Kanye West, Twista, & Tech N9ne Take On The Spotify Vs. Tidal Challenge

Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay take the streaming challenge for their new album that is loaded with hip-hop stars.

Mike Smith, 35, owner of SMH Entertainment and Owner/Judge on the TV show One Shot and PR Maven Jonathan Hay, 41 founder of Jonathan Hay Celebrity, decided to challenge Spotify and Jay Z’s Tidal for their release of When Music Worlds Collide. Results from the Spotify -vs- Tidal When Music Worlds Collide Challenge will be revealed in the second week of May on The Wake Up Show on Shade 45

Jonathan Hay, who’s been called a “PR Guru” by International Business Times, says he and Smith are putting both streaming companies to the test publicly, beginning this week. “We didn’t upload the music to iTunes or Amazon on purpose,” Hay says. “Not that we have anything against them — it’s quite the opposite, we love them. However, this album for us is about Spotify vs Tidal, a streaming battle only. We did this release completely grassroots and independent.”

“In about two weeks we will be able to be able to update you with a fair and balanced analysis from our social experiment between Spotify and Tidal,” says Smith. “I’m really curious to see our results, which we’ll announce on The Wakeup Show.”

Smith, a singer and songwriter, has a record label with a major distribution deal, but was open to try a different approach with Hay for the album When Music Worlds Collide, officially released this week through these streaming services only. Smith previously stated to the Miami Herald “There’s this hole in the music industry. No one is catering to hip-hop.” He is hoping to change that.

When Music Worlds Collide is causing a lot of industry chatter online. The album has three songs with KXNG CROOKED of Slaughterhouse (Shady Records), two songs with Kanye West artist Cyhi the Prynce and other rap celebrities such as Twista, Royce da 5’9, Inspectah Deck, Kool G Rap, Troy Ave, Dizzy Wright, Skyzoo, DJ Whoo Kid and others.

Mike Smith and Jonathan Hay recruited DJ King Tech of Sway and Tech (Shade 45) to jump on board and co-produce the album alongside them. King Tech brought in the legendary DJ Revolution to supply all the cuts and scratches on the entire album. Two singles off the album, “I Didn’t Mean To Treat You Bad” with Kxng Crooked ft. Shalé and “These Broken Wings” with Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan and DJ Revolution, are already gaining traction online.

Mike Smith and King Tech are currently in major network negotiations for their TV Show One Shot with Kxng Crooked that is hosted by Sway Calloway. T.I., DJ Khaled, RZA, DJ Drama, Twista and Tech N9ne have already filmed their episodes. Jonathan Hay, who makes a cameo in One Shot, has started working on his reality series The Haymaker about reuniting with his birth-parents and biological family, whom he has never met, after four decades of being an adoptee with little information about his family roots. Smith, Tech and Hay produced the theme song that features Cyhi the Prynce for the upcoming emotional reality series.