Jonathan Hay | |
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Born | |
Education | Waggener High School, Christian Academy of Louisville [1] |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1994–present [2] |
Jonathan Hay (born December 16, 1975) is an American publicist and record producer. [3] [4] He is based in Brooklyn, New York. [5] His music career started from his hometown of St. Matthews in Louisville, Kentucky. [6] [7] Hay is most known for his work with "Pon de Replay", the debut single from Rihanna. [8] [9] He has produced six albums and a single that topped the Billboard charts in multiple genres including hip hop and jazz. [10] [11] [12] Hay's Follow the Leader (Reimagined As Jazz), a collaboration album with Eric B. & Rakim ended Michael Bublé's 38 week reign at the top of the Billboard charts and remained for 11 consecutive weeks. [13]
Starting out in the music business as a publicist, Jonathan Hay worked with established recording artists and record labels alike. [11] His first professional project was with Quo, the short lived hip-hip duo that was signed to Michael Jackson's MJJ Productions. [14]
Hay's first success was achieved with Days of the New, the multi-platinum rock band who had four hit singles; most notably "Touch, Peel and Stand" that Billboard awarded "All-Time Greatest Mainstream Rock Song". [15] [16] In 2003, Travis Meeks, the lead singer of the group slammed the publicist for making unauthorized and premature disclosures, which the musician felt "actually damaged his chances" to advance his career with Guns N' Roses. [17] [18] After the purported conflict, Hay still worked with Meeks years later. [19]
Hay worked for Whitney Houston through her father's John Houston Entertainment company. [20] 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." [21] Hay worked as a publicist for Suge Knight's Death Row Records and announced its catalog was being sold to Hasbro. [22] [23] 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. [24] Hay testified and signed a declaration for Ariel Winter in favor of her staying with her sister Shanelle Workman Gray. [25]
On October 23, 2015, Hay appeared on Inside Edition and publicly apologized to Beyoncé for his part in the unauthorized biography Becoming Beyoncé. [26] Hay is a subject in the book for a publicity stunt in 2005 for spreading rumors that Jay Z was dating Rihanna to boost the then 17-year-old's "Pon De Replay". 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." [27] Neither Rihanna or Jay Z was aware of his machinations Hay told Newsday . [28] As he noted during an interview with HipHopDX: [29]
"In 2005 the rumor was just a pitch to try and get people talking about Rihanna. It was never intended to be a big ordeal, it was just intended to get people asking, Who’s Rihanna? It was just gossip. If anything, I thought that it might trigger some interest about this new artist, just enough to give her single a boost and then the rumor would quickly dissipate. I never imagined 10 years later that it would be added to a Beyoncé book that is going to be a New York Times Bestseller. It was never meant to be malicious."
In December, Hay was in both Vogue and Vanity Fair for a recording project in Florida. [30] [31] Hay spoke out in Rolling Stone magazine [March 24, 2016 (Issue 1257)] to publicly support Kesha during her sexual assault lawsuit against Dr. Luke. [32] The magazine called Hay a "crisis management expert". [33] 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. [34] 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." [35]
Hay had involvement with the Drake and Sophie Brussaux pregnancy scandal. [36] 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. [37] Hay has spoken out about this situation with Perez Hilton , [38] Glamour Magazine (in the Netherlands), [39] Hollywood Life [40] and Public Magazine (in France). [41]
Hay stated to The Huffington Post that the Kathy Griffin and Donald Trump photo scandal was "flat-out gross". He explained, "From a PR perspective, she did do the right thing, by apologizing … but still that isn't enough. Not even close." [42] From the viewpoint of a crisis publicist, Hay was quoted in The New York Times about XXXTentacion's posthumous album release Skin. [43]
During October 2022, Hay defended Ye, previously known as Kanye West in SOHH, and said he's “profoundly misunderstood by the media,” and that Ye was “grossly misconstrued and taken way out of context.” [44]
The Hindustan Times reported that Jonathan Hay worked with an event for the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris in November 2023. [45]
Jonathan Hay's first notable collaboration was Prince and Audio Stepchild's "When Will We Be Paid", a cover song originally performed by The Staple Singers. [46] The song was released through Prince's independent label NPG Records in April 2001 as part of a four-song extended play that peaked at No. 59 on the US Charts. [47]
Hay and Mike Smith co-founded SMH Records; a Charlotte, North Carolina based record label. [48] [49] HipHopDX and The Source reported that Hay and Smith offered Jay-Z 15 Million dollars to produce his next album. [50] Hay and Smith produced "These Walls Revisited" for Nappy Roots and got into a public dispute with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian over the song and a charity auction involving an original painting of West. [51] [52] On June 20, 2013, Kardashian West's attorney issued a cease and desist. [53] Hay was executive producer and one of several musical producers on Sex, Money and Hip-Hop by Crooked I of Shady Records group Slaughterhouse. [54] [55] Hay executive produced an album featuring Kentucky artists and film star Johnny Depp. [56] 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. [57] [58]
Hay was a music producer on the TV show "One Shot" with T.I., RZA, DJ Khaled, Tech N9ne, Sway Calloway and others. [59] The show debuted on BET on August 23, 2016. [60] Hay, Smith and King Tech (Sway & Tech) released When Music Worlds Collide that features many popular rap artists from several different eras. It was released as a streaming-only album with a "Spotify vs. TIDAL" challenge, receiving national coverage on Fox News , [61] Billboard, [62] and Business Insider . [63] Hay produced "Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed)", a song about suicide and alcohol abuse as a tribute to the late Keith Whitley released on what would have been his 60th birthday. [64] The video for "Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed)" premiered on MTV News . [65] Hay and Kxng Crooked produced "Too Ashamed", a sequel song to "Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed)" and explained to Billboard Magazine that "working on 'Too Ashamed' was a very emotional recording experience for everyone involved." [66]
In June 2016, Hay produced a single for Snoop Dogg's relaunched record label Doggy Style Records. In August, Hay took a stand against Afrika Bambaataa with a remix featuring Ron "Bee Stinger" Savage. [67] In the diss track, Jonathan replays the notes from Bambaataa's song "Planet Rock" while Savage speaks out about child molestation [68] In September, Hay released albums with Kxng Crooked and Cyhi The Prynce that didn't chart. [69] [70] In April 2017, Hay was a producer on a song about Kylie Jenner and 21 Savage that debuted on TMZ . [71] [72] In November, Hay collaborated with both Conway The Machine and Riff Raff. [73] [74] In December, Hay produced singles with Kxng Crooked [75] and Twista. [76] In February 2018, Hay produced another song for Riff Raff. [77] [78] In May The Whoodlum Ball with DJ Whoo Kid was released and it hit multiple Billboard Charts. [79] On September 15, Smith and Hay peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Charts (and #5 Billboard Christian Streaming Chart) with the single "Beautiful Day" featuring Bubba Sparxxx. [80] [81] Hay was one of the producers of Juicy J's "Don't You Wanna" and "Message in the Bottle by Yung Bleu. [82] [83]
Hay produced three consecutive No. 1 Billboard Jazz Albums. In January 2018, Hay's jazz debut release Jazz (Deluxe) landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts. [84] In July 2019 Jazz Part Two hit No.1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts. [85] On July 26, Hay produced Follow the Leader, a cover of Eric B. & Rakim's album in the style of jazz with Benny Reid that scored also scored a No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts and was up for Grammy consideration. [86] [87] [88] Peaking at No. 1, the album remained on the Billboard Charts for 11 weeks. [89]
In an interview with Billboard Magazine , Hay said: [90]
"This was a magical evening when Benny Reid and I worked on this 'Follow the Leader' remix at the legendary Quad Recording Studios," Hay explains. "I literally met the love of my life that night. It was crazy!"
In interviews with HipHopDX and Billboard Magazine , Eric B. & Rakim talked about their jazz rendition of "Follow the Leader" and were quoted as saying:
"I couldn't have done a better job myself and I created the original album (laughs). It's a great body of work, and all the guys should be so proud of themselves. The simple way to put it is that life imitates art, and art imitates life, and it's all coming around full circle." - Eric B as told to Billboard [91]
"The trajectory of this project is the ultimate blessing. It’s tapping into a divine consciousness and showing how the universe continues to spin full circle. Eric and I were always heavy in our influence from the jazz genre. Then three decades in, we are influencing a jazz album, then that album is coming back around to influence hip-hop production greats. We used to dig through the crates at record stores to pull vinyl instrumentals and sample them for our tracks and now Follow The Leader is on vinyl for another generation to expand on with next level music. It’s breaking new barriers, which is the core of Hip Hop culture." - Rakim as told to HipHopDX [92]
Jonathan Hay formed an electronic music label in March of 2020 with distribution through Ingrooves (part of Virgin Music Group), the global independent music division of Universal Music Group. [93] [94] Hay co-produced "Big Poppa (House Mix)" with Christopher "C.J." Wallace from Ready to Dance, an album containing reimagined dance renditions of songs from The Notorious B.I.G. [95] [96] The single landed at #76 on the iTunes Charts. [97] Spin magazine called the single "electrifying". [98]
Rolling Stone magazine published Hay's statement to Perez Hilton about the song: [99]
"Our re-imagination of ‘Big Poppa’ is laced with style and grace. With the original spirit of the Notorious B.I.G. spun into a new house classic. Dedicated to all the honeys getting money and the ravers dancing to the sounds from house gods like Martinez Brothers and Carl Cox, our aim was to create music that makes you wanna move and honor BIG’s legacy."
Hay co-produced Nirvana Reimagined as House and Techno supporting LGBTQ+, mental health and suicide awareness. [100] [101] The album has collaborations with Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher, trumpeter Maurice Brown, Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page, J Patt of the Knocks and drummer Andy Kravitz. [102] [103] Ranking in the Top 30 worst albums of all time, this album is considered a low point by AOTY. [104]
A writer for the GRAMMY's stated: [103]
"And while a fair amount of tomb-raiding has occurred on Kurt Cobain's behalf—Nirvana Reimagined is one of a few tributes that align with his principles. Back in 2014, the surviving members of the band played at St. Vitus in Brooklyn with a succession of female lead singers, from Joan Jett to St. Vincent—which Cobain, an ardent feminist, arguably would have loved."
Hay released a house music remake of "Hit 'Em Up" featuring Tupac Shakur with jazz elements. [105] [106] Suge Jacob Knight, son of Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight publicly supported the single. [107] Hay collaborated with Solo Lucci from Love & Hip Hop . [108]
On April 20, 2017, Jonathan Hay was a victim in a home invasion where he was held at gunpoint as reported by the New York Daily News . [109] Hay was bound by duct tape during the attack in the Mallard Crossing at St. Matthews apartment complex. [110]
WHAS-TV and WAVE (TV) reported that St. Matthews Police arrested Michael Brooks and Louis Simmons Jr. and they were 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. [111] [73] [112] Quantez Gibson was the third person arrested. [113] Gibson was sentenced to prison at the Kentucky State Reformatory for the two offenses of "criminal facilitation kidnapping and robbery." [114]
JT Barnett, a collaborator on 'The Tiger King,' played a pivotal role in the inception of House Invasion, the true crime documentary, which was influenced by a violent home invasion incident that occurred while Hay was assisting hip-hop star Drake with a crisis management issue. [115] Netflix star Joe Exotic announced on X (previously named Twitter) that he was an executive producer of Hay's docuseries. [116] The soundtrack album for House Invasion came out in February 2024 and made it to the top spot on the Apple Music/iTunes Albums Chart in South Africa. [117] [118] Taste of Country announced that Hay is an executive producer for Joe Exotic's album containing recordings from federal prison. [119] [120]
The media reported that Jonathan Hay and Adele were romantically involved after meeting in a recording studio in New York. [121] [122] Adele and Hay declined to comment on the dating speculation. [123] [124] Hay is a Leesburg, Florida native. [125] He went to Waggener High School but switched to a private school system to play basketball at Christian Academy of Louisville. [1] His uncle is a founding elder of Southeast Christian Church, one of the largest churches in the United States. [126] The Daily Commercial reported that he is currently estranged from his adoptive family. [126] Utilizing 23andMe and DMC of Run-DMC, he successfully located his birth parents and had his first meeting with his biological mother in February 2017. [127] His mom died unexpectedly in February 2021. [128] He has two daughters, Hannah Lynn and Iliana Eve. [129]
Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on July 26, 1988. Following their debut album, Paid in Full (1987), Eric B. & Rakim left 4th & B'way Records and signed with Uni Records, a subsidiary label of major label MCA Records. They recorded Follow the Leader at Power Play Studios in New York City. The duo produced, composed, and arranged the album with additional contributions from Rakim's brother Stevie Blass Griffin, who contributed with various instruments. Eric B. & Rakim worked with audio engineers Carlton Batts and Patrick Adams on the album. In a similar manner to their first album, a "ghost producer" was brought in for two songs. In a 2007 interview with Unkut.com, The 45 King said he produced both "Microphone Fiend" and "The R". "Microphone Fiend" was originally made for Fab 5 Freddy, until 45 King gave it over to Eric B., the group's "DJ".
Ernest Dion Wilson, professionally known as No I.D., is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well as his career mentorship of rappers Kanye West, J. Cole and Logic. Wilson first gained success for his role as an in-house producer for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings—leading to largely uncredited work on Dupri's productions "My Boo" by Usher, "Outta My System" and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow—before reaching commercial success with his solo productions. He worked with Jay-Z to produce his singles "Run This Town" and "Holy Grail," West to produce "Heartless," and Drake to produce "Find Your Love" and "Nonstop"; all of which have peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice. Mainly active from 1994 to 2010, the duo were discovered by Pharrell Williams and signed with his record label Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records in 2001. They released three studio albums—Lord Willin' (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009)—to mild commercial success; the former spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", for which they became best known.
"Far Behind" is a song by the American rock/metal band Candlebox and the third single from their eponymous debut album. It is one of the band's most well-known songs, entering the charts in July 1993 and remaining there until January the following year when it was officially released as a single. It is the group's highest-charting hit, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, after spending almost a year on the chart. It also reached #4 and #7, on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, respectively. "Far Behind" was also included on The Best of Candlebox in 2006.
Joell Christopher Ortiz is an American rapper and a former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL Magazine.
Dominick Antron Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Kxng Crooked, is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a former member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse with other members Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". He is CEO of his own record labels, Dynasty Entertainment and C.O.B. Digital as well as Senior Vice President of Treacherous Records. Before starting his own label, he was also signed to Virgin Records and Death Row Records. He is currently one half of the rap duo Crook and Joell with his former Slaughterhouse bandmate, Joell Ortiz. Together, they released three studio albums.
Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer and actor. An influential figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip hop artists. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008), Drake began his recording career in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement (2006). He followed up with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
"Don't Close Your Eyes" is a song written by Bob McDill, and recorded by American country music artist Keith Whitley. It was released in March 1988 as third single from his album of the same name. In the United States, the single reached number-one for the week of August 13, while peaking at number 2 in Canada. Additionally, it was Billboard's number-one country single of the year 1988.
"All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including Drake, John Legend, The-Dream, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, Kid Cudi, and Rihanna; the latter two are credited on the official music video and single version, but not on the album version. It is often played along with its accompanying interlude "All of the Lights (Interlude)", which precedes the song on the album's tracklist.
Tyrone William Griffin Jr., known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He first gained recognition for his guest appearance on hometown rapper YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 as his first minor hit. He signed with Atlantic Records in 2012, and Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment the following year.
Michael Len Williams II, known professionally as Mike Will Made It or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hip hop and pop artists on commercially successful singles. His credits include "Black Beatles" and "Powerglide" by Rae Sremmurd, "Mercy" by Kanye West, "No Lie" by 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" by Juicy J, "Pour It Up" by Rihanna, "Love Me" by Lil Wayne, "Body Party" by Ciara, "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus, "Formation" by Beyoncé, and "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. He embarked on a career as a non-performing lead artist in 2013 with his debut single "23", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2017 follow-up single, "Rake It Up" peaked at number eight on the chart. He has released six mixtapes and one solo studio album, Ransom 2 (2017).
Sex, Money and Hip-Hop is the second studio album by rapper and Slaughterhouse member KXNG CROOKED. The album was released on December 16, 2014 and it was executive produced by KXNG CROOKED himself along with Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay.
When Music Worlds Collide is the debut studio album from Jonathan Hay and Mike Smith that features notable names in the hip hop music genre. Hay and Smith, the producers behind the indie hip-hop compilation When Music Worlds Collide decided to put their release to a Tidal vs. Spotify challenge and see which one better served their album. The story of their independent streaming music album was featured on Billboard, Fox News and Business Insider. King Tech co-produced the majority of the songs on the album. Deluxe: When Music Worlds Collide was released on July 26, 2016 through SMH Records.
Based on a T.R.U. Story is the debut studio album by American rapper 2 Chainz. It was released on August 14, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Drake, Nicki Minaj and Playaz Circle cohort Dolla Boy, along with singer-songwriters The-Dream, Mike Posner, The Weeknd and Chris Brown. The album's production was handled by Brick Squad Monopoly's Southside, Mike Will Made It, Sonny Digital, Kanye West, Hit-Boy, Drumma Boy, DJ Mustard, Mr. Bangladesh and DJ Spinz, among others.
Don't Close Your Eyes (Ashamed) is a song written by Dominick Wickliffe, Jonathan Hay, Bob McDill, Joshua Rowe, Morgan McRae and Ajami about alcohol abuse, adoption and suicide. The song is performed by Kxng Crooked fka Crooked I of Slaughterhouse, Truth Ali, Jonathan Hay and Morgan McRae. The chorus of the song was originally performed by American country music artist Keith Whitley. The demo version of the song premiered on Billboard on July 1, 2015, on what would have been Whitley's 61st birthday. The music video of the song premiered on MTV News on August 27, 2015.
"Jumpman" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future from their collaborative mixtape What a Time to Be Alive. The track was released as a single on November 10, 2015. It draws its name from the Nike Jumpman mascot inspired by a 1984 photograph of Michael Jordan.
This is the discography for American hip hop musician Crooked I aka KXNG Crooked.
The Urban Hitchcock LP is the debut studio album from Jonathan Hay and features notable names in the hip-hop genre. Jonathan Hay is an outspoken veteran producer and publicist. The deluxe version, Deluxe: The Urban Hitchcock LP was released in August 2016.
Mike Smith is a Cuban American recording artist, record and television producer. He is a Number 1 Billboard charting artist and his music has had over two billion streams with over five million units sold. He is best known for being one of the stars and main judge on BET's original programming series One Shot and for co writing the hit song "A Hard Working Man" by Snoop Dogg, Billy Ray Cyrus, and The Avila Brothers. This song has been featured on NFL Thursday Night Primetime and CBS NFL Today. He is also well known for numerous hit singles including the Top 5 Billboard hit "Beautiful Day" and Billboard Top 40 hits "Hardworking Man" and "You're My Kind Of Beautiful".
Iliana Eve is an American singer-songwriter who was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She got her professional start in the music industry with a single that was released through Snoop Dogg's record label Doggy Style Records. TMZ released "Kylie's Daddy", Iliana's collaboration with 22 Savage and it went viral. She performed a rendition of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" for the album, Jazz (Deluxe) by Smith and Hay that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts. DJ Whoo Kid and Ranna Royce remixed Iliana's "Can't Help Falling in Love" and some of her other songs and included them on the album The Whoodlum Ball that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart and No. 156 on the Billboard Top 200.
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