An excerpt from the LA Times -
Column: Why do we praise Black performers for ‘crossing over’ to white audiences?
BY LZ GRANDERSONCOLUMNIST
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| Janet Jackson, queen of pop? (Mark Von Holden / Invision via Associated Press) |
Saw a debate on Twitter this week that caught my attention: Madonna or Janet Jackson — who is the real queen of pop?
The conversation was started by Lizzo, who in sharing her list of music royalty gave the coveted title to Jackson, which set off Madonna fans. Billboard magazine, the music industry’s longtime chart tracker, gave the title to Madonna some time ago. Jackson is ranked third, behind Mariah Carey.
Before we forget the original, though, let’s be clear that in 1976, Billboard had already named Diana Ross the female entertainer of the century. She became the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of music, too often overlooked whenever people debate the “greatest of all time.”
That sort of amnesia is one of the many reasons I dislike debates of this nature to begin with.
But this “Madonna vs. Jackson” conversation drifted toward an interesting topic: crossover appeal.
Janet Jackson’s popularity is noteworthy for crossing racial lines, which highlights the fact that Madonna’s success did not.
That’s not to say Madonna doesn’t have Black fans. Of course she does. I’m one of them.
But despite working with iconic R&B producers such as Babyface, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Dallas Austin and Timbaland, Madonna has managed just one Top 10 R&B/hip-hop single, “Like a Virgin,” which peaked at No. 9 back in 1985. The song’s producer, Nile Rodgers, is known for adding some funk to a number of white artists, such as David Bowie (“Let’s Dance”) and Duran Duran (“Notorious”).
Madonna was able to build an iconic career relying heavily on R&B production without the burden of needing to appeal to R&B listeners. She went for as Black a sound as she possibly could without being hindered by the music industry’s racism. Ranking on the R&B charts was unnecessary.
