Long Before Outkast's Dre tried on his first pair of pschedelic pants, Janet was the only "Ms. Jackson." The youngest member of black pop's royal family, Jackson, 35, had a successful multimedia career before it was commonplace. She's starred in feature films (Poetic Justice); done short memorable TV show stints (Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, Fame); and of course, has had such an influential music career-from personal masterstroke The Velvet Rope-that you can see her indelible imprints on today's songs and videos by pop's new reigning princesses like AAliyah, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez. The past year has been one of her biggest yet. She co-starred in the $123 million grossing Nutty Professor II: The Klumps; scored a No.1 hit with the blissful "Doesn't Really Matter"; and received a plethora of props: the American Music Award's Merit Award and the inaugural mtvIcon accolade.
But these accomplishments have been matched nearly tit-for-tat by a slew of recent personal troubles: the breakup of her secret marriage companion and collaborator Rene Elizondo,and the $10 million lawsuit Elizondo filed in December '99 claiming that he's owed money from the time that they worked together prior to jumping the broom. With all this drama, you'd think that Jackson would be wailing the blues. Instead, she's about to release a sexy and dance driven new album, All For You, featuring production by longtime partners Jimmy Jam and terry lewis,sometimes in cinjunction with hip-hop's Rockwilder (Redman and Method Man, Jay-Z). Among their bugged out collaborations: "Would You Mind," a warm seduction where she asks if she can "Lick you/Please you/Suck you/Taste you" over a spacey electro-thump, and "Come on Get Up," a tribal house jam on which the recent newly single star proclaims,"I feel so free."

I hook up with jackson in Mineapolis-the home of musical , masterminds Jam and Lewis's Flyte Tyme studios-to find out about the feelings that are fueling her happy new tunes. Wearing a white midriff-baring turtleneck, faded jeans, and a black baseball cap pulled low over golden brown tresses, she takes me into the lounge of Studio 3, which is nicknamed "Janet's Studio," to tell her story and explain how she's trying hard to keep things under control.

Why are you so happy now?

My life has just changed.I'm experiencing things I never have before.

Like what?

Dating.I never did that before. Think about it: The two people that i really got involved with I ended up marrying. My friends are teaching me how to date. I get off the phone with a guy,and I call up my friends and say, Okay he said such-and-such. Does he like me? And they're like "Jan,you don't you think that he likes you? How many hints do you need?" But I don't want to assume and look like a fool.

Describe your last date.

I went to dinner. It was nice. Then we went back to my place and talked.

And...?

And that was it. I really need to get to know a person before anything else is going to happen.

Has sex changed for you now that you're single?

It's definitle different.It's never the same as when you're with someone for the first time.That's the part I absolutely love,when there's newness.There's a little bit of awkwardness that I think is very sexy.But, at some point, you want someone to call your own. I'm not to that point yet,though.

Do you think about AIDS more now that you're single?

Of course. A lot of thoughts go through my head. But if I let that control my life,I'd probably be celibate. And i don't think I could ever do that.

Yeah, what would you have to sing about?

I know, right? I just enjoy it too much. But I'm very careful. I try to be as safe as possible, and, obviously, not be with every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

On your new single,"All For You," you're talking about some guy's "package". That's a recurring theme of yours.

I'm a size queen right? Honestly,I am. I can't lie. My friends sometimes say, "You know Janet,it's not always about the size,but the magic in the wand." And I'm like, but there's nothing wrong with a big magic wand.

Okay,so if you're on a date and you see that the guy is not packing, what do you do?

That's when you fake a backache. Suddenly,your back goes out. I learned that from my friends.

What won't you put up with a potential boyfriend?

Well, everyone has idiosyncrasies. And when you love someone,you put up with those things and realize you can't change that person. And you want to be with that perosn whether they're willing to change or not.

But don't alot of victims of abuse think that they're just putting up with someone's idiosyncrasies? How do you know when something is an idiosyncrasy and when it's abuse?

When you're having second thoughts. When you feel that' it's bringing you down. When you feel that you're stagnant. When you feel that you can't move one way or another. When it's affecting your work, things like that. Growing up, I felt like no matter how much mess someone dished out, you stay behind that person. No matter what they do to you, and how badly they treat you,you still be there for that person.That's what I was shown growing up. But later, I was like, Wait a minute. I don't have to do this with my life. I said, This isn't cool. I'm not feeling this. I'm gonna change it. And it was so difficult for me to say, Look, I got to take care of myself. That seemed so selfish to me.

Were your parents affectionate?

No. I've neve seen my parents kiss.

Do you ever talk to your mother about the choices she made in her life?

Yes. For my mother, it's all about her children. It's like that with most black families. And I just wish that sometimes she would be just a little bit selfish, do something for herself,and take care of herself. But it's always about her babies.

Do you think she understands the choices you've made in your life?

Yeah, I think she does. She knows that I'm not like her. But at the same time, I've come into my own and found someone inside of me that isn't like her. And she loves that person.

Do you ever think about the characters you've played. What they might be doing now? Like would Justice have a book deal yet?

She'd be very successful at this point. She was very strong-minded person who knew what she wanted. She'd gone through a lot, but she was committed to her poetry, and that was her passion. She'd definitely be writing, maybe even for the big screen.

What about Cleo from Fame? Would she be stuck on "Dreamstreet?"

She'd still be dreaming. Cleo wanted it so badly, but I don't think she would have made it. There was a softness to her, and that's not to say that you can't have a softness and be successful. But there has to be strength underneath that somewhere. And I didn't see that with her. I think it always would've been a dream of hers. And maybe she would've lived vicariuosly through her kids or something.

How about Penny from Good Times? Do you worry about her?

What a sweet little girl. She'd have major issues. Really. All that burning and all that abuse would resurface in her life at some point. And I think that's what she'd be dealing with right now.

Speaking of issues, why do you think people are so interested in whether you're fat or not?

Well, my weight has fluctuated.I'm human. But I think the obsession has more to do with them than me.

Do you think people have the right to know whether you've had plastic surgery?

No. It's my business. Would people want everyone in their office knowing every single thing about them? I don't think so.

Do you think you're sexy?

I don't think I'm sexy. And that's no bullshit. With God as my witness, I do not think I'm sexy.

When you look at your videos, you don't think the woman on the screen is sexy?

I swear to God,no. I don't think she's sexy. She just doesn't have it.

You like sex too much not to think you're sexy.

I can feel sexy,but I don't feel sexy.

What about when you masturbate, you've got to be thinking that you're sexy?

You can't just be fulfilling a need and getting your rocks off?

Which part of your body do you think is sexiest-or is that the question shot to hell?

I'll tell you which part of my body I like the most. It's the small of my back.

Well, that's interesting, because it's a part that you can't easily see. It's also a very vulnerable part, because if someone is messing around in that area...

It feels good. It's a special place for a special person.

Do you have a favorite Jennifer Lopez song?

Yeah, I do. "Secretly" on her new album. I love the way she's singing. And I like what it's saying.

Do you remember when she was one of your dancers?

Yes. She was supposed to do the whole Janet. tour,but she only did the "That's The Way Love Goes" video. Then, she called and said she wanted out, because she wanted to do her own thing.

She probably wanted it to be her video.

Well, she's doing it now. And she's doing it very well.

What do you think when you watch Britney Spears perform? That those are your old dance moves?

People say that. And she does remind me of myself,like when she yells "stop" and "sing" and "dance" and the whole chair thing.

Do you think a young black woman could've had as much success, selling 13 million copies of her debut album?

It's always been harder for us as a people. We have more of a struggle. It's the same thing with Jackie Wilson and Elvis Presley. Or Benny Goodman and all the black swing dancers before him.

Let's talk about some rumors.Did you insure your ass for $14 million after a fall on the "Doesn't Really Matter" set?

[Laughs] No. There's no truth to that.

Are you lesbian lovers with Shawnette, one of your choreographers?

I've heard rumors about myself and Josie [one of Janet's former dancers]; about myself and Tish[another one of Janet's former dancers] about myself and Tina [her former choreographer]; Shawnette and another dancer-the three of us. I think it's because we're so close when we're on tour. There are times when we've all gotten in the same bed to watch a movie. That's just us. But if a waiter walks in and sees us, he might think there's something else going on.

If you were bisexual, would you say so?

I'd have to see where I was in my life at that point and how I felt.

It's hard to believe someone who's open-minded about sex has never considered doing it with another woman.

When I was a teenager,I had an attraction to a girl who worked in this store.But I think it's part of growing up.Thoughts like that enter your head.And I think it had a great deal to do with the space I was in at the moment.I was in in a relationship that I really wasn't happy with.And I found myself finding her very attractive.

Did you tell her?

No.

If it weren't such a headline-making deal,you'd admit to kissing or even having sex with another woman, wouldn't you?

But it is a big deal, primarily because of the family I come from, and everyone perceive me as so sweet and innocent and shy and sweet. That would make it a headline.

Why don't you ever return Puffy's calls?

That's more gossip. He's never called me-and I've never not returned one of his calls. He has invited me to his place in the Hampton a couple of times, but I've never gone.

Why? You must have at least one all-white outfit.

Because he invited me for the weekend.

And you just weren't interested in such an intimate relationship?

Let's put it that way.

What's with you and Q-Tip?

He's just a great guy.

What has he done that was so great?

It's his friendship,and he's real with me. I love the conversations that we have. Every time we talk, there's something I learn. And I love being with him, listening to him speak. I love the music that he creates and shares with me. Sometimes, he'll just leave music on my phone, and I absolutely love it. And it doesn't hurt that he's cute.

Is he the type of guy you'd want to be with?

Yeah.

Have you been romanticly involved?

Let's just say we're very close friends.

You nodded your head yes.

Tip and I are good friends

What was your impression when you first met him?

We were working on Poetic Justice, doing our kissing scene. And Tip kissed me, and I wouldn't kiss him back. He was tonguing me. And I'm thinking, Oh God, he probably thinks I'm the worst kisser ever. But I was embarrased because Rene was standing there. I was afraid that Rene would feel that there was something going on.

Was Rene jealous?

He used to say that he wasn't a jelous, but he was. When I did the "Love Will Never Do Without You" video, he couldn't be around me and Antonio Sabato,Jr. He was gone the whole time. Once in awhile he'd come over and say, "How are you doing?" And I'd say "I'm good. And he say,"Okay. I'm just gonna leave you alone, because I can't stand to see you with this guy." And I appreciated that as opposed to him giving me a lot of macho @#%$ for it.

Were you attracted to Tupac when you worked with him?

I thought he was very cute. What would tickle me is that he had that whole tough image and he was such a sweet guy. His nickname for me was "Square."

Why?

Maybe I was just square to him, but he'd be like, "Where's square? Come here square."

Okay more rumors: Do you have a child?

That one keeps resurfacing. They say the kid's in Europe or that one of my brothers or sisters is raising it. But,no,I've never had a child.

Do you understand why some people don't believe you, since you lied about your marriage for so long?

I totally understand that. But I did what I had to do in order to try and have a healthy relationship. And if that's what it takes for me to protect myself and to try have something normal, then so be it. My marriage lasted for eight years we were together for 13. That's a pretty long time. Unfortunatly, it didn't last longer.

What struck a lot of people as odd is that you broke up just shortly after you went public with his role as a collaborator on your work?

The fact that our working relationship was invisible before wasn't on my part. And I didn't want to work together on Velvet Rope unless I was able to give hime credit. I said, We can't write together anymore unless you get credit, because I refuse to take credit for things you've done. When somebody asked "How did you create this?" and I'm sitting up there lying about it,that was screwed,and it didn't make me feel good.

How does it feel being betrayed?

Friendship and loyalty and family are so important to me. And for someone to just betray me, whatever the reason maybe, cuts so deeply. Because of this career, it's a lot harder trusting people and deciding who you let in your inner circle, who don't let in, who you want to let in because you like them so much you're so taken by them. And yet,there's fear. It's hard, because everyone needs friends.You need to be able to call someone and say, Hey,are you busy? I just need to vent. But who do you choose to do that with? Or do you hold it inside? And if you hold it inside, how is it going to manifest itself? Who can you cry to without seeing it in the paper the following week? It's really tough. And that also makes it tough to find a good romantic relationship when you want to be it initmate.

You're scared that guys are gonna say,"I had Janet?"

Of course. But Ive been very fortunate. I've even had guys page me and say, "No one has to know."

What do you want to tell people about Rene?

I'm just gonna miss him. We had a great friendship, that's all I can say. We don't talk or anything, and it hurts. I never in a million years thought this would happen, not neccassrily us not being together anymore, but not speaking. And all the stuff that is going on between us...I would have never thought he would have done this,because it's just so different from what he's ever said to me.

Do you understand why he's doing what he's doing?