience.

Ultimately realism reached its fullest expression in the nineteenth century novel. Not all novels are realist, but it has become the dominant style in which they are written and the measure against which they are judged.

Charles Dickens was amongst the first of the great novelists of the city and the prison figures in many of his novels. In his early writing he attacked the influential Philadelphia ‘separate system’ of prison discipline in his American Notes (1842/1906). In this account of his travels he was especially concerned about the damaging effects of the system upon prisoners. A remarkable passage describes6 a hooded prisoner as a ‘man buried alive, to be dug out in the slow round of years; and in the meantime dead to everything but torturing anxieties and horrible despair’. This metaphor of living death is one he returns to in A Tale of Two Cities (1859) where the deadening atmosphere of imprisonment pervades the novel, while in David Copperfield (1849/50) he makes a number of criticisms of the separate system that some have claimed led to its demise.

Another theme Dickens pursues is the mystery of human identity — where do we come from, are we really who we think we are, do we author ourown destinies and so forth. In his finest prison novel, Little Dorrit (1855-57), these themes come together in a work where imprisonment structures practically every aspect of the tale. The playwright George Bernard Shaw once claimed the book was more incendiary than Marx’s Das Kapital in itsdevastating critique of greedy capitalism and incompetent officialdom. The vast social landscapes drawn by Dickens dramatize the contradictions of the age by traversing the diverse worlds his characters inhabit. But for all this sweeping panoramic vision a novel like Little Dorrit also announces a further paradox, that of an all pervasive prison and an ‘omniscient narrator’ who is divorced from his ‘fictional world’ (Carnochan, 1998:394)7. This is no problem for an author like Dickens as his realism is always blended with earlier styles of writing, including romance, fable, satire and Gothic, but it is a dilemma for those writers seeking to deliver some realistic psychological complexity to the pain their characters experience.

In response much subsequent writing about prison has looked inward to grasp what it is to be human. The model for this approach is Victor Hugo’s (1829) The Last Days of the Condemned Man, which vividly describes a prisoner’s struggles to come to terms with his fate. Much later Albert Camus’s (1942) The Stranger, John Cheever’s (1977) Falconer and John Banville’s (1989) The Book of Evidence each provide first person narratives where hope and despair are dynamically interweaved in the stories. In The Stranger, for example, those waiting execution worry intensely about the proper functioning of the guillotine — as any fault can mean repeating the same botched operation over and over again. While in Kafka’s ‘Penal Colony’ (1919/1954) the condemned are so resigned to their fate in the grisly execution apparatus known as ‘The Harrow’ that they can be left free to run in the hills, a simple whistle enough to recall them for their execution. Prison systems have also continued to be criticized on a grand scale. Octave Mirbeau’s (1898/1995) Torture Garden is such an account exposing the hypocrisies of European civilization. Readers soon learn that the narrator is a corrupt, if somewhat incompetent, guide who has left France to study foreign prison systems. On route he meets the extraordinary Clara, the daughter of an opium trader living in China, who convinces him to join her on a journey to a prison in a remote corner of Canton. The second half of the book then goes on to detail the flayings, crucifixions and numerous other forms of misery endured in beautifully laid out gardens in the heart of the prison: where torture mingles with horticulture, as the decomposing dead fertilize the immaculate floral landscape.

The book is an unmistakable influence on Kafka’s (1919/1954) ‘In the Penal Colony’, but here the sinister torture machine has fallen into disrepair. Where once ‘The Harrow’ would elaborately carve the sentence of whatever commandment the prisoner had broken on his body, until death provided a merciful release. Now the machine simply stabs the victim quickly to death. Like the Torture Garden the story is seen through the eyes of a visiting European dignitary. Although it is the executing officer who is finally destroyed by the machine, it is the prophecy that the mechanization of torture and it’s associated form of justice — where the accused is always found guilty — will eventually return that menacingly concludes the story. It is this iconography of machine that has shaped the representation of imprisonment in twentieth century media culture, to where we now turn.

Inside the Machine

While modern punishment now largely takes place away from the gaze of public attention, the role of the mass media in making penal practices more visible is especially important. Understandings of incarceration cannot be divorced from how they are represented in television, film and print. Yet how to make sense of the relationships in a media-saturated world is by no means easy or unproblematic. One way of analyzing the social character of mediated representation is through the theory of genre. There are now a number of studies of prison films as a genre and several stock features have been identified: escape, riot, camaraderie, violence, injustice and so on. To give one example The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is one of the most popular films ever made, while actually ‘saying nothing new about prison’ (Mason, 2003:288). It contains all the stock elements of the prison film: sadistic guards, corrupt wardens, masculine solidarity, predatory rapists, eventual escape and a revenge climax. Yet it is the way that the story is told that has shaped the film’s popularity. Film critics8 have compared it to a modern day Gospel parable, as well as a political allegory on recent US history (the corrupt Warden stands for President Nixon) but ultimately it is seen as testimony to the power of Hollywood cinema to move audiences in ways that ‘lesser’ films do not. In a nuanced analysis of the film Michael Fiddler9 has shown how the influence of Piranesi’s depictions of carceral space inspired the dramatic representation of Shawshank.

Others have noted how the iconography of the machine permeates screen representations of prison10. When heroes break inflexible rules or rebel against injustice, this often results in long periods of solitary confinement, as in films like Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Papillon (1973) and it is the metaphor of the machine that is fundamental. It is the organising principle from which all other narratives flow: ‘escape from the machine, riot against the machine, the role of the machine in processing and rehabilitating inmates, and entering the machine from the free world as a new inmate’ (Mason, 2006: 204). In doing so prison films draw on generic conventions that were already established in earlier artistic and literary traditions outlined above. One of the most recurring motifs in all this material is seeing the experience of imprisonment through the eyes of the protagonist entering confinement for the first time, enabling audiences to identify with the character in their struggle with the penal machine.

Of course, prison films are only one way in which the viewing public see punishment — there are many more genres on television. The prison setting has appeared in popular situation comedies (Porridge), light entertainment drama (Bad Girls), ‘serious’ drama (Buried), documentary (Strangeways) and reality TV (Banged Up), while newspaper reporting provides an essential counterweight to fictional representations in the broadcast media and the literary tradition I have been describing. It is important to recognise though that stories of crime and punishment, when they appear in press reports and documentary programmes, are themselves increasingly told in melodramatic form. This generic blurring does not mean that media audiences are incapable of discriminating between fact and fiction, rather that both are influential in shaping how crime and punishment are understood. Genres do not produce themselves and I now briefly turn to stories told by prisoners, which offer further understandings of prison space.

Prison Writing

Any account of prison writing soon acknowledges that most of the literature is written by privileged prisoners. Not only are they literate, but often they have been imprisoned for political, religious or other ideological reasons which further distinguishes them from other inmates. Three different kind of writing have been identified. One is produced by imprisoned intellectuals and includes Socrates, Bunyan, Boethius, Dostoyevsky, and Gramsci. Ranging from spiritual salvation to political martyrdom it demonstrates the extraordinary breadth of writing produced under captivity. A second group contains writers who speak from within a prison culture and whose messages have more often than not disappeared: either lost or destroyed by officials. Jean Genet and the Marquis de Sade are two of the most well known writers in this tradition. Aside from these infamous accounts of dissident sexuality this writing covers a diverse range of genres — including autobiography, memoir, fiction, drama, poetry and journalism — from Oscar Wilde in the late 1800s to Razor Smith in the early twenty-first century11. A third group stretches back to the beginnings of history and include parts of the ‘Old Testament, stories of the shtetl, the songs and stories of the American and Caribbean slaves, the accounts from the Gulag and Van Diemen’s Land’ which have become part of collective memory through the folk tradition of storytelling12. These very different narratives speak to ‘real’ and ‘imaginary’ pain in significant ways and are unified in the fundamentally moral question they ask: how are we to live? The importance of the cultural representations I have been discussing is that they can enlarge our powers of imagination, so that we can better understand each other and the kind of world we live in. As Aristotle13 pointed out in his Poetics, written in the fourth century BC, literature shows us ‘not something that has happened, but the kind of thing that might happen’. This understanding of possibilities is a vital resource enriching comprehension of the human condition and one that reminds us of just how much of our cultural tradition has been produced under captivity.

Footnotes

Much of the material in this paper is taken from Carrabine, E (forthcoming) ‘Telling Prison Stories: The Spectacle of Punishment and the Criminological Imagination’ in Cheliotis, L. (ed.) The Arts of Imprisonment, Aldershot: Ashgate, where the argument appears in a more extended form.

Bender, J. (1984) J. (1984), ‘The Novel and the Rise of the Penitentiary: Narrative and Ideology in Defoe, Gay, Hogarth, and Fielding’, Stanford Literature Review, Spring, 55-84, p.57.

Fielding, H. (1749/1975), Tom Jones p.118.

Eagleton, T. (2005), The English Novel: An Introduction, Oxford: Blackwell, p.59.

Evans, R. (1982), The Fabrication of Virtue: English Prison Architecture, 1750-1840. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.80.

Cited in Johnston, H. (2006) ‘“Buried Alive”: Representations of the Separate System in Victorian England’, in Mason, P. (ed.) Captured by the Media: Prison Discourse in Popular Culture, Devon: Willan, p.108.

Charnochan, W. B. (1998), ‘The Literature of Confinement’ in Morris and Rothman (eds.) The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society (Oxford: Oxford University Press).

Kermode, M. (2003), Shawshank Redemption (London: BFI publishing.

Fiddler, M. (2007) ‘Projecting the Prison: The Depiction of the Uncanny in The Shawshank Redemption’, in Crime, Media, Culture, 3(2):192-206.

Mason, P. (2006), ‘Relocating Hollywood’s Prison Film Discourse’, in Mason, P. (ed.).

Broadhead, J. (2006), Unlocking the Prison Muse: The Inspiration and Effects of Prisoners’ Writing in Britain Cambridge: Cambridge Academic.

Davies, I. (1990), Writers in Prison, Oxford: Blackwell, p.4.

Cited in Nussbaum, M. (1997), Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defence of Reform in Liberal Education, Harvard University Press.

#prison #criminology #crime and punishment #media #representation #storytelling #culture #cross-cultural themes #exclusion #civilization #prison films

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marcoshassanlevy · 4 years

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welcome to Ponlo En Repeat where we revisit Latinx music history’s biggest hits, misses, and unbelievable moments while taking at look at how they impact our world today.

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In 1990, a hip-hop song with lyrics in both Spanish and English made it to the charts, marking a historic event in the U.S. mainstream. The song in question was “Mentirosa” by LA rapper Mellow Man Ace. Looking back, its impact proved to be the prelude to a larger revolution in hip-hop. Another song then sparked a chain reaction that affected the very fabric of the genre and gave a voice to millions of people. That track was “La Raza”, by Ace’s friend and eventual bandmate, Kid Frost.

Latines in hip-hop go way back There was the Rock Steady Crew conformed mostly by Puerto Rican kids, DJ Charlie Chase from Cold Crush Brothers, Devastating Tito and Master O.C. from Fearless Four, Rubie Dee and Prince Whipper Whip of the Fantastic Five and The Mean Machine who made “Disco Dream”—perhaps the world’s first Spanglish hip-hop song. Considering his life story, Kid Frost could be considered another pioneer on the list.

RELATEDHere Is the Wild as Hell Story Behind ‘Lambada,’ a Cultural Shift Forgotten in Time

Born Arturo Molina Jr, Frost started rapping in 1982 and landed on venerable breakdance crew/electro pioneers Uncle Jamm’s Army along with other legends in the making, Ice T and Egyptian Lover (Frost’s nickname came from battling T on the regular). His first solo singles, 1984’s “Rough Cut” (produced by future N.W.A. member DJ Yella) and 1985’s “Terminator,” are considered essential electro classics.

Frost dropped out of breakdancing and immersed himself in street life, where he joined gangs and lived a hard life. “The streets weren’t free no more and the music wasn’t so happy no more,” he says in the Netflix docu-series Hip-Hop Evolution. He followed suit, switching up his style. In fact, Frost has been quoted saying that Mexicans were not interested in hip-hop until gangsta rap became a thing. He retreated to backyard parties and lowrider car shows where he would perform directly to his people: Chicanos and Latinos from East L.A. His experiences during these transitional years helped ground his lyricism to his reality.

Hooking up with the production team formed around the KDAY radio station in Redondo Beach, CA, Kid Frost recorded his debut album, Hispanic Causing Panic. The album features samples ranging from Black Sabbath and Michael Jackson to Cheech & Chong and War. However, there’s no pussyfooting around “La Raza.” Featuring a beat constructed from El Chicano’s 1970’s track “Viva Tirado,” the song serves as a way to bridge generations of U.S. Latines through music. Lyrically, it also references Chicano poets from the ‘60s and ‘70s who mixed caló with English.

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“La Raza” is not a clear cut song and that makes it special; it doesn’t try to preach peace and unity and it doesn’t relish in stereotypes—it dips its toe in both. In 1990, Frost told the Los Angeles Times that the song is “a trip into the mind of a cholo,” mixing up Mexican-American slang or caló with gangsta rap imagery and macho posturing to paint a picture of what it feels like to be who you are. From day one, Frost insisted that violent imagery is a metaphor for breaking through negativity. But the word choices can’t be ignored, and they’re half the reason the song still slaps to this day.

Another reason “La Raza” resonates to this day is that it made a conscious decision not to pander. While “Mentirosa” was a bigger hit, “La Raza” didn’t play up Latinidad on a superficial level to be more palatable to white audiences. Even Mellow Man Ace’s image—white suit, hat, mustache; not unlike German one-hit-wonder Lou Bega of “Mambo Number 5” fame—called back to the suave mambo singers. However, “La Raza” used Spanish to connect with Latinos, not as a color to sell records but as a code only they could understand completely. It spawned other songs del barrio, like “On a Sunday Afternoon” by Lighter Shade of Brown, para el barrio.

Cypress Hill built their lyricism through the same blueprint (even if their hit “Insane In The Brain” is partially a diss to Kid Frost). Soon after, Frost and Ace joined forces with ALT to form Latin Alliance and explore their identities further through hip-hop.

RELATED35 Years Ago, Miami Sound Machine Laid the Blueprint for Latin Pop

Although its cultural impact is undeniable, “La Raza” was considered a fluke in more than one way. It peaked at number 48 in the Billboard Hot 100, and had divided criticism—some thought it was a cash-grab to exploit the gangsta rap fad while others applauded its message. Since the early ‘90s, the power of “La Raza” has faded a bit from the public consciousness; while it regularly makes the list of top West Coast rap songs of all time, it’s rarely spoken about by new artists as a pivotal moment for them.

That hasn’t stopped Molina from pursuing his vision. Dropping the “Kid” from his name, Frost signed to Eazy E’s Ruthless Records, honing his approach with every subsequent record. He’s also maintained a parallel career as an actor of low budget action films like Gunmen, Dope Case Pending, and A Lowrider Spring Break En San Quilmas. In 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer but has since recovered and kept busy to this day. His son, Scoop DeVille, also keeps his legacy alive. DeVille has a stellar career of his own as a producer, most notably for the Grammy-nominated track “Poetic Justice” by Kendrick Lamar, as well as his work with legends like Snoop Dogg and Nipsey Hustle, among others. He appears in the video for “La Raza,” cradled in Frost’s arms.

“La Raza” gave Frost’s Latinx experience a gravitas through language, altering the DNA of rap’s prime weapon. It broke barriers within Latinx communities and reaffirmed their place in hip-hop history. Seeing how major a cultural shift it signified, “La Raza” needs more props.

09.17.20

#ponlo en repeat

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troybeecham · 4 years

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Today the Church remembers St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Monk.

Ora pro nobis.

Founder And Abbot Of Clairvaux

Believe me, for I know, you will find something far greater in the woods than in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you cannot learn from the masters.

Pillar Of The Church

St. Bernard was declared a doctor of the church in 1830 and was extolled in 1953 as doctor mellifluus in an encyclical of Pius XII.

#father troy beecham #christianity #troy beecham episcopal #jesus #father troy beecham episcopal #saints #god #salvation #peace #monk

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dcnativegal · 7 years

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I miss Black people

A tall Black man came into the office in Christmas Valley last week to introduce himself as a social services worker for parts of Deschutes County and north Lake County, too. My door and my fellow therapist’s door were open, and we introduced ourselves and chatted amicably. When he and I discovered we had both lived in DC, I became Chatty Cathy, waxing poetic about Ethiopian Food. It became clear that he wasn’t that familiar with it, couldn’t remember the word ‘injera’… but that was okay. I was talking to a Black man who knew DC. I’m pretty sure I embarrassed myself. My colleague was friendly and professional. I was irrationally glad to see him out of all proportion to the occasion.

He probably left thinking to himself, white people are weird. Guilty as charged.

I am one of those white people who study Black people. Their experience, history, personalities, and the systemic, systematic way in which they’ve been imprisoned in one big internment camp called the United States of America. Everything about them, with the possible exception of current music beyond a superficial point. My kids listen to nothing but music made by Black people, so we, as a family, have that covered.

Formative books: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The Color Purple. Beloved. Also, Why do all the Black kids sit together in the Cafeteria, and When Race Became Real. Between the World and Me is the most recent.

Formative movies: Sounder (with music by Taj Mahal). Anything by Spike Lee (with the possible exception of Inside Job, which is excellent, but not about Black experience.) Moonlight. Daughters of the Dust. I am Not Your Negro is the most recent. Anything by Ava DuVernay, most recently, 13th. (I dare you, white reader, to watch it, on Netflix, and not have your mind blown.)

Music: Otis Redding. Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. Early Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five. Tracy Chapman. India Arie.

I could go on and on… Perhaps I’ll stop with this link to 100 Woke Black women to follow: http://www.essence.com/news/woke-100-women

“Study” does not mean to keep at arms-length. I have been a marshmallow in a sea of cocoa since I can remember being alive. And since, many times, in different schools and neighborhoods, I was one of the few white kids, it behooved me to observe how we are similar and different. When you are the minority, you study the majority.

Little differences, in hygiene practices (Black women are more fastidious), in pronunciation (Andrea is pronounced An DRE uh by Black folks, AN dreeah by white. Darrell is DaRELLE for Black people and DAR rul for white.) In Happy Birthday songs: Black folks sing the Stevie Wonder version. In mythical secret jokes. Some Black people think that white people smell bad when wet. I’m serious. Based on how stinky the white men were when they came across the Atlantic to kidnap Black people. I mentioned this one day to a church friend, a PhD in Math, descended from Jamaicans, and she gasped! How did I know?! (I read it in a book, silly.)

I notice how much African American Vernacular English is used by white people. “You go, girl.” “24/7.” “I’m down.” “Word.” White folks don’t necessarily notice. I do. I try not to use AAVE. For fear of being scolded by my daughter. But also, because it is not appropriate. I struggle with this appropriateness thing. Because it’s the right thing to do. I keep learning how much culture has been stolen from Black Americans. Elvis Presley is just the tip of the iceburg. White people have stolen from Black people for millennia, and not just culturally. I look for examples of this, and find it, daily. I look out of long habit, so that I can give credit where credit is due.

It is absolutely true that Black people have transformed my life again and again. A Black 10th grade English teacher told me I was a good writer and should check out the Urban Journalism Workshop. I did, I applied, I got in, I learned to write, and the article I wrote earned an honorable mention from the Robert Kennedy Journalism awards. It was about the gentrification of Mount Pleasant, a neighborhood in DC. In 1976. I’m pretty sure I got into Oberlin College because of the Urban Journalism Workshop. Because I had zero extracurriculars besides running away from home. Thank you, Mrs. Feely.

I spent 40 years in the grooviest episcopal church on the planet (IMHO) because of a Black seminarian I almost married. He was 9 years my senior, I was 17, when we met. St Stephen & the Incarnation became my spiritual home because he was assigned there. And after I realized I was too young to marry, it stayed my parish home until I moved to the Oregon Outback in August 2016. Thank you, Eddie.

I miss my Black friends. Gay and straight women, with a few gay Black men in there, too. I know a lot of wonderful straight Black men, but I can’t say I’d call any of them in the middle of the night to take me to the emergency room. (One of my criteria for being a real friend. I’m sure they’d take me; I would just be so embarrassed.) Each of my friends is amazing. Of course, that is also true of my white friends. I’ve been mulling over the difference between my white and Black friends.

I’m reminded of something I read years ago about being friends across the racial chasm: the Black woman’s advice to her white friend was, “Forget I am Black. And, never forget that I am Black.” The zen koan of being friends with a Black person.

I feel lucky when a Black person will deign to be my friend. They could so easily reserve their precious energies for other people of color, especially people of the African diaspora. Out of self-care. (deign: verb, do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity. "she did not deign to answer the maid's question" Archaic condescend to give [something.] "He had deigned an apology.") When I am hanging out with my Black friends who are activists and seemingly tireless in their work for justice in all kinds of situations, I am amazed that they have time for me. I know in fact that they are tired. And I do my best to be someone they can relax with. Even though I am white.

I have a Black friend who grew up in Crown Heights Brooklyn, where my son lives now in an apartment with many roommates. Her parents were from Guyana, an African-Caribbean country. Crown Heights is gentrifying, but it seems to still hold a special mix of Caribbean immigrants and Hasidim. S is a little younger than I am, and also has 2 kids, one in college (same one as my daughter) and the other graduated (as is my son.) My kids’ dad and I met their family when we each had only one baby in diapers and one parent each were home, and craving adult conversation. Play group in Brookland DC used to meet once a week until the community-organizing father of my children got hold of it, and then it met 3 times a week.

Our oldest boys were friends. We had second children. We developed a tradition of going to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a week every summer and sharing an old beach house that was right on the water, one family per bedroom. We’d have 4 families give or take, and take turns cooking, looking after munchkins, and going on field trips to the Wright Brothers Museum, Walmart, and movies.

When it was time to figure out where to have the oldest boys go to school, our two families combined forces. In DC, finding a decent public school requires a strategy. We got pretty elaborate: what are our criteria for excellence? How much did each value weigh in the decision? We teamed up, with S and I spending the night in her car one icy January to get on the list for a popular bilingual Spanish/English immersion school (Oyster Elementary). My kids’ dad and her husband hit a number of schools that were apparently much less popular but still made our list. My kid got into Oyster, and S, who was right after me, did not. We decided that our boys would go to a DC public Montessori program instead of risking separation.

By the way, S met a nice Jewish young man from Iowa when they both attended Harvard, and married him. After many years, she decided to convert to Judaism, and both boys had bar mitzvahs, which were very cool to attend.

Both families switched to another DC public Montessori program when the original one seemed in steep decline, and enjoyed that community for a while. It became clear that my son wasn’t doing as well in that context, so I got him on a waiting list for a phenomenal charter school that uses the Expeditionary Learning model (affiliated with Outward Bound.)

We remained friends as families, going to the beach, joining the pool just over the DC line that many Brooklanders belonged to. Our boys grew apart, but we still hung out. One amazing bit of fate is that it was S and her son who introduced my boy to film-making at around 6th grade. He now makes his living as a filmmaker and is a Tisch film school graduate.

S is one of those women who is rather butch, and also straight. She is not femme: never wears make up, keeps her hair very short for minimum of fuss, and never wears skirts or dresses (except in her wedding.) I taught her to knit on one of our beach weeks, and she’s gone on to become expert and imaginative. I figured out at one point that I had a crush on her, but I stomped that out, and we have had a great 20+ year friendship.

When my marriage ended, S and her husband extended dinner invitations to both me and my ex, separately, but only I responded. My ex is introverted, and for some reason he let his connection to these folks wither. I was grateful to hold onto the friendship, and enjoyed coming to their house for amazing food prepared by Ed, the son of the Iowan baker. Lots of far ranging conversation. We’d solve the problems of the world, and then I’d go home. We also share a love of movies. I had to call Ed once to get me to an emergency department, and he did with calm kindness.

Neither S nor her husband are on Facebook much, which is where I keep in touch with most of my social connections from DC. I’ll have to actually write them a letter, which I used to do routinely. I miss these people very much. Maybe I should just call them up. How novel.

S was my friend first, and Black incidentally.

B became my friend and her Blackness was way more prominent. Whereas S never uses AAVE, B uses it a lot, and with her I feel like I can say “GIIRRRRRLLLL” in greeting.

B is from a large African-American Catholic family, originally from Florida. Old school Black, which is to say, ancestors enslaved and brought to the mainland United States, then reared here after Emancipation, and always in the minority. Whereas Island folks, from what was formerly known as the West Indies, were also enslaved, they freed themselves from colonial power, and became majority Black countries. B taught me that some Caribbean folks look down on the old school Black folks. I learned a lot about hierarchies within Blackness from Brigette.

We met at a card game for women in our neighborhood. Her son was a year older than mine, and she lived within a block of us. I started to pursue her as a friend; we attended a Black-taught “all sizes welcomed” yoga class in the neighborhood, and would walk there and back every Saturday morning. On those walks we got to know each other.

She is so accomplished; a law degree, an all but dissertation PhD drop out, an author, a management consultant, a philanthropist. I was honored to be the one white person present for a discernment committee she gathered, Quaker style, to help her make a decision. She influenced me a great deal. I hope I was a good friend to her. She was, probably still is, extremely busy, always, involved in one justice-promoting effort after another. I felt like a slacker in her presence. And she was not judging me. She simply lived every waking moment as an opportunity for social change. I also know there is pain underneath that activity, not just ‘post-traumatic slavery syndrome.’ Our sons are out in the world making art. She is making change. I miss her.

There are many others… Imani, D, Isaiah, Fern, Paulette, Liane…and powerful Facebook friends... Claudia, Alan, Reuben, KM

When I see a Black person out here in Oregon, I am riveted and try not to stare. Black people in white places are used to this, it is the ‘white gaze’, just like women are conscious of the ‘male gaze.’ For the observed, this vigilance is automatic and barely conscious until there is a perceived danger. Is that man (of whatever color) following me down this street? Is that white woman following me in this store? I regret that I am adding to this vigilance for people of color in Oregon.

In Eugene Oregon at a huge hippy extravaganza called Country Fair, I took to counting Black people. Less than 20. I follow the SURJ-Eugene Chapter on Facebook. It’s the closest chapter to where I live. (Standing up for Racial Justice is a white person’s organization that hopes to support Black Lives Matter efforts. White folks can ask other white folks to call each other out and help each other grow. This is not the job of Black People.) Oregon is a very white place.

I am an anti-racist organization of one. Which is not to say I am the only one who cares about racism against Black people, systemic and individualized here in Lake County. I have not yet met anyone as steeped as I am, but it’s always possible. (Where are you?) Anybody out here willing to start a book club to read Witnessing Whiteness? It’s for white people who want to reveal and counteract the racism that lives within all of us.

From the context of my upbringing, and my choice, the collective and multi-hued Black American World is my north star. The Black/white conversation, the current animosity, the centuries-long history, is my cosmology: “noun, the science of the origin and development of the universe.” My social universe. The foundation upon which I build my politics, my theology of justice, my self-image. My corrective. Also, my joy.

I am a white person who works on her racism. Even when there are no Black people in my Oregon Outback world, except a phlebotomist, one former client, and the girlfriend of another. My moral universe is constructed around the fact of the injustice of slavery and its current unjust sequelae. (Noun. se·que·la. a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury.) Part of the post-slavery curse is the anti-government bias that is ripping further the tattered safety net. It is hard work to help white folks in mostly white contexts to see how anti-Black racism seeps into every bit of politics and also harms them individually. I’m working on this. I find it exhausting when the occasional conversation starts with “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.” I was so spoiled in D.C.

Yes, I believe in reparations. TaNehisi Coates’ work on this in The Atlantic is a paradigm-shifter. (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/)

I only recently read a book on the native American experience, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s epic, “An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States.” Now I can include the injustice wrought against native peoples into my cosmology. Except I did not grow up as a white person in a majority First Nation context. A whole new arena to familiarize myself with. First Nations are deeply relevant to life out here due to water rights. (You can watch Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz read from the book here: https://youtu.be/Pn4QTS6S3WU.) And you can read about water rights and the Klamath Nation here: (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotarian-helping-klamath-river-dispute)

I will continue to be a Black-identified white woman living in Whitelandia. I will try not to be obnoxious when I hear something flatly racist, although I will counter it. Someone said something about Black on Black crime early on. I said something, and now she knows I’m a ‘liberal.’ I share about Black experience on Facebook because I rejoice at the artistry and profound accomplishments of people who Overcome, every day. Maybe my new friends in Oregon will have a couple of stereotypes dashed by following my Facebook posts. Maybe not. Some of the clients at our mental health center are white ex-offenders with Aryan nation tattoos. Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

My job is to enlighten white people, somehow, with humility, because i know next to nothing. I need to tell the truth, but tell it slant, as Emily Dickinson wrote, so the truth will dazzle gradually. My job is to live with integrity wherever I am, as inclusively as possible, mining my own deep veins of ignorance (see, Native American History, also, the racist history of Oregon vis a vis Sundown laws, et al.) Counteracting the deep ignorance of the public discourse about the roots of our current politics in my own thinking. And praying to know how to be a bridge builder.

Written on the immensely tall wall of the Lincoln Memorial are words from the 2nd Innaugural address. To quote Wikipedia, “Lincoln suggests that the death and destruction wrought by the [Civil] war was divine retribution to the U.S. for possessing slavery, saying that God may will that the war continue "until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword", and that the war was the country's "woe due".’ What I believe is that the great Civil War in the USA right now is the price we are paying for the sin of slavery, the divide of have and have not, early white immigrant/imperialist versus newer immigrant especially from South and Central America, the disconnect of white republican voters-for-trump and the fact of their deep dependence on the government. My cousin, President Lincoln, (4th cousin, 5 times removed) was more right than he knew.

I will be an ally no matter where I am, however (deeply) imperfect. I can’t help it.

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