JJ had had success with her third album "Control". Predictably, her record label suggested producing a follow-up that reproduced that album as closely as possible. Janet, instead opted to craft an album with a sense of social consciousness. She commented on various issues she'd encountered either herself or in the news, issues such as school shootings, and racial dis/harmony.
While working on the album, Janet had commented to her producers that it would be great if they could just create their own peaceful nation of music... leading to the album title and title track.
The music mines similar territory to her brother's 1980s output, the funk and RnB mixed with a touch of rock (particularly the track "Black Cat"). There's more of a focus on danceable beats on memorable singles like "Miss You Much" and "Rhythm Nation". The Jackson family could do no wrong (musically) around this time.
