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Janet Jackson Marks Her Comeback With The Help Of Daddy Yankee

Janet Jackson knows exactly what she's doing. After finishing a summer of festival stops, the musical trendsetter has teamed up with Daddy Yankee for a new single to remind us all to take advantage of every last drop of summer fun imaginable.

Produced by Harmony Samuels and pulling from Afrobeat and reggaeton drums and percussion, Ms. Jackson's "Made For Now" showcases her appreciation for world cultures and carpe diem-ing to the fullest. And a link up with Daddy Yankee, one of reggaeton's most famous names, for the occasion proves (once again) she knows how to tap into the cultural innovators.

In a colorful and culturally vibrant display, the video takes viewers on a hyperspeed tour through New York City neighborhoods — from hair salons and double Dutch in Harlem to dimly-lit dance clubs in the Brooklyn — prompting an adrenaline rush just from seeing the music in motion.

Janet appears multiple times in billowing African prints and enlists and entourage of gorgeous dancers of all shapes and sizes from Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad and more to accompany her in a breakdown just before the three-minute mark of the video. The Dave Myers-directed visual ends with the R&B, dance and pop star regally perched amid the dancers and flashing a smile. You're definitely going to want to watch a few times just to catch all this exuberant, dizzying choreography.

"Made For Now" marks Janet's first single in two years. Her last new release was 2016's "Damnnn Baby." And while it's an extremely late breaking nominee for song of the summer, it does remind of some of her hits that similarly explore the edges of genre confines a la "All For You" or "Rock With U."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sidney Madden is a reporter and editor for NPR Music. As someone who always gravitated towards the artforms of music, prose and dance to communicate, Madden entered the world of music journalism as a means to authentically marry her passions and platform marginalized voices who do the same.