The family of Isaac Hayes is calling it a victory. After nearly two years of legal battle, the estate of the legendary soul composer reached a confidential settlement with Donald Trump over his campaign’s unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming” at more than 130 rallies.
Isaac Hayes III, the late icon’s son, announced the resolution on X, stating that the family and estate “are satisfied with the outcome.” The specific terms remain undisclosed, though the estate originally sought $3 million in damages.
The Fight That Took Two Years
The Hayes estate filed suit in August 2024, alleging the Trump campaign used the 1966 Sam & Dave hit across 133 campaign appearances and videos during the 2020 and 2024 presidential bids. The song, co-written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, is one of the most recognized tracks in soul music history.
In September 2024, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash granted a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump campaign to stop using the song entirely. That ruling was significant. It meant a federal judge agreed there was enough evidence of harm to shut it down before trial.
Trump’s personal legal counsel Ronald Coleman downplayed the dispute at the time, telling reporters the campaign had “no interest in annoying or hurting anyone.” But 133 unauthorized uses over multiple election cycles is not a misunderstanding. That is a pattern.
The Bigger Picture: Black Art as Political Prop
This case fits into a long, uncomfortable history of political campaigns borrowing Black culture without permission or compensation. Trump’s rally playlists have drawn objections from artists including Beyoncé, Neil Young, ABBA, Celine Dion, Sabrina Carpenter, and The White Stripes, according to NBC News.
But the Hayes case carried particular weight. Isaac Hayes was not just a hitmaker. He was an Oscar and Grammy winner, a cultural architect of the Blaxploitation era, and the voice behind the “Shaft” soundtrack. His music carries deep meaning in Black American culture. Using it at rallies where policies hostile to Black communities were being championed was never just a licensing issue. It was a statement about who gets to use Black culture and for what purpose.
Adding a complicated wrinkle: Sam Moore, the surviving half of Sam & Dave who originally performed the song, actually sided with Trump. Moore performed “America the Beautiful” at Trump’s pre-inauguration concert and publicly opposed the Hayes estate’s legal action.
Why This Matters
Intellectual property is generational wealth. When an artist’s work is used without permission or payment, it is not a compliment. It is extraction. The Hayes family fought for the principle that Black creators (and their heirs) have the right to control how their art is used, especially in political contexts they did not choose.
The confidential settlement means we may never know the exact dollar figure. But the family’s public statement of satisfaction, combined with the federal injunction they secured along the way, sends a clear message: the era of political campaigns treating Black music catalogs like free background noise is getting more expensive.
The takeaway: If you build on someone’s culture, you pay for it. Period. And if the Hayes family had to take a sitting president to federal court to prove that point, at least the point got proven.
