Janet Jackson Makes History: Billboard Hot 100 Hits Span Five Decades With Cardi B Team-Up

With her latest chart success, Janet Jackson stands alone as the first Black female artist to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. Her work on Cardi B's single "Principal" hit No. 92 on the October Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The track sits on Cardi B's chart-topping new album, Am I the Drama?. Numbers from Luminate show "Principal" caught fire with 4.9 million U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads. Radio play garnered 725,000 listeners during the September tracking week, according to Billboard. 

This marks Jackson's first Hot 100 entry since 2018. The song takes from her 1987 smash "The Pleasure Principle" — a No. 14 hit that won MTV's best dance award. That original track showed off moves that changed music videos forever.

Back in '82, Jackson first made waves with her debut single "Young Love" at No. 64. But it was Control that shot her to stardom. That album gave birth to six massive hits, with "When I Think of You" climbing all the way to the top spot.

Jackson's Hot 100 run tells quite a story: 10 hits lit up the '80s charts, while 19 songs owned the '90s. She added 10 more in the 2000s, then two hits in the 2010s. "Principal" now stands as her first chart win of the 2020s. Her previous hit, 2018's "Made for Now" with Daddy Yankee, peaked at No. 88.

Only two other women have matched this five-decade feat with fresh material. Cher's hits stretch even further — six decades from the '60s to now. Madonna's timeline matches Jackson's, running from the '80s through today.

This marks the first time Jackson has sung on another female artist's record. Am I the Drama? packs star power, with Summer Walker, Kehlani, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lizzo all adding their voices to the mix.