Amongst The Beatles, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, a publicity stunt formulated by Jonathan Hay Publicity ranked on the list of “The Ten Greatest False Rumors in Pop History”, according to PopDust.
In an interview, publicist Jonathan Hay admitted to creating the rumor that the then-unknown Pop singer Rihanna was having an affair with Jay-Z (who at the time was dating Beyonce). The rumor—which Hay helped strategically spread throughout tabloids, radio stations, gossip blogs, forums and pop communities online—circulated the media at lightening speed. Many claim that it was this rumor that helped propel Rihanna’s debut single “Pon de Replay” from Timbuktu to Number 2 on the Billboard chart records. Soon after, she became one of the biggest selling artists of all-time.
The Top Ten list on PopDust is preceded by the biggest rumors of all-time, including the time Marilyn Manson was rumored to have removed one of his ribs, Rod Stewart was said to have had his stomach pumped, Lady Gaga was pronounced a hermaphrodite, and the biggest one of all: when The Beatles’ Paul McCartney was rumored to have died in 1967 and replaced with a lookalike.
The PopDust article Reads as Follows:
#9 RIHANNA RODE JAY-Z TO THE TOP
RUMOR: The Barbados native was signed to Def Jam in 2005 at the age of 17after auditioning for former label president Jay-Z, who has carefully watched over her chart-topping, record-breaking career ever since. But of course, with success comes plenty of haters who feel she doesn’t deserve to be there and thus a slew of rumors that her rise up the label ranks was based on more than just her talent. Around 2007 and 2008 Rihanna was said to be the official sidepiece to King Hov, who was seriously dating his now-wife Beyoncé, with stories of feuds, awkward interactions and professional blue-balling going down between all three.
DEBUNKED? Rihanna’s had public relationships throughout her career—most notably with fellow artist Chris Brown—while Jay married Beyoncé in 2008 and is now expecting his first child, with the singer. Both have spoken out vehemently against the rumors, with Rihanna telling Cosmopolitan they led her to feel uncomfortable around her then-manager. “I felt self-conscious around [Jay-Z] until he took me aside and said that I just had to ignore it.”
DENY, DENY, DENY: “Not to take anything from her—she is a great artist—but every artist needs a launching pad and there is nothing better than a good scandal to get the public’s attention” —Jonathan Hay, Rihanna’s publicist, who admitted to pushing fake stories about an alleged affair between Jay and RiRi in promotion of her debut single “Pon De Replay”.
Although in the past Jonathan Hay Publicity (“JHP”) has been responsible for many very public publicity stunts, the company’s focus has since shifted. In early 2011, through their partnership with Hoopla Worldwide, Jonathan Hay inked an exclusive distribution deal with WIDEawake Ent / eOne Entertainment.
eOne Entertainment is one of the largest distributors in North America, delivering through both physical and digital channels to over 3,000 retail partners through its networks across Canada and the United States. WIDEawake Entertainment purchased the Death Row Records catalog for $18 Million in 2009.
Besides distribution, Jonathan Hay Publicity specializes in publicity and product placement, branding, damage control, media training, image consultation, graphic art services, websites and production. They offer emergency crisis management, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Jonathan Hay Publicity provides services to music artists of all genres, public figures, actors, film producers, managers, record label companies, professional athletes, brands and products, and more.
Visit JHP online at www.jhpworld.com and www.jonathanhaypublicity.com
