Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva

by Tarsha Jones

“Even though I’ve tried to wear glass slippers, somebody has deliberately knocked them off my feet. Because of that, I have walked the earth emotionally barefoot, and expressed my lack of self-esteem and rage in ways that clouded my judgment. I was a participant in a lot of drama. Didn’t mean to be . . . it was never my intention.”

So confesses Tarsha Jones, host of New York’s popular radio show Miss Jones in the Morning. “Jonesy,” as she’s known to her fans, captivates millions of Hot 97 listeners with her daily dish on hip-hop and rap celebrity. But within these pages are the juicy scandals that even this no-holds-barred DJ has kept off the airwaves. For the first time, Jones reveals everything–from candid stories of her early singing career under Doug E. Fresh’s wing (and between his sheets) to a wild affair with Busta Rhymes; from bitter feuds with Wendy Williams and shock jocks Star and Buc Wild to friendships with Patti LaBelle and Isaac Hayes; from collaborations with Fat Joe and Big Pun all the way to catfights with Christina Milian and Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles. Jones lets it all hang out and doesn’t tiptoe around anyone’s feelings–including her own.

Beginning with her volatile upbringing as the child of alcoholic parents and the target of bullying peers, Jones takes us on a journey of self-exploration, recounting how she survived abusive relationships, twisted coworkers, and backstabbing bosses to ultimately rise through the radio ranks and make it to the top of her game. But more than just a tell-all tale, this inspirational memoir is a testament to the struggles of a black woman trying to succeed in a white male-dominated industry, where the sharks never stop circling no matter how much you achieve. For those who love steamy entertainment gossip, admire coming-of-age chronicles of resilience, or just like to see emperors (and moguls) without clothes, so to speak, the pages will fly. Even devoted listeners who think they already know radio’s rowdiest diva will have to ask themselves . . . Have You Met Miss Jones?

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Sabrina Lamb is the best-selling author of Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva? (Random House) and "A Kettle of Vultures...left beak marks on my forehead" (Simon & Schuster Oct. 2010). Sabrina has written over 17 cover and feature articles for several national magazines such as Ebony, Essence, Heart & Soul on subjects including Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, The Evolving Black Church, Why Women Love Bad Boys to Surviving The Holidays with Your Family and We Count Black Men, Dont We?, among others. She was a monthly columnist for Black Elegance Magazine's He Say/She Say column. Her column Straight, No Chaser" appeared on http://www.987kissfm.com. She has been an engaging, regular panelist on BETs Meet The Faith and Tonight with Ed Gordon.
One may remember Sabrina, a Miami native, from Lifetime Television's Girl's Night Out, where she wove her comedic skills around issues such as homelessness, foreign policy and spousal abuse. Sabrina got laughs and delivered the message. Other stand-up credits include NBC's "Saturday Night Live", The Original Improv, Comedy Cellar, Stand Up New York, HBO/Toyota Comedy Festival and Black Entertainment Television's Comicview, which nominated her Best Female Comic and Best Impersonator.


Sabrina has been featured on CNNs Nancy Grace, Fox Business Network, WNBC-TV, WCBS-TV, BETs Meet The Faith, Tonight with Ed Gordon, HOT 97s Street Soldiers, Sharp Talk with Rev. Al Sharpton, WABC-TV, FOX-TV, Fox Business Network, UPN-CH9, Playboy Radio, WHAT 1340AM, WBLS-FM, WLIB-AM, WBAI-FM, Philadelphia Tribune, Kansas City Star, Jet Magazine, Urban Buzz, Rolling Out, Daily Challenge, Afro Times, New York Newsday, MJI Programming, BRE Show Prep, Time Out Magazine. She hosted and produced Laughing, Lying and Signifying the history of Black Comedy on WBAI-FM. She was also a political satirist on the America's Talking Network. Sabrina conceived and produced the hairlarious docu-comedy UnBeweavable: Woman, What Did You Do To Your Hair? The film garnered The Audience Choice Award at the Jamerican Film and Music Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica and was featured on The Queen Latifah and The Jenny Jones Shows.

Sabrina is the Founder of the WorldofMoney.org, which is dedicated to the financial education of underserved youth. When Sabrina hosted a tribute to the Poet Laureate of New Jersey, The National Conference of Artists exclaimed Sabrina Lamb is a master of satirical humor with an emphasis on political current events. Her bites at the current U.S. administration left no one untouched.
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Reviews

[Mrs Tupac · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a book !!! And not in a good way. She looks like Nas baby mama on the cover of her book. Her Tusnami song was so disrespectful. If that's one of the reasons she was black balled she deserved it. THIS really wasn't a get to know me read because she didn't reveal enough or anything the "listeners" didn't know. Tarsha life started off sad. She was a scared , curious, confused little girl holding alot of sh*t in that turned her into a disgruntled, mean, victim acting adult. She could sing & was actually pretty I do believe she had gastric bypass surgery there's no way weight can drop like that all off water girl please. The men she gave herself too were no better than her she called them broke & tight with money but everytime she was jobless she cried broke too!!!. She spent too much time judging others than herself , all the evil things she's told & said to others she should've told them to the woman in the mirror. I don't know what's the purpose of this book, she clearly didn't clear her name. She shamed any & everybody but made excuses for her behavior she's no better than karrine stephans. She's more LIKE Wendy Williams than she think.

[Nascha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Tarsha Jones, also known as Miss Jones, gives listeners a glimpse into her past, her romantic and office life. I remember Miss Jones when she had a few R&B records before her successful foray into radio programming, so it was interesting to learn about how she got into the music business, all that happened there and how she transformed her career into being a radio personality.

Miss Jones shares a lot about her childhood, her parents and growing up in the Astoria Houses in Queens. She talks about attending La Guardia HS for Performing Arts with people like Jennifer Aniston and Tichina Arnold. She also knew Salt N Pepa and Herbie Luvbug before they were all famous.

The juiciest bits of the book were about her relationships with Dougie Fresh, Busta Rhymes and other non-famous men. I appreciated her honesty about her involvement with the men though I'm sure she left out a few. LOL. Other juicy bits involve the drama and beef she had with her co-workers (Star, Angie, Wendy Williams etc.) She mentions being punched in the face by Steph Lova but then does not explain why it happened.

My only complaint about the book is that it kind of jumps around a little bit and speeds through periods of her life. But it was a fast and interesting read nonetheless.

Naj

[Shonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

As my rating shows, I did not like this book. It felt like Miss Jones and the author were both high and were having incoherent thoughts. The book lacked consistency when one is writing about their life. However I will say that some of the gossip was entertaining.

Overall, this book was poorly written and could’ve been written by a elementary or middle school student. I remember writing in school (long, long, long time ago) and this wouldn’t have passed the mustard test. Your instructor would have surely failed this paper/book. So my question is why did the publisher or editor not correct the lack of consistency?
Well I only paid $5 but I’m still mad because I could have gotten a Starbucks drink with that $5.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, finally reading this.
I don't have too much to say. It wasn't cohesively written. It jumped around and wasn't really telling Miss Jones's story. It just documented things that happened in her life.
I knew of her from her few songs and, her being on the radio.
Her underhanded snark (and insults to certain artists) wasn't necessary either.
1.5 stars

[Jasmine Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very Much ! From when she was a child to an adult her chain f events was on point and the fun facts through out the book i really enjoyed . Reading the book i didn't expect for her to be such a strong radio personality she was very timid and people tended to run over her and mistreat her alot . I really wanted to know what happened with her and shaun are they still together? either way I enjoyed this book and definetly will be adding it to my personal bookshelf at home.

[MelaninMe Asmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Dope Book

I liked how she was open about her love life because it was so relatable made me feel not alone. I disliked some opinions of hers but we can agree to disagree, it's all love. I recommend this book to women or anyone who is looking to read how to reinvent themselves because I loved how her story showed how she pivoted business wise. Loved the book overall!

[jessica Waller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful Read

Great read. I enjoyed getting to know Miss Jone
s from a personal perspective. She walked the reader through her personal challenges, sharing some of her most intimate stories yet in a classy way

[Shivhan J. Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not

I used to love listening to Miss Jones in the morning. However this book was trash. I wish I could get my money back.

[Homegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Kind of mean-spirited and spiteful towards the end.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't read memoirs, but for some reason I gave this one a chance because I felt she had done enough controversial things that would spark my interest as to WHY. I didn't even LIKE Miss Jones going in to this....As a person who follows music and celebrity stories/gossip, I think she did a good job explaining a lot of things/situations which were reasons why I had not previously liked her. It was not stellar writing, but I never expected that from her (or her writer) anyway. It was entertaining and I never felt like she was being fake and trying to force people to like her. The things she talked about with other celebs seemed close to the truth as well. She seemed open, honest, and never blamed the world for all of her situations. I'd actually read this again to be honest.

[Adrian Major Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. I feel like I still don't know who Tarsha Jones is as a person. She scraped the surface a small bit and put out the equivalent of a Wikipedia page. I have never heard of her and her radio show and to this day after reading her book I couldn't tell you who she is except a radio personality on the east coast. I would recommend this to someone who needs a book to past time but not one to open your eyes to an issue or get to know the person behind the voice.

[Quanisha]

This Lady Is The Truth !!!!!!!!

[booked_uncorked_caffeinated · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great if you like hip hop gossip

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was OK. I really could not get into the writing style and the story jumped back and forth.

[Ashti · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an ok read about the singer/radio dee jay!!!