BOOK FAB: Jay-Z Says Oprah Inspired "Decoded" + Kanye's PR Person Didn't Really Quit?!

At a recent book signing, Jay-Z revealed that Oprah inspired his book Decoded. Get the deets inside, plus find out what really happened with Kanye's media trainer....
Fans waited in line starting at noon on Monday to see Jay-Z speak at the "LIVE from the NYPL" series at the New York Public Library to promote his new book, Decoded, in stores today.

Jay-Z fielded questions from both LIVE from the NYPL" director, Paul Holdengraber, and from Dr. Cornel West of Princeton University.

And he had Harry Belafonte in the front row. Pretty nice for your first book.

He told the audience:

"Oprah

was a big reason I wrote this book," he said. "We had conversations about language and the N word, and while we didn't agree, we left that conversation with a better understanding."

And now he wants fans to have a better understanding of his work.

"I want to encourage young artists to not be afraid to use their voices. I'm trying to expand the genre of hip hop and keep it truthful. You have to question everything about life. I believe in God and for me different religions are all praying to the same God."

Shortly after the event:

Dr. West posed with Harry Belafonte.

Are you grabbing up a copy today?

We told you earlier that Kanye's media trainer, Susie Arons, from Rubenstein Communications, quit after the disastrous "TODAY" Show interview with Matt Lauer. Well now....Kanye's camp is saying the story is false and that Susie didn't quit.
*The rumors about Kanye’s PR person quitting aren’t true," says a representative for the rapper.
According to reports, the new hire advised Kanye against making any appearance in reply to former president, George Bush’s claims that when the rapper called him a racist and that it was the “most disgusting” moment of his presidency.
But Kanye decided to do the interview anyway. And after the tense interview, Kanye posted on his Twitter page that the interview left him feeling “alone, used, and tortured.” Then rumors spread that Susie had quit.
But now Kanye's camp says Susie is still on board. I hope he listens to her next time. She seems to know what she is talking about.

The Randomness:
1. Prince William got engaged to Kate Middleton. Another Royal Wedding in the works for next year. Wooot! Story
2, Shay Hayley of NERD got married with Pharrell as best man and Chris Brown
performing. Story.

Jay Electronica & Diddy Tweet & Make Up....Kinda

Diddy Tweeted a non-congratulatory "I feel betrayed" response to his long time friend Jay Electronica this weekend right after Electronica announced he's now part of the Roc.

But Jay E. took Diddy to task in his response, and it seems like the beef has been squashed. At least on Twitter. Read on for Jay and Diddy's responses...
This morning, I guess after waking up to the mounds of beef-mails, Jay E. Tweeted to Diddy that words like betrayal are serious, and that he's getting "emotional and wreckles" with it. But after Diddy's "I'm sorry...I only want you to win" tweets, Jay E. said thanks:

Diddy's responses:

The cut off tweet in full: @JayElectronica I proud of you! I'm happy for you. I love you! I congratulate you' I'm not mad at you! All I wanna do is see you win! All love
Good to see the boys playing nice now...

BONUS: Here's Jay E.'s new track "Shiny Suit Theory" ft. Jay-Z and The Dream:

Jay Electronica ft. Jay-Z & The-Dream – ‘Shiny Suit Theory’ by renatoxcv

DO WE LOVE IT: Rihanna's Big Red Long 'Do

Rihanna is now sporting a long version of her fire-engine red locks. See the pics inside and decide if we love the new 'do.

Almost forgot this chick started off with super long hair like this (but blondeish of course). She was doing her usual sidewalk catwalk and leaving out of the Trump Soho hotel in Manhattan this morning:

So......................

DO WE LOVE IT?

Diddy Pissy At Jay Electronica For Signing To Roc Nation?

Not everyone was thrilled about rapper Jay Electronica signing to Roc Nation. Diddy, a close friend of Jay-E's, felt betrayed by his decision to throw up the Roc sign. He took to twitter to vent his feelings. Read more about Diddy's tweets and find out why Lamar Odom has decided to sue the mother of his kids from his previous relationship...

Over the last year, Diddy has tried to lure Jay Electronica to sign a deal with Bad Boy Records. They even recorded the track titled "The Ghost of Christopher Wallace" together. But it looks like his attempts of courting Jay-E fell short.
Although his tweets did not name Electronica specifically, Rap Radar says Diddy tweeted about feeling betrayed moments after Electronica announced his deal with Roc Nation.

Do I sense some "bitchassness?"
Jay Electronica's baby moms, Erkyah Badu tried to offer Diddy some comfort by tweeting an apology.

Can you blame Jay Electronica for looking out for his career and going with the label that he felt would do their best to represent him? Or do you feel that Diddy has a right to feel bamboozled after spending a whole year trying to get him to sign with Bad Boy?

Whitney & Ray-J BACK ON?!+Keri Hilson Gets Hot For JONES Mag

*UPDATED* Are Whitney Houston and Ray-J chummy chummy again? Word has it they're re-hashing the romance they never really claimed in the first place.

The deets, plus Keri Hilson's Jones magazine cover, when you read on...
The NY Daily News claims that Whit and Ray-J were spotted sharing dinner...and a room at the Ritz Carlton...in Atlanta and Houston:
Reunited couple alert! Whitney Houston, 47, and singer/reality star Ray J, 29, are back together again. The two dined together at Capital Grille in Atlanta on Thursday. A source close to the lovebirds told us that though this was their first date in a long time, Ray J postponed his promotional tour for a few days and spent the night with Houston at the Ritz Carlton. (Houston's rep did not respond by deadline.)
Hmmm.
UPDATE: Ray-J denies all of this and says he has a new girlfriend. *eyebrows raised*

Keri Hilson is covering Jones mag's Black Girls Rock! issue.

She's looking fab.

New Dad Ne-Yo Speaks On His Brand New Healthy Baby Girl!

Ne-Yo is in full on dad mode. And we don't blame him. He let his fans and fam know his brand new baby girl Madilyn is doing just fine, and he now knows what it means to be willing to lay down your life for someone.

Read on for Ne-Yo's first words as a new dad...
He just met her 2 days ago, but she's already the love of Ne-Yo's life. Ne-Yo has been gushing about his brand new daughter Madilyn on Twitter. He says he now knows what it means to be willing to kill or die for someone. And he thanked all his fam, friends, girlfriend Monyetta, and his new "lil rider" for all his new blessings. He also promised to be the best dad he can be:

Awww. We LOVE it. He's going to be a fabulous dad. Congrats again Ne-Yo!

BABY FAB: Ne-Yo And Monyetta Welcome A Baby Girl!

We told you late last night that Monyetta, Ne-Yo's baby momma was in labor. Now we have word that she's given birth. Deets inside...

According to People.com, Ne-Yo and his girlfriend Monyetta Shaw gave birth to a baby girl today. The birth took place in an Atlanta hospital and her name is rumored to be Madilyn Grace. The baby is a few months premature and was originally due in January. But reports say mom and baby are doing just fine.
Congrats.

Russell Simmons Sends Kanye An Open Letter, Kanye's Media Trainer QUITS?!

The fallout from Kanye's "Today Show" interview continues. Uncle Russ has written an open letter to Mr. West in order to offer some guidance, while 'Ye's own media trainer up and quit the day after the interview aired.

Read on for the letter and the deets...
Last Monday, Kanye's camp hired media trainer Susie Arons to help them with the "Today Show" interview. But after the hoopla aired (even though she advised Kanye to cancel it), she quit the next morning. According to Page Six:

The rapper's camp on Monday hired Susie Arons, an executive vice president at Rubenstein Communications, for help handling the interview. Collectively, they agreed West should cancel the interview, and it was called off Monday night.
But on Tuesday morning, Arons was notified that West was waiting at NBC's Rockefeller Center studio for the Lauer chat, and she rushed over at West's request.
According to a show insider, "West shut himself in a dressing room with Susie, and could be heard rehearsing possible questions and answers. But the interview began, and it was as though he had crammed for a test and then his mind went blank."
When Lauer and West took a break, West "huddled again with the media trainer because he still hadn't found a way to express himself," said our source. The disastrous interview aired Thursday, and Arons resigned from working with him yesterday morning.

Hmm. Either it was a one-time gig for her so her job was technically over after the interview. Or she became fed up with the foolery.

Russell Simmons took to his computer yesterday to "pen" an open letter to Mr. West. Here it is in full:

Dear Kanye,
I have early recollections of Damon Dash calling me and forcing me to put you on Def Poetry Jam. I knew your record, “Through The Wire,” but I didn’t know much more. When you took the stage on Def Poetry Jam that night, and spit those genuine, heartfelt words, I witnessed your specialness that Damon had emphatically told me about.
From that moment on, you became a poet who has inspired the poets. I have proudly watched your career since then, and in case someone has missed the obvious, you are making a historical impact on music. Your life story took a tough turn with the passing of your mother. Although we grieved with you, we never really knew how much pain you were in. We witnessed your moment at the MTV Music Awards and many of us dismissed it as, “oh that is just Kanye being Kanye.” The hard part of all of this, is that we have all had moments in our lives that have been challenging, painful and hard to overcome, however most of us just hide our emotions and never deal with that inner-struggle that we face on a daily basis. As an artist, Kanye, you have always looked inside for your inspiration…always exuding emotions that are in us, but that we never expose. That is what artistry is about…to look inside for what is unique. With your journey towards a higher level of consciousness, a journey that we all are on, you have shown through your art a commitment to greatness.
The thirty minute film you most recently made was beyond brilliant. Brilliance is not a word that can even begin to describe your ability to paint vibrant, vivacious, colorful yet muted paintings of poetry, music, costume, art, design and most important, passion. The passion you put into your new album is why I stayed up all those nights in the early 80’s trying to get DJs and radio stations to play our records. I knew this day would come. Actually, maybe I didn’t know, but I really, really hoped it would. I didn’t work this hard when I was your age to watch the culture go the wrong way. And you, my friend, just took us to another level. I am simply in awe.
With this power, as you know, comes great responsibility. I am saying nothing you haven’t heard before. When you spoke about President Bush during the Katrina telethon, it was not the particulars of your words that mattered, it was the essence of a feeling of the insensitivity towards our communities that many of us have felt for far too long. It was the image of the President, our President, the President of the United States Of America, peering out the window of an airplane, as the people on the ground were drowning, that hurt us the most. For centuries, our people have relentlessly tread water as hard as they could to stay afloat, and here we were, literally drowning, and it felt like the President was insensitive. There is no need to apologize, Kanye. You spoke from your heart and that is all we will ever ask from you. Don’t be afraid of the press, as your art is your blueprint, thanks to Jay-Z, your big brother, we will always carry our destiny in our own hands. You are are an artist whose art is masterful. You are a servant to this world who no matter how hard it gets, keeps on giving. Giving gifts that inspire us, challenge us and motivate us to be better family and friends.
Keep on, Kanye. Keep on. We love you. We cherish you. And we will always have your back.

Especially co-signing on the part about Kanye needing not apologize for saying what he said about Bush. He meant what he said and had every right to feel the way he did. He was honestly speaking A LOT of our hearts at that time (and probably our hearts now as well). Especially mine. And none of those people, including myself, are sorry for feeling that way. Stick to your guns and the media has no choice but to accept it for what it is. And it will cause a lot less hoopla in the end. Just sayin'.

Jay-Z Announces Jay Electronica Signs To Roc Nation

It's official. Two Jays are about to make some music together. Jay-Z just announced at his secret concert tonight in NYC that he signed rapper/producer/Erykah Badu's baby's father, Jay Electronica, to Roc Nation.

The deets when you read on...

Mr. Carter is putting on a secret concert at The Box in NYC as we type. And he just announced to the crowd that Jay Electronica has just signed on to his label Roc Nation. That may explain why Mr. Carter didn't perform himself. But Electronica performed 3 songs.
Well that's an interesting move for the rapper/producer. New Orleans native (504 stand up!) Electronica first gained popularity back in 2007 when he put his mixtape Act I: Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind on Myspace. His first work was Style Wars back in 2004. He also produced for Nas' '08 album Untitled. There's been a lot of buzz and several singles, but he hasn't put out a full length studio album yet.

It was also announced Electronica is being managed by Shade 45 radio host Angela Yee (pictured above in stock photo). Even more interesting. Also in attendance at tonight's show: Beyonce, Estelle, and several Roc Nation staff and media folks.
Here's pics from inside Friday night's concert with Jay, Beyonce, cousin Angie, Ty, and Jay Electronica all celebrating:

By the way, Mr. Carter is dropping his Hits Collection album November 22nd.

Ne-Yo's Baby Moms Monyetta Is In Labor With Baby Girl!

Ne-Yo and his mother Lorraine are scurrying out of Ne-Yo's Foundation event in Atlanta as we speak. We've just learned it's because Monyetta just went into labor.

Deets after the jump....

Ne-Yo and his mother Lorraine hosted an event for Ne-Yo's Foundation tonight at the David Yurman boutique in Atlanta at Lenox Mall. But not more than 5 minutes after he arrived tonight, he thanked the crowd for coming out and told them the news.
Ne-Yo said to the event goers that he needed to leave as "his baby girl was about to be born." Awww how sweet.
CONGRATS to Ne-Yo and Monyetta.
Pics from tonight's event: