Miss Jones
Encyclopedia
Tarsha Jones, better known as Miss Jones, is a former R&B artist and radio personality. Miss Jones is currently the host of the Power 99 (Philadelphia's) morning show "Jonesy In The Morning" after previously working for Hot 97 until 2008.
, having majored in classical music
. She also has a bachelor's degree
in music from Syracuse University
. After graduating from college, she worked as a long distance operator.
, who admired her vocal skills and invited her to his Get Fresh Crew tour. She began performing on recordings by such hip-hop artists as Big Pun
, AZ
, and Common. In 1994, her singles "Where I Wanna Be Boy" and "Don't Front" became popular. Her debut album, The Other Woman, was released in 1998, as Jones quit performing to work for New York City urban radio station WQHT with Guests like Malkam Dior.
She wrote an autobiography, Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva, in 2007, published by Random House
.
On June 28, 2008, Hot 97's contract with Miss Jones expired. Radio show Big Boy's Neighborhood, hosted by Big Boy and MTV
VJ Liz Hernandez, replaced Jones' former morning show.
" a month after approximately 187,000 people died in the Asian tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
. The song, a parody sung to the 1985 tune "We Are the World
", was criticized for overtly racist mocking of the Asian and East African victims; the song lyrics contain the racially derogatory word "Chinamen," and calls the drowning victims "bitches." Some of the lyrics included the words "Go find your mommy. I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head. And now your children will be sold. Child slavery".
Miss Info
, a fellow on-air colleague of Korean descent, was outraged and spoke against the song on the station. She excluded herself from producing the song and said it was wrong for it to be played. Miss Info immediately found herself subjected to a four-minute, on-air lambasting from the other DJs. Miss Jones accused Miss Info of always distancing herself from the antics of the others, and of acting superior because she is Asian
. Another jock on the show named Todd Lynn muttered "I'm gonna start shooting Asians."
Following angry protests from the Asian-American community, bloggers, and networking sites, and other New Yorkers, Miss Jones, DJ Envy
, and Tasha Hightower were suspended for two weeks while Todd Lynn and song writer Rick Del Gado
were fired. The station issued an apology on its website. Newsday
, Sprint, McDonald's
, and Toyota all pulled their advertising from the station. The suspended employees' pay was diverted to charities helping victims of the tsunami.
Early life
Jones graduated with honors from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing ArtsFiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, having majored in classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. She also has a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in music from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. After graduating from college, she worked as a long distance operator.
Music
Jones met rapper Doug E. FreshDoug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
, who admired her vocal skills and invited her to his Get Fresh Crew tour. She began performing on recordings by such hip-hop artists as Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
, AZ
AZ (rapper)
Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
, and Common. In 1994, her singles "Where I Wanna Be Boy" and "Don't Front" became popular. Her debut album, The Other Woman, was released in 1998, as Jones quit performing to work for New York City urban radio station WQHT with Guests like Malkam Dior.
Radio and controversy
Before becoming host of Hot 97's Miss Jones in the Morning show, Jones reported music industry gossip for the Star and Buc Wild morning show on Hot 97.She wrote an autobiography, Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio's Most Controversial Diva, in 2007, published by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
.
On June 28, 2008, Hot 97's contract with Miss Jones expired. Radio show Big Boy's Neighborhood, hosted by Big Boy and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
VJ Liz Hernandez, replaced Jones' former morning show.
Tsunami Song and racial epithets
On January 17, 2005, Hot 97 Miss Jones provoked a controversy by airing a song entitled "USA for IndonesiaUSA for Indonesia
"USA for Indonesia" is a parody sung to the 1985 tune "We Are the World," which was performed by USA for Africa. A parody of charity supergroup songs, it mocks the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake disaster and its victims. "USA for Indonesia" was aired on WQHT-FM , a New York City radio station,...
" a month after approximately 187,000 people died in the Asian tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. The song, a parody sung to the 1985 tune "We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
", was criticized for overtly racist mocking of the Asian and East African victims; the song lyrics contain the racially derogatory word "Chinamen," and calls the drowning victims "bitches." Some of the lyrics included the words "Go find your mommy. I just saw her float by, a tree went through her head. And now your children will be sold. Child slavery".
Miss Info
Miss Info
Minya Oh, known by the stage name Miss Info, is a radio presenter.Formerly a writer and reporter for BET, Miss Info is currently an on-air radio personality at the New York hip hop and R&B station Hot 97. She is also a journalist who has worked for the notable hip hop industry publication The Source...
, a fellow on-air colleague of Korean descent, was outraged and spoke against the song on the station. She excluded herself from producing the song and said it was wrong for it to be played. Miss Info immediately found herself subjected to a four-minute, on-air lambasting from the other DJs. Miss Jones accused Miss Info of always distancing herself from the antics of the others, and of acting superior because she is Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
. Another jock on the show named Todd Lynn muttered "I'm gonna start shooting Asians."
Following angry protests from the Asian-American community, bloggers, and networking sites, and other New Yorkers, Miss Jones, DJ Envy
DJ Envy
DJ Envy is a mixtape DJ from New York. He is known as New York's leading mixtape gardener. He currently serves as the President & CEO of BLOK Entertainment, his own management and production company that has already produced tracks for such artist like DMX, Murderers, Funkmaster Flex, Foxy...
, and Tasha Hightower were suspended for two weeks while Todd Lynn and song writer Rick Del Gado
Rick Del Gado
Rick Del Gado is a radio producer. He was fired from WNEW-FM, along with hosts Opie & Anthony, after the 'Sex for Sam' incident, in which a couple were encouraged to have sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, and the results broadcast on the Opie & Anthony Show. He then joined the Preston and...
were fired. The station issued an apology on its website. Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, Sprint, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, and Toyota all pulled their advertising from the station. The suspended employees' pay was diverted to charities helping victims of the tsunami.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
U.S. Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 1998 | The Other Woman The Other Woman (album) The Other Woman is the first and only album released by Miss Jones. It was released on June 16, 1998 through Motown Records.Jones had previously signed a deal with Tommy Boy Records and released the minor hits "Where I Wanna Be Boy" and "Don't Front", but left the label to take a job as a radio DJ...
|
51 | 40 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
|||
| 1994 | "Where I Wanna Be Boy" | 79 | 21 | Non-album single |
| "Don't Front" | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "2 Way Street" | 62 | 27 | The Other Woman |