JANET JACKSON: 'Island' in the Stream

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

(l-r) Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Mariah Carey. Jackson may be joining the Island Def Jam roster.

It doesn't look like Mariah Carey will be the only diva standing much longer.

Pop music rival Janet Jackson appears to be making inroads to Island Def Jam Records.

During a recent interview with MTV, the 'Control' singer's lover Jermaine Dupri -- who is also the newly crowned President of the label -- let the cat out of the bag.

"Definitely Janet will end up at Island," he predicted. "That's without a doubt. [Antonio] L.A. [Reid] always wanted to sign her regardless [of whether] I was there or not."

Whoa nelly.

With the crafstmanship of an old-school expert, Reid lays claim on the biggest music comeback of the new millennium -- Carey's best-selling opus 'The Emancipation of Mimi.'

A bona fide hitmaker, the Ohio native also helped make international stars out of Toni Braxton, Pink, OutKast, TLC and Usher -- via he and Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds' LaFace Records empire.

"I don't know where that deal is - I left that in the hands of L.A. and Janet's people - but more than likely, he'll get what he wants," Dupri added.

Never fully recovering from the whole 'SuperBowl' "Nipplegate" controversy of 2003, Jackson's musical pursuits seemed to be in limbo when her longtime label Virgin Records stopped promoting her latest album'20 Y.O.'-- just two months after its release.

The Dupri-helmed set is believed to be her last contractual obligation for the recently dismantled operation.

The hip-hop super-producer -- who ironically produced the lion's share of 'Mimi' -- abruptly exited his executive position at the storied label in the aftermath of Jackson's failed project.

Now, at Island Def Jam, he gets to work with her on a new priority: the soundtrack for 'Rush Hour 3,' which she will have a song featured.

A Def Jam spokesperson admitted to not knowing anything about a Jackson signing.

A query to the former Virgin Records went unanswered by press time.