Sep 29, 2006  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

WITHOUT JANET Jackson, no one would be one-two stepping to Ciara or celebrating Beyonce’s B’Day. And Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake — who has shamelessly appropriated the Jackson family’s moves for years — would be dancing in theme park musical productions instead of bringing sexy back.

After inspiring a league of imitators during 20 years in the music business, Jackson releases her ninth studio album this week, “20 Y.O.,” a wonderfully self-referential return to the top of her game and a nod to the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking 1986 album “Control.”

In the midst of a whirlwind media tour to promote the album, which has included a stop on Oprah’s couch and a “Today” show appearance, Jackson granted the Blade an exclusive interview this week in which she talked about the album, the MTV boycott of her videos, her gay fans and even Madonna.

Although Jackson has always said she writes songs about what’s happening in her life, there is no mention on “20 Y.O.” of the Super Bowl controversy or her brother Michael’s acquittal on child molestation charges.

“I got all of that out of my system,” she says in explaining the decision not to reflect on those events. “That’s not what I’m feeling right now. I wrote about [those controversies] but I didn’t choose to put it out there on the album.”

In 2004, for the first time since the 1980s, a Janet Jackson album failed to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The commercially disappointing “Damita Jo” opened at No. 2 and went on to sell about one million copies. Despite the lackluster response to that album, Jackson says she’s not feeling pressure to hit No. 1 with “20 Y.O.”

“It’s more important for the record company than for me,” she says. “I just want to bring happiness to people. Of course you want it to be successful, but I really just want to bring a smile to people’s faces.”

ONE FACTOR THAT will impact sales of the new album is video exposure. Although BET and VH1 have been playing the first two singles, “Call on Me” and “So Excited,” MTV appears to be boycotting all things Janet.

MTV, which named Jackson its inaugural “Icon” award winner in 2001, produced the infamous half-time show in which Jackson’s breast was exposed. But MTV’s anger over the incident apparently doesn’t extend to Timberlake, whose new single is in heavy rotation. Jackson says she’s heard that MTV has disrespected her fans, but she brushes off the snub.

“The fans get upset and talk about boycotting [MTV],” she says. “It is what it is, but I’m not losing sleep over it. I appreciate the love and support the fans have shown me.”

To reach those fans in the absence of MTV support, Jackson and her promotions team have waged an aggressive web promotion campaign that includes a revamped official website, janet-jackson.com, and a new MySpace site that includes an exclusive video diary. She teased fans earlier this year with the online-only release of a cover of Debbie Deb’s 1980s song “Lookout Weekend.”

Janet clearly recognizes that many of those fans she’s reaching out to are gay. She clarified that she has never been involved in a gay relationship herself, but that she has many gay friends, several of whom are dancers in her upcoming tour.

She says she doesn’t understand why so many people oppose same-sex marriage, “We’re all human and we all fall in love, so why should our sexual preference matter?”

There are no wild innovations or dramatic departures on “20 Y.O.,” but the album is chock full of hits. There is no dead weight on this record, as on “Damita Jo.”

This time out, with help from longtime beau and hit maker Jermaine Dupri and producers and co-writers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jackson delivers a string of well-crafted tunes. “There’s something to be said for not saying anything,” she says in the introduction to the album. “I want to keep it light. I want to have fun.” 

And fun is what she delivers, especially for dance music fans. The album opens with a series of five sure-fire club-banging hits, starting with the current single, “So Excited.” Despite lyrics like, “I’ll open my spot for you, anytime you want me to,” Jackson has ratcheted down the vulgarity this time out. She’s still freaky, but the 40-year-old Janet sounds more mature and confident than she has in the recent past.

Dirty Southern rapper Khia (of “My Neck, My Back” infamy) guests on “So Excited,” which ...