90s State of Mind #18: "The Velvet Rope"

​Welcome to Episode #18 of the 90s State of Mind podcast - a collaborative project between 4ever in Electric Dreams and Blue-in-Green:RADIO. This podcast series sees Imran (London, UK) and Rhonda (California, USA) delve into some of their favourite releases from the 90s and for this episode, the pair celebrate the 1997 album from the pop pioneer, Janet Jackson's 'The Velvet Rope'.

The Velvet Rope is the sixth studio album by American singer Janet Jackson. The album was released on October 7, 1997, through Virgin Records. Prior to its release, she renegotiated her contract with Virgin for US$80 million, the largest recording contract in history at that time. Its composition fuses various genres, including pop, R&B, trip hop, folk, jazz, rock and techno music. Considered to be Jackson's most mature recording, it is regarded as a template for pop artists transitioning to a darker or rebellious sound and as a precursor to the development of alternative R&B. The album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and has sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide.

Imran & Rhonda delve deep into this definitive 90s classic looking at the factors that drove Janet to create the record, its progressive depictions of sexuality, R&B and pop music of the time and of course we delve into the remixes in support of the project as usual.

4everInElectricDreams · 90s State of Mind #18: "The Velvet Rope"