Janet Jackson’s heard the comparisons between her and Beyonce. And she hates them.
“It’s stupid,” she said earlier this summer. “I don’t understand why we both can’t do what we do. Why can’t we both shine? And make great music?”
Beyonce has been nothing but reverential: “I love Janet Jackson!” she told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in 2004. She should; she borrowed a few of Janet’s dance moves for her performance at last week’s VMAs.
Both women (along with Fergie) are releasing albums this month, so it’s little wonder that they’re already battling over the airwaves. Beyonce quickly trotted out “Ring the Alarm” as soon as “Deja Vu,” her first single from “B’day,” began slipping. Janet didn’t even wait for “Call on Me” to lose steam before releasing “So Excited” at the end of August.
There are more similarities and connections between Beyonce and Janet than you might expect:
CAREER
Beyonce
“B’day” is her second solo album, following a blockbuster debut and four studio albums with Destiny’s Child. She’s also a songwriter, producer, actress and has started a fashion business.
Janet Jackson
She’s Michael’s sister but a musical icon in her own right, with eight studio albums since her 1982 debut. She’s also a songwriter, producer, dancer and actress.
WINNER: Beyonce. What an overachiever.
THE ACTING BUG
Beyonce
“The Pink Panther,” “The Fighting Temptations,” “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” “Carmen: A Hip Hopera” and the upcoming “Dreamgirls.”
Janet Jackson
Her TV shows have included “Good Times,” “Diff’rent Strokes,” “The Love Boat” and “Fame.” She was on the big screen in “Poetic Justice” and “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.”
WINNER: Janet, for now. Only an Oscar for “Dreamgirls” beats the “Good Times,” “Love Boat” and “Fame” trifecta.
CRAZY IN LOVE
Beyonce
Rapper and record label president Jay-Z–who appears on “Deja Vu”–has been with Beyonce since 2000.
Janet Jackson
Rapper, producer and record label president Jermaine Dupri–who appears on Jackson’s “Call on Me”–has been with Janet for more than five years.
WINNER: Beyonce. He may have phoned in his work on “Deja Vu,” but the man’s got the golden touch.
PEEKABOO PLAYTIME
Beyonce
Does anyone remember that she sang the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl?
Janet Jackson
Janet performed at halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl, and we all know how that turned out.
WINNER: Beyonce. Without Janet, we wouldn’t have the term “wardrobe malfunction,” but her career has tanked ever since.
THE WINNER: BEYONCE
Janet said it herself (way back when), what have you done for me lately?
