Nasty

The second single from Janet Jackson's third studio album, Control, "Nasty" peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and became one of her signature songs. It ushered in Jackson's new, empowered persona and is remembered for the lines, "No, my first name ain't baby, it's Janet... Ms. Jackson if you're nasty." This was an early retaliation against a hip-hop culture that was showing signs of misogyny - Jackson made it clear she wasn't going to take it.

Jackson told the UK music magazine NME that the song was inspired by a real incident when some abusive men tried to flirt with her. She explained: "When I was working in Minneapolis, I was walking from the hotel to the studio, and there were all these guys hanging around, shouting seriously sexual stuff, some really dirty stuff. I went in and started working on the song right after that. So many men call women, 'baby.' It takes away your dignity. I've got a name and if you don't know it then don't shout at me in the street."

Like most of the tracks on Control, Jackson wrote this song with her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were architects of the New Jack sound of the late '80s and early '90s.