Janet Jackson Highly Approves Of YouTuber’s Dedication To Orlando Victims, Promotes Video To The Masses

Although she has been laying low since revealing she’s expecting her first child, global superstar Janet Jackson is well aware of the devastation, sadness, and anger that has come from the Orlando shooting massacre.

On Monday, one of the “Rhythm Nation” singer’s most dedicated fans, YouTube content creator Lamont Hicks, used Jackson’s “Shoulda Known Better” from her latest album, Unbreakable, to create a lyric video that tributes the victims of Sunday’s killing spree. On Tuesday, through the power of social media and those who follow Hicks’ online parody series, The Legends Panel, Jackson not only saw the viral dedication but posted it on several of her own social media profiles.

You’ll never be forgotten.#WeAreOrlando #Unbreakablehttps://t.co/kpapks5a6h

— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) June 14, 2016

While it’s not the first time that Jackson has personally touched base with her fans through social media, it is one of the few times that an artist of her immense caliber has not only sided with a fan’s work but promoted it as well. Because of this, the emotional clip, which features many of the faces of the 49 people who were gunned down at LGBT nightclub Pulse (the full list of names and faces were not yet released at the time of its creation), has already been seen by millions who follow her every online move, but now, it has the potential to be viewed worldwide as the moving clip has just been uploaded to the songstress’ official YouTube page.

“I can’t even speak right now,” Hicks emotionally relayed earlier today, noting that other entertainment publications such as Billboard and Entertainment Weekly have also witnessed Janet’s mention of his Orlando dedication and shared write-ups about it as well. “I [only] did this for the 49 lives that were lost to homophobia and hatred.”

It stands to reason that dancer Gil Duldulao and legendary music producer Jimmy Jam were probably the two greatest forces behind Jackson’s eventual view of the lyric video. Both close friends and constant collaborators of the 50-year-old entertainer, Duldulao and Jam have maintained an incredibly open line of communication with her fan base. Following their approvals and shares of Hicks’ video, which were sent in mass by fans and followers of Hicks and The Legends Panel, it was only a matter of time before the main influence behind the visual caught wind of it.

Although unintentional, Hicks’ moving take on “Shoulda Known Better” also gives a much-needed boost of interest to Jackson’s Unbreakable, an album that was lauded by fans and critics as being one of the best to come out in 2015. With the greatest move to support the disc, the high-selling Unbreakable World Tour, now on hold while Jackson prepares for motherhood (the singer promises to pick things back up in 2017), the non-official lyric video to one of the disc’s best songs will not only continue to shed necessary light on the situation in Orlando but back toward an artist who has continuously broken ground in the music world for more than three decades.

Before the assist from Hicks, Janet’s most recent push from Unbreakable was the uptempo “Dammn Baby.” The video for the tune, which was recorded months before her pregnancy announcement in April, was released to the public in May and spawned a viral moment that Hicks hilariously refers to as the “petty clap.” While there’s nothing funny regarding Hicks’ “Shoulda Known Better” video, he is still incredibly moved by the level of attention that it is receiving not just from Jackson herself, but by those who are still mourning the loss of life in Orlando.

“‘Shoulda Known Better,’ although released a year ago, truly symbolizes what myself and many others are feeling right now,” he states. “I am beyond honored that Janet Jackson has recognized my tribute to the Orlando victims.”

[Photo by Kristian Dowling / Staff / Getty Images]