Where Are They Now: Janet Jackson's janet.
Catch up with the all-star squad behind this classic album.
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Where Are They Now?: Janet Jackson's janet. - 20 years ago, on May 18, 1993, Janet Jackson went from star to superstar. That's the day she release her fifth album, simply titled janet. The LP broke records for sales by a female artist and broke rules by promoting female sexuality and independence. It's also one of Janet's most personal, hands-on albums, with her doing a bulk of the songwriting and co-producing for the album. Still, she didn't do it entirely alone. She had a legendary team of collaborators who helped make this album a classic, and most have continued to leave their mark on music and culture two decades later. Read on to see what the all-star squad behind janet. is doing today. —Alex Gale (Photo: Virgin Records)
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Terry Lewis - Terry Lewis produced the majority of the album with his partner Jimmy Jam and Janet herself, continuing the hitmaking streak begun on the singer's previous two albums. The duo extended its success well into the '90s, landing No. 1s with Mariah Carey, Usher and many more. In 2011, Lewis reunited with his and his partner's old band The Time, playing bass, singing and producing for its comeback album, Condensate.(Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images
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Jimmy Jam - Jimmy Jam, the other half of the legendary production twosome, has landed 16 No. 1s along with his partner, Terry Lewis — including this album's "That's the Way Love Goes," the best selling single of Janet's career. He's rolled with Lewis ever since, most recently playing keyboard and producing for their legendary early-'80s group The Time's 2011 album Condensate. (Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for Centric)
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Chuck D - Public Enemy frontman Chuck D brought his signature vocal boom to the album by kicking two verses on "New Agenda." He's continued recording and touring with (and sometimes without) his old crew, but he's also stayed active as an writer, speaker and political activist. (Photo: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)
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Kathleen Battle - Renowned opera singer Kathleen Battle lent her classically trained soprano to the dramatic "This Time." She's continued to grace stages with her beautiful voice over the years, singing for the pope and President Obama at the White House in 2008. (Photo: Scott Wintrow/Getty Images)
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Jellybean Johnson - Jellybean Johnson, who played drums and percussion with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in The Time, coproduced the album with his old bandmates and Janet. He joined Jam and Lewis for the band's 2011 reunion album, Condensate. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
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Mint Condition - Two members of soul band Mint Condition, keyboardist Lawrence Waddell and drummer Stokley Williams, played on janet. The pair have stuck with the band, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, touring with Prince in 2010 and releasing an album, Music at the Speed of Life, last year.(Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images for BET)
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Patrick Demarchelier - Renowned French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier captured the album artwork, which is a crop of the famous (and infamous) picture of a topless Janet that graced a 1993 Rolling Stone cover. Demarchelier has continued his legendary career, and has also made appearances in the Sex and the City movie and reality show America's Next Top Model. (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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Sounds of Blackness - Vocal ensemble Sounds of Blackness, who charted hits and won Grammys in the early '90s, sung background throughout the album. The group has lived on with a rotating cast, releasing a self-titled album in 2011. Ann Nesby, who led the group during the janet sessions, left in 1995 to pursue a solo career,\ and has been nominated for four Grammys, most recently for her 2007 album This Is Love. (Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images for NAACP)