"No Sleeep" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson for her eleventh studio album Unbreakable (2015). Co-written and produced by Jackson and her long-time collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it is the first record to be released under Jackson's independent label Rhythm Nation Records, distributed by BMG Rights Management. It was made available as the lead single from the album digitally on June 22, 2015, in addition to vinyl copies being sold on Jackson's official website in conjunction with pre-sale orders for the studio album and Unbreakable World Tour concert tickets. Lyrically, the song depicts Jackson longing to reunite with her lover, anticipating that when she does, the couple will get "no sleep". Due to its slow tempo and sentimentality, it has been described as embodying traits of the quiet storm radio style.
The album version of the song features additional verses from American rapper J. Cole, and was used in the accompanying music video which premiered on July 24, 2015. Directed by Dave Meyers, its minimalist aesthetic and production has been compared to the music video for "That's the Way Love Goes" (1993). Jackson's solo version of the single debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 67, marking her 40th entry on the chart. It also debuted on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number 18. The album version featuring J. Cole enabled it to re-enter the Hot 100 with a new peak position at number 63, while also topping the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
Background
In August 2014, producer and engineer Ian Cross confirmed to Barefoot Sound magazine that he was working on Jackson's new album. After Cross' declarations, Jackson herself responded to the rumor, neither confirming nor denying the works: "If there is a new project, you'll hear it from my lips," she tweeted. At midnight on May 16, 2015, Jackson announced plans to release a new album and to embark on a world concert tour, stating "I promised you would hear it from my lips. And now you will. This year, new music, new world tour, a new movement. I've been listening. Let's keep the conversation going." She released her new album in the fall of 2015 under her own record label, Rhythm Nation, distributed by BMG Rights Management. The launch of Rhythm Nation ranks Jackson as among the few African-American women to establish a record label.
In early June 2015, producer Jimmy Jam tweeted, "Early morning #Plush #NoSL333P #ConversationsInACafe," along with a picture of sheet music in a darkened studio. Fans quickly found out the titles "No SL333P" and "plush" in the picture. Later, a snippet of the song was leaked, followed by a countdown on her official website which revealed the song on June 22, 2015. She tweeted "I dedicate this to My Love", referring to then-husband, Wissam Al Mana.
Producer Jimmy Jam later recalled in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that "No Sleeep" almost did not make it into the final track list for Unbreakable. He stated that it "was basically called that because it was like five in the morning, and we had just completed a day of work and I was still awake, so I was playing around with some different stuff and came up with the skeleton of it." Months went by before the initial track was discovered by Lewis and Jackson, at which point Jam recalled: "Terry asked me for a melody, and it evolved from there. Janet loved it—just the feeling that she got when she heard it is the feeling she wanted the fans to have. Just a warm, welcoming, sensual feel. But it was almost forgotten."
Composition
"No Sleeep" is an R&B, neo soul, and quiet storm song, which lyrically finds Jackson crooning about a long-distance romance over "soulful" keyboards and programmed drums. Opening with a sample of pouring rain and distant thunder, the first word heard is "plush", followed by Jackson singing the chorus: "You missing me, I'm missing you, whenever we meet, we ain't gonna get no sleep," in her signature breathy soprano. She also promises to be "the queen of insomnia" in the song. Zach Johnson from E! Online noted that Jackson's vocals are "especially impressive" in the bridge of the song. According to The Guardian, "On first listen it seems to be missing any discernible hooks, but slowly the chorus starts to dig its claws in, while the sudden vocal shift from soft coo to full-bodied yearning in the middle eight is a hairs on the back of the neck moment."