Celebrity publicist and financier Jonathan Hay rose to prominence in the entertainment industry with his marketing and promotional tactics for Rihanna’s debut single “Pon de Replay” back in 2005. Hay has skin in the game with elites such as Ariel Winter, Drake, The Kardashians, Suge Knight, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston (via John Houston Entertainment), Eric B. & Rakim, along with Eminem’s Shady Records.
Jonathan Hay, who is based in Brooklyn, New York, was both adopted and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, home of “the Greatest” Muhammad Ali. As a teenager, Hay was discovered by a local music manager while attending a community college in the “Bluegrass State.” His first taste of the music industry happened at Louisville’s 550 Studio and booking for Michael Jackson’s MJJ Productions for the Hip Hop duo Quo (Wade Robson and DeWayne Turrentine Jr) and Teddy Riley. Hay’s big break came from his K.Y. hometown friend Travis Meeks and Nicole Scherzinger’s multi-platinum group Days of the New, who is most famous for “Touch, Peel and Stand,” the hit single that Billboard Magazine recently awarded “All-Time Greatest Mainstream Rock Song.” Telling from the titles of two of his most recent songs – “Kenneth and Breonna” and “Fire Kenny Payne” from the Ketamine Therapy album – it appears evident that Hay keeps Louisville on his mind.
Forbes Senior Contributor Javier Hasse published in 2019 that Jonathan Hay had once produced six different albums that topped the Billboard charts in the Jazz, Hip Hop, and Christian genres with his former partner Mike Smith, a well-known producer and business tycoon. Smith and Hay founded the Charlotte, North Carolina-based SMH Records with a capital investor raise of $30 Million that was made public by The Source Magazine. They secured a distribution deal with Caroline, a division of Capitol Records and offered Jay Z $15 Million to produce an album for him, as reported by HipHopDX. Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay have collaborated with Twista, Inspectah Deck, Yung Bleu, Conway the Machine, Juicy J, Cyhi the Prynce, Riff Raff, Kool G Rap, Nappy Roots, Canibus, Troy Ave, Slaugherhouse’s Joe Budden, Royce da 5’9” and Crooked I. Smith and Hay also collaborated on projects with D.J. Whoo Kid, who’s now a co-host on the wildly popular podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson. SMH Records is most recognized for the TV Show BET’s One Shot, starring DJ Khaled, RZA, T.I., D.J. Drama, Tech N9ne and Sway Calloway. Townsquare Media’s The Boombox announced that Jonathan Hay parted ways with SMH Records and received a six-figure departure deal.
Jonathan Hay started earning a small fortune on sync-licensing deals after the success of Follow the Leader (Reimagined as Jazz), which hit the top spot on the Billboard jazz charts and put an end to the 38-week reign of Michael Bublé’s Love. Hay produced the ambitious LGBTQIA+ project Nirvana Reimagined as House and Techno with JPatt from The Knocks and 41x from Sony Music India. Although it generated substantial press coverage, the album failed to chart. However, there seems to be a demand for the 12″ Vinyl Record edition that is available in major retail chains such as Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy and Tower Records in Japan.
Reality star Solo Lucci from Love & Hip Hop collaborated with Jonathan Hay on the contemporary jazz album Wish You Were Brooklyn, in which the listener can experience authentic sounds and vibes from New York’s most populous borough. Hay is set to finally address the Adele gossip, while explaining the related meaning behind the track “Stripper from Croydon” (featuring LX Xander) on Wish You Were Brooklyn. Hay was quoted in Billboard Magazine that he had “met the love of his life at Quad Studios” in Manhattan, New York. He told the My One Amor blog that he had fallen in love with someone from London with a “heavy British accent.” The Mirror and Daily Mail linked Hay with Adele, and neither of them confirmed or denied the dating speculation. Hay is said to speak about Adele for the first time on true crime docuseries House Invasion, which is executive produced by JT Barnett and Netflix star Joe Exotic of The Tiger King franchise.
Jonathan Hay has distribution deals with Fat Beats Records, Kingmaker Music (Kottonmouth Kings), and Ingrooves Virgin Music Group, the independent-music division of Universal Music Group. He posted on his social media that he’s launching a boutique celebrity P.R. Firm in 2024 with his daughter Hannah Lynn.
