The question of control for Black women is a costly one. From 1986 onwards, the trajectory of Janet Jackson's career can be summed up in her desire for control. Control for Janet was never simply just about her desire for economic and creative control but rather an existential question about the desire to control and be in control over her bodily integrity as a Black woman.Ayanna Dozier talks about Janet's quest for control as heard in her sixth album, The Velvet Rope, an emancipatory act of self-creation that allows her to reconcile with and, potentially, heal from trauma, pain, and feelings of alienation. Dozier tells us how this album stands out as a revelatory expression of emotional vulnerability by the singer, one that many other artists have followed in the 20-plus years since its release.