Growing up as a Jackson meant your house was basically a revolving door for legends. But even in that world, Prince was a different kind of enigma. People always try to pit the Jacksons and the Purple One against each other, like it’s some high-stakes team sport where you have to pick a side. But if you listen to Janet Jackson on Prince, you realize the reality was way more layered than some tabloid rivalry.
She saw him before the world did. Long before Purple Rain or the "King of Pop" titles were being thrown around, Prince was just a guy calling her house.
The Roller Skating and the Crushes
Honestly, the image of Prince Rogers Nelson hanging out with the Jacksons is wild. Janet has shared stories about Prince calling their home when she was just a kid. He wasn't calling for Michael, though. He had a massive crush on LaToya.
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Janet was usually the one who answered the phone.
Imagine being a little girl and having Prince on the other end of the line, just trying to get some time with your older sister. It didn't stop at phone calls, either. He used to come over and go roller skating with the family. It’s a humanizing look at a man who later became known for his extreme reclusiveness. Before the "Minneapolis Sound" conquered the globe, he was just a talented kid from Minnesota trying to shoot his shot.
The Minneapolis Connection
By 1985, Janet was done. She was tired of being the "baby sister" and having her father, Joe Jackson, dictate every move of her career. She needed her own identity.
She found it in Minneapolis.
Choosing to work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis was the pivot point of her life. Here's the thing: Jam and Lewis were Prince’s proteges. They were members of The Time, hand-picked by Prince himself. Then, famously, Prince fired them. He let them go because they got stuck in an airport during a snowstorm while producing the S.O.S. Band, missing a show.
When Janet hooked up with them for the Control album, she wasn't just making music. She was stepping into the very sonic landscape Prince had built. The aggressive synths, the industrial-strength funk, the "in-the-red" recording style—it was all birthed from that Minneapolis school of thought.
Some people, including Prince’s own engineer David "Z" Rivkin, have claimed that the grooves on Control were heavily influenced by Prince’s specific "visual record" techniques. Prince even used to tease crowds during his live shows. He'd play "What Have You Done For Me Lately" and mockingly ask the audience, "Who wrote that? I bet y'all don't know who wrote that."
It was a playful, maybe slightly salty, nod to the fact that his "students" were now topping the charts with the Jackson family.
Seeing the Show: A Lesson in Performance
Janet hasn't always been 100% on board with Prince’s artistic choices, specifically when it came to his live shows. In a recent talk, she recalled seeing him perform when she was in her early 20s.
She wasn't feeling it.
Prince was doing deep cuts. He was playing songs she didn't know and skipping the hits she loved. Janet said that moment actually shaped how she approaches her own tours. She thought, "If I ever perform on this level, I don't want to do that." She made a mental note to always give the fans the songs they were familiar with.
It’s a fascinating look at two different philosophies. Prince was a "musician’s musician" who followed his muse wherever it went, even if it left the audience behind. Janet is a "performer’s performer." She sees the show as a contract with the audience.
Why a Collaboration Never Happened
It’s the greatest "what if" in R&B history. Why didn't they ever record together?
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There were rumors for years. Jimmy Jam once revealed that "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" was originally intended to be a duet with Prince. That’s actually why Janet sings the first verse in such a low register—she was leaving space for his voice.
Ultimately, it never came together. Maybe the egos were too big, or maybe the timing was just off. Prince did visit Michael in the studio during the HIStory sessions to talk about a collaboration, but even that evaporated.
Prince and the Jacksons existed in the same stratosphere, constantly pulling from the same pool of talent, but they remained two distinct planets.
What You Can Take Away From Their History
The relationship between Janet Jackson and Prince proves that "rivalry" is usually a marketing tool. Behind the scenes, there was mutual respect, shared employees, and even childhood memories of skating rinks.
If you’re a creator or just a fan of music history, here is how to view their connection:
- Study the lineage. You can't understand Janet's Control or Rhythm Nation without understanding the Minneapolis Sound Prince pioneered.
- Observe the "Fan First" vs. "Artist First" approach. Compare Janet's hits-heavy setlists with Prince's improvisational style to see which philosophy fits your own work.
- Look for the "Invisible" Collaborations. Even if they never shared a mic, they shared producers, engineers, and aesthetic DNA.
For the real deep-divers, go back and listen to the Control album alongside Prince's 1999. You'll hear the conversation they were having through the speakers, even if they weren't talking in the studio.