Jonathan Hay (publicist)

Jonathan Hay (publicist)
Birth name Jonathan Hay
Born (1973-12-16) December 16, 1973
Leesburg, Florida
Occupation(s) Music entrepreneur
Years active 1994–present
Labels Smith and Hay, SMH Records, Hoodlum Ball Records
Associated acts Rihanna, Crooked I, Cyhi The Prynce, Shady Records, Chris Webby, Johnny Depp, Big Pun, Whitney Houston, Twista, Wiz Khalifa, Nappy Roots, MC Breed, Death Row Records, Prince, Riff Raff, Slim Jesus, Bubba Sparxxx
Website www.jonathanhay.info

Jonathan Hay (born December 16, 1973) is an American publicist and record producer.[1][2] His music career started in Louisville, Kentucky at Studio 550.[3]

Publicist career

Starting out in the music business as a publicist, Jonathan Hay worked with established recording artists and record labels alike.[4] One of Hay's early clients, Travis Meeks, slammed the publicist for making unauthorized and premature disclosures, which the musician felt "actually damaged his chances" to advance his career.[5] In 2005, Hay tried to promote Rihanna's debut single by "fabricat[ing] stories of Rihanna and Jay Z, leaking false rumors to tabloids, working with Internet message boards, etc." [6] Hay later worked as a publicist for Death Row Records[7] In 2012, Hay was part of a guardianship case involving teen actress Ariel Winter, a star on the TV series Modern Family, and her mother, Chrisoula "Crystal" Workman.[8] Hay testified and signed a declaration for Ariel Winter in favor of her staying with Shanelle.[9]

On October 23, 2015, Hay appeared on Inside Edition and publicly apologized to Beyoncé for his story in the unauthorized biography Becoming Beyoncé.[10] Hay is in the Beyoncé book for his publicity stunt in 2005 for spreading rumors that Jay Z was dating Rihanna to boost the then 17-year-old's "Pon De Replay".[11] Hay, confessed that he started those rumors during a difficult time. "The PR stunt that I did was out of desperation to help break 'Pon de Replay,'" Hay said. "It was reckless and I didn't think it was going to work. I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick."[12] Neither star, Rihanna or Jay Z was aware of his machinations he told Newsday.[13]

In December, Jonathan Hay was in both Vogue and Vanity Fair in Italy for a recording project and reality show taping in Tampa, Florida.[14][15] Hay spoke out in Rolling Stone magazine [March 24, 2016 (Issue 1257)] to publicly support Kesha during her sexual assault lawsuit against Dr. Luke.[16] The magazine called Hay a "crisis management expert".[17] Hay told The Sun that his frequent collaborator Cyhi The Prynce wrote the lyrics to "Famous", the song that caused the public battle between Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.[18] According to Hollywood Life, a source close to West said, "Cyhi is a creative contributor on the song, in which he has been credited accordingly. However, the specific Taylor lyrics were written by Kanye himself."[19]

Hay had involvement with the Drake and Sophie Brussaux pregnancy scandal.[20] He told People Magazine "I've seen the text messages and they do exist" in reference to conversations purportedly from Drake, urging Brussaux to undergo an abortion.[21] Hay has spoken out about this situation with Perez Hilton,[22] Glamour Magazine (in the Netherlands),[23] Hollywood Life[24] and Public Magazine (in France).[25] Hay spoke about the Kathy Griffin and Donald Trump photo scandal to The Huffington Post calling her press conference "flat-out gross".[26] He explained, "From a PR perspective, she did do the right thing, by apologizing … but still that isn't enough. Not even close."[27]

Music production career

In 2001, Hay had involvement with Prince for "When Will We Be Paid", a cover song originally performed by The Staple Singers.[28] In 2013, Hay co-founded SMH Records with Mike Smith[29] a Charlotte, North Carolina based record label.[30] Hay got into a public dispute with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over the song "These Walls Revisted" and a charity auction of an original painting of West, where it was alleged that 100% of the proceeds would go to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the couples charity of choice.[31][32] Hay was a co-executive producer on "Sex, Money and Hip-Hop" by Kxng Crooked fka Crooked I of Slaughterhouse,[33] a rap group that is signed to Eminem and Shady Records.[34] Hay executive produced an album featuring urban music by Kentucky artists and film star Johnny Depp.[35] Depp also appeared on the SMH Records album Fear of a Pink Planet by Pink Grenade, released in July 2014, containing 18 hip-hop songs written by Hay.[36][37]

In 2014, it was announced that Hay was a music producer on the TV show "One Shot" with T.I., RZA, DJ Khaled, Tech N9ne, Sway Calloway and others.[38] The show debuted on BET on August 23, 2016.[39] In February 2015, Hay had a six-figure departure deal from SMH Records and formed Jonathan Hay Celebrity.[40][41] In May, When Music Worlds Collide, the debut studio album of Jonathan Hay and Mike Smith that features notable names in the hip-hop genre, was released as a streaming-only album and was featured on Fox News,[42] Billboard,[43] and Business Insider.[44] On July 1, Billboard Magazine announced the release of Jonathan Hay's produced "Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed)" a song about suicide and alcohol abuse as a tribute to the late Keith Whitley on his 60th birthday.[45] The music video premiered on MTV News on August 27.[46]

Jonathan Hay's compilation album The Urban Hitchcock LP was released in March 2016, followed by Deluxe: The Urban Hitchcock LP in August 2016.[47][48][49] In June 2016, Hay produced a single that was released through Snoop Dogg's relaunched record label Doggy Style Records.[50] In July, he co-produced Deluxe: When Music Worlds Collide with Mike Smith and King Tech of Sway & Tech that features many popular rap artists from several different eras.[51][52] In August, Hay took a stand against Afrika Bambaataa and released a remix featuring Ron "Bee Stinger" Savage.[53] In the diss track, produced by Hay, Jonathan replays the notes from Bambaataa's song "Planet Rock" while Savage speaks out about child molestation[54] In September, Hay released two playlist albums The Long Beach Crook Playlist with Kxng Crooked and The Stoned Mountain Playlist with Cyhi The Prynce[55][56]

In April 2017, Hay was a producer on the viral song "Kylie's Daddy" about reality television personality Kylie Jenner that debuted on TMZ. [57] In June, Hay was a producer on Kxng Crooked's candor single "Too Ashamed" from The Ashamed EP and he explained to Billboard Magazine "Working on 'Too Ashamed' was a very emotional recording experience for everyone involved."[58] In August, it was announced that Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay formed a company called Smith and Hay that has a catalog of over 400 songs.[59] Smith and Hay released the LP titled Jazz in September.[60] In November, Hay produced "Pawn Shop," featuring Conway an artist signed by rapper Eminem.[61] He also co-produced "Jack in the Box" with Riff Raff.[62] In December, Hay co-produced the viral singles "Homewrecker" for Kxng Crooked[63] and "The Boardwalk" with Twista.[64]

In January 2018, Smith and Hay released Jazz (Deluxe) that hit #1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts.[65][66] In February, Hay produced "Jazzmine" for Riff Raff, a remake on the classic "A Whole New World" from the animated Disney film Aladdin.[67][68] In May, Smith and Hay released The Whoodlum Ball with DJ Whoo Kid that hit multiple Billboard Charts including #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers, #9 Rap Albums and #11 Independent.[69] Hay and music producer Ranna Royce formed Hoodlum Ball Records.[70] On September 15th, Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay peaked at #14 on the Billboard Charts (and #5 Billboard Christian Streaming Chart) with the single "Beautiful Day" featuring Bubba Sparxxx.[71][72] XXL Magazine introduced the Hay and Royce produced song "Elvis" by Slim Jesus.[73]

Personal life

Hay is a Leesburg, Florida native.[74] He was adopted as a child by Donald and Nancy Stivers.[75][70] His biological parents are Ron Bradley (Lakeland, Florida) and Pamela Nicely (Ashtabula, Ohio).[76] After two years of waiting he met his biological mom in February 2017. He told 23andMe, "I've been avoiding it for two years out of fear. It was a life changing experience that instantly helped unwrap all the emotional bondage and deep rejection that a lot of adopted people suffer with. Looking in her eyes, I could see the decades of pain, loss and love that penetrated to the soul. I was finally home."[77] Hay owns a family record label with his teenage daughter Iliana Eve and they are working on an original reality series called "Daddy Issues".[78][79]

On April 20, 2017, Hay and his daughter Iliana Eve were victims of a home invasion and were held at gunpoint and duct-taped. Hay told the New York Daily News, "My young daughter was pistol whipped so hard she fell to the ground and her glasses broke. There's no way anyone deserves that kind of violence, especially a little girl. It was a traumatizing ordeal as they were threatening to kill my child and I the entire time. They kept putting pillows to my head with a gun pressed in. For my daughter to experience such horror is truly evil. To have guns pointed at her and to see her Dad duct-taped are images she will probably never be able to escape for the rest of her life."[80] The suspect was arrested and charged with first degree robbery, two counts of kidnapping, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, receiving stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts fraudulent use of a credit card.[81] WHAS-TV reported that St. Matthews Police arrested two suspects and a third was indicted on kidnapping and robbery charges.[61]

Hay channeled that trauma into his chart topping Jazz (Deluxe) release. In an interview he said, "We were coming back to my place, and when we were coming up to the door, we were attacked from behind," he recalls. "We didn't even see him coming. And next thing you know, we're thrown into my house, duct taped, he had a mask on … it was traumatic. We had guns all over us, the whole time we thought we were gonna die." "All the songs come from that place," Hay explains. "You'll see songs like 'Betrayal,' 'Paralyzed' and all these different things. It comes from that home invasion, because I went to a real traumatic place, and I just got lost in the music."[82]

References

  1. ↑ "4 Online Reputation Management Strategies From a Celebrity Publicist". Fox News. 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  2. ↑ "Publicist owns up to Rihanna and Jay Z cheating rumor". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  3. ↑ Powell, Amber. "Louisville music producer leaves BET's One Shot to reunite with". WAVE. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  4. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/smith-and-hay-mn0003712915/biography
  5. ↑ "Days Of The New Frontman Slams Former Business Partner, Announces 'Full On Metal' Project". Blabbermouth.net. 2003-01-08. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  6. ↑ Nelson, Jeff (2015-10-23). "Beyonce Book: Truth Behind Most Outrageous Reports in New Biography". People.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  7. ↑ "WIDEawake Death Row Records Reportedly Being Sold In Wake Of Parent Company's Bankruptcy | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  8. ↑ "Nude Photo Scandal Erupts in Ariel Winter Custody Case: Publicist and Star's Mother Clash Over Salacious Picture Claim". E! Online. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  9. ↑ "Publicist Will Testify, Signed Declaration For Ariel Winter In Favor Of Custody With Sister". Radar Online. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  10. ↑ Edition, Inside (2015-10-23). "Publicist: I Made Up Rumor That Rihanna Had Affair With Jay-Z to Boost Her Single". Inside Edition. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  11. ↑ Rihanna's former publicist apologizes for Jay Z cheating on Beyoncé rumor | Daily Mail Online
  12. ↑ Carly Ledbetter Entertainment Writer, Huffington Post (2015-03-30). "Rihanna Puts An End To Those Beyoncé 'Feud' Rumors". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  13. ↑ "Rihanna, Drake 'Work' duet fuels dating rumors". Newsday. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  14. ↑ Natale: tutte le iniziative per "essere più buoni" - Vogue.it
  15. ↑ Wishwall Foundation asta benefica in collaborazione con CharityBuzz - VanityFair.it
  16. ↑ "Producer Calls Dr. Luke A Monster, Urges Sony To Part Ways". Dish Nation. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  17. ↑ by JHCAdmin1 (2016-03-24). "Rolling Stone Magazine: "Inside Kesha's Fight"". Jonathan Hay Celebrity. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  18. ↑ Forrester, Katy (2016-07-31). "Kanye West 'didn't even write THAT Famous lyric about Taylor Swift calling her a b****' – Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  19. ↑ Samantha Wilson (2016-07-31). "Kanye West Didn't Write Famous? — Cyhi The Prynce Maybe Wrote Taylor Swift Part". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  20. ↑ Fish, Matt. "Drake's Reported Porn Star Baby Mama Shares Baby Bump, Sonogram Pictures". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  21. ↑ Jordan Runtagh (2017-05-03). "Drake Denies Porn Star's Explosive Pregnancy Accusations". People.com. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  22. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE! Model Who Claims Drake Got Her Pregnant Shows Off Baby Bump, Sonogram, & Unbelievably Drake-Centric Due Date!". PerezHilton.com. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  23. ↑ door: Andrea Peelen. "Glamour sprak de woordvoerder van het Franse model Sophie Brussaux: ''Drake is de vader van haar baby'' - Glamour Nederland" (in Dutch). Glamour.nl. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  24. ↑ Kathleen Harper (2017-05-16). "Drake's Alleged Baby Mama Wants Them To Co-Parent Unborn Daughter". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  25. ↑ "Exclu Public : Drake bientôt papa : "Son enfant deviendra sa priorité numéro un"". Public.fr. 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  26. ↑ "For Kathy Griffin, A Long Road To Redemption With No Guarantees | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  27. ↑ Name (required). "Is Kathy Griffin's career actually over? – Women in the World in Association with The New York Times – WITW". Nytlive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  28. ↑ Name. "The Prince And Audio Stepchild Connection". Drfunkenberry.com. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  29. ↑ mtv (2014-09-29). "Are You And Aspiring Rapper? Sway And Crooked I Have A New Competition Show Just For You". MTV. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  30. ↑ "New Label SMH Raises $30 Million In Capital". AllAccess.com. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  31. ↑ "MTO SUPER DUPER MEGA WORLD EXCLUSIVE: We Have An OFFICIAL Special Message . . . From Kim Kardashian And Kanye West . . . Their FIRST OFFICIAL Since The Birth Of Their NEW DAUGHTER!!! (MTO EXCLUSIVE)". Mediatakeout.com. 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  32. ↑ Ryland, Amber (2013-06-28). "Kim Kardashian & Kanye West Issue Cease And Desist – We Have Nothing To Do With Your Charity Auction!". Radar Online. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  33. ↑ Baker, Soren (2014-12-05). "KXNG CROOKED (Crooked I) "Sex, Money and Hip Hop" Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  34. ↑ "Slaughterhouse". Shady Records. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  35. ↑ "Johnny Depp featured on 'The Hookah Lounge Vol. 1' album". UPI.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  36. ↑ Rob Hustle (August 4, 2014). "Pink Grenade (Dipstick Video); A Sociological Experiment in Hip-Hop Music". Rebel Pundit. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Pink Grenade: Fear of a Pink Planet". AllMusic. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  38. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (2014-12-17). "T.I., Game, DJ Khaled, RZA, and More Enlisted as Celebrity Judges For "One Shot"". Complex. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  39. ↑ "One Shot Cast". Bet.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  40. ↑ "Kxng Crooked to Serve as Face of Urban Hitchcock Apparel Line". Theboombox.com. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  41. ↑ "Jonathan Hay Celebrity – PR Maven Jonathan Hay". Jonathanhaycelebrity.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  42. ↑ "Tidal vs. Spotify: Indie hip hop producers release album on both and declare a surprising winner". Fox News. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  43. ↑ "Two Producers Put Their Indie Rap Album to Tidal vs. Spotify Challenge". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  44. ↑ Tech (2015-05-14). "Music producers release album on Spotify and Tidal to see which streaming service is best". Business Insider. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  45. ↑ "Kxng Crooked & Truth Ali Pay Tribute to Late Country Star Keith Whitley on His 60th Birthday: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  46. ↑ mtv (2015-08-27). "KXNG Crooked Opens Up About Suicide And Alcohol Abuse In 'Don't Close Your Eyes' Video". MTV. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  47. ↑ "The Urban Hitchcock LP by Jonathan Hay on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  48. ↑ Caitlyn Hitt (2015-10-21). "Tidal Rising Artist Jonathan Hay Opens Up About 'The Urban Hitchcock LP'; Shares Exclusive Details About New Reality Show". Ibtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  49. ↑ "DJ Khaled Talks Wade's Heat Exit, Beyonce Tour, Police Brutality « CBS Sports Radio". Radio.cbssports.com. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  50. ↑ Adelle Platon (2016-06-21). "Doggy Style Records Signee HeebzStreet Releases 'Letters': Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  51. ↑ Hernandez, Victoria (2016-07-26). ""Deluxe: When Music Worlds Collide" LP Features Hip Hop Heavyweights". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  52. ↑ "When Music Worlds Collide (Deluxe) by Jonathan Hay & Mike Smith on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  53. ↑ "Afrika Bambaataa Accuser Ron Savage's Vocals Added to Powerful Remix". DJBooth Article. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  54. ↑ G. Avant. "Exclusive Hip Hop News, Interviews, Rumors, Rap & Music Videos | Allhiphop » Child Molestation Victim Ronald Savage Drops Track Dissing Afrika Bambaattaa". Allhiphop. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  55. ↑ "The Long Beach Crook Playlist - Jonathan Hay & KXNG Crooked - Listen to Free Music by Jonathan Hay & KXNG Crooked on Pandora Internet Radio". Pandora.com. 2016-07-15. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  56. ↑ "The Stoned Mountain Playlist (Explicit) - Jonathan Hay & Cyhi The Prynce - Listen to Free Music by Jonathan Hay & Cyhi The Prynce on Pandora Internet Radio". Pandora.com. 2016-07-15. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  57. ↑ "'Kylie's Daddy' Earns Pasco Teen Music Industry Buzz - New Port Richey, FL Patch". Patch.com. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  58. ↑ Billboard (2017-02-06). "Kxng Crooked's New Song 'Too Ashamed': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  59. ↑ Vicky Law (2017-08-26). "3 Important Lessons on Hard Work from Successful Music Moguls | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  60. ↑ "Jazz. by Smith and Hay on Spotify". Open.spotify.com. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  61. 1 2 TEGNA (2017-11-20). "Louisville producer pens pain after violent home invasion". WHAS11.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  62. ↑ Riff Raff Transitions to EDM (2017-11-10). "Riff Raff Transitions to EDM". Baller Alert. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  63. ↑ CLOSE (2017-03-27). "KXNG Crooked Comes Through With The Confessional "Homewrecker"". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  64. ↑ "Jonathan Hay, Mike Smith & Ranna Royce Grab Twista For "The Boardwalk"". HipHopDX. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  65. ↑ Jazz Music: Top Jazz Albums & Songs Chart | Billboard
  66. ↑ Smith and Hay’s Jazz [Deluxe] hits #1 on Billboard Jazz Charts – Sway's Universe
  67. ↑ "Riff Raff Flips 'Aladdin' Song Into ''Jazzmine'' - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  68. ↑ Premiere: Listen to Houston rapper Riff Raff on a remake of Aladdin tune 'A Whole New World' - Houston Chronicle
  69. ↑ Victor D. Infante (2018-05-25). "Worcester artists make mark on chart-rising album, 'The Whoodlum Ball' - News - telegram.com - Worcester, MA". telegram.com. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  70. 1 2 ""She Helped Me Turn My Pain Into Music And I'm So Grateful" A Conversation With Celebrity Publicist…". Medium.com. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  71. ↑ Billboard (2018-09-15). "Mike Smith Beautiful Day Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  72. ↑ http://roughstock.com/track/2018/09/43371-mike-smith-jonathan-hay-featuring-bubba-sparxxx-beautiful-day-remix
  73. ↑ http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2018/10/t-i-g-eazy-lil-mosey-and-more-bangers-this-week/
  74. ↑ October 29, 2015 (2015-05-12). "Leesburg native filming reality show with birth father – Daily Commercial: News". Daily Commercial. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  75. ↑ "How I Met My Father". Blog.23andme.com. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  76. ↑ "A Family Meeting: Adopted Man Filming Reality Show With His Father in Lakeland". TheLedger.com. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  77. ↑ By 23andMe under (2017-03-22). "Coming Home". Blog.23andme.com. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  78. ↑ 5 Lessons From a Teenager Who Founded Her Own Record Label
  79. ↑ Joseph Chukwube Freelance Writer and Link Buider (1970-01-01). "A Family That Works Together Succeeds Together | HuffPost UK". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  80. ↑ Feldman, Kate (2017-03-21). "Jonathan Hay, daughter Iliana Eve duct-taped in home invasion". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  81. ↑ Andrew, Tawana. "Police: Man duct taped homeowner during robbery". WAVE. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  82. ↑ Musician fights tradition and channels trauma to top charts with 'Jazz' - Insider Louisville
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