Janet Jackson helped define pop in the late 20th century with hard-hitting beats, sumptuous love songs, and a commitment to helping the world find—as she sang in her 1989 smash “Rhythm Nation”—“a better way of life.” Jackson released her self-titled debut album in 1982, but truly came into her own with her third full-length, 1986’s Control, which included fiery proclamations of the self (“Control”) while taking bad boys to task (“Nasty”), and propelled the then-nascent genre of new jack swing into pop’s mainstream. She continued to push boundaries musically and lyrically: 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814 added political savvy and searing guitars to the mix; 1993’s janet. was a declaration of sexual independence (“That’s the Way Love Goes,” “If”); and 1997’s The Velvet Rope put her innermost thoughts (“I Get Lonely,” “Got ’Til It’s Gone”) front and center. The funky “All For You” and “Someone to Call My Lover” arrived in 2001, and captured the empowering feeling of exploring new relationships.