Got 'til It's Gone

Janet Jackson recorded 'Got 'til It's Gone' featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell for her sixth album The Velvet Rope, with Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Jackson herself producing the track at Flyte Tyme Studios in Minneapolis, building it around a sample of Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi.' Released in 1997 on Virgin Records, 'Got 'til It's Gone' won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video and was hailed by critics for its inventive blend of African aesthetics with hip-hop and folk-rock sampling, becoming one of the defining singles of The Velvet Rope, an album widely praised for its introspective and experimental direction. The track remains one of Janet Jackson's most critically acclaimed singles, frequently cited for its groundbreaking music video direction and its sophisticated sample clearance, with Joni Mitchell's vocal contribution marking a notable cross-generational collaboration that broadened the song's cultural resonance.