Over two decades after its release, we’re still celebrating Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, the 1989 album that cemented Janet Jackson’s reputation as one of the era’s premiere female artists with it’s messages of sexual empowerment and era-defining new jack swing sound. However, did you know that it was actually a concept album about social injustices and was also accompanied by a 30-minute long form music video?
Check out this this vintage video interview, where Jackson presents her groundbreaking project to the media at its 1989 premiere. “I know a song can’t change the world but if our music could inspire some of the people and make them want to join hands and begin to deal with a lot of the social problems we have then hopefully we can make some sort of progress and that’s pretty much what it’s all about,” she says. Go back in time and watch as Jackson speaks about the inspiration behind would become one of her most influential albums.