Nine years to be exact. Here's why. When Janet Jackson received Billboard Music Awards' highest honor onstage Sunday night, it marked the first time the singer had performed live on TV in nine years.

(ThyBlackMan.com) When you hear the name Janet Jackson, chances are your mind instantly goes to her iconic hits—tracks that shaped the sound of pop and R&B through the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s.

Before she became the blueprint for what a pop icon could look, sound, and move like, Janet Jackson was just the youngest of the famous Jackson clan — tagging along to award shows, stealing hearts on ...