Janet Jackson is the younger sister of the singing Jackson brothers, including the late "King of Pop" Michael Jackson. She released her first album in 1982; her career really took off with the 1986 album Control, which included the hit single "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" She quickly became a regular fixture in pop music and on MTV, known for her smartly sexy songs and high-energy dancing (the choreography in her videos was done by Paula Abdul). In 1999 she was a guest artist with Busta Rhymes on his hit "What's It Gonna Be." She also ventured into the movies, starring with Tupac Shakur and Maya Angelou in the 1993 film Poetic Justice. Her other albums include Damita Jo (2004, with a title taken from Jackson's middle name), 20 Y.O. (2006) and Discipline (2008).

Jackson caused a hubbub while performing in the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl, when her co-star Justin Timberlake pulled off a piece of Jackson's costume, exposing her right breast. Timberlake claimed the incident was unplanned and blamed a "wardrobe malfunction," but Jackson later issued a formal apology, admitting that the "costume reveal" was intentional... A month after the Super Bowl incident, singing legend Lena Horne blocked Jackson from playing her in a planned TV movie.