The family of late soul music legend Isaac Hayes has announced it will sue Donald Trump after several failed attempts to stop the former president from playing one of his hits at campaign rallies.
The phrase “Hold On (I’m Coming)” is used frequently at Trump rallies, and the former president has been photographed dancing to it. Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, said he used to dance to it. advertisement Sunday after ignoring repeated requests.
The family is suing Trump and his campaign for 134 years of copyright infringement over “unauthorized use of the song at campaign rallies from 2022 to 2024.”
The family’s attorney, James Walker Jr., told The Daily Beast that they are giving Trump “five days to pay or we will move forward with legal action.” Walker Jr. said he has not personally heard from the Trump campaign, adding that the family asked Trump to stop a year ago, “and a year before that.”
“The family continues to ask him not to play music,” Walker Jr. added. “They don’t want people to think he supports Trump. They don’t want anyone to steal their music.”
The announcement comes a day after the music legend’s son accused Trump of racism and disrespect for women in an angry social media post.
Former President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump dances as he leaves the Alabama Republican Party’s summer dinner in Montgomery.
Ilya Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images
Isaac added that the Hayes family is demanding in the lawsuit that they “cease use, remove all related videos, publicly disclaim liability, and pay $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.”
A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
“They care about playing music in front of thousands of people… without any permission,” Walker Jr. told The Daily Beast. “He should have paid this family a lot of money to play his music.”
“We have documented all uses… and will start sending takedown notices to YouTube if they do not remove them.”
On Sunday night, in response to MAGA criticism of the lawsuit, Isaac said: detailed How the family took control of the song’s copyright in 2022.
“Imagine asking someone to stop playing a song that your family legally owns for two years and they continue to do so,” he wrote. Isaac explained that estates typically sell the copyrights to other entities for large sums of money, but he said “my family chose not to do that.”
“We own the copyright… Think about it. Usually things work differently in situations like this because there are publishing companies involved and everyone wants to stay neutral, but I don’t have to act like this, I don’t have to follow these rules.”
The move comes just one day after the anniversary of the singer’s death. In a social media post Saturday, Isaac expressed his frustration over the song’s use at a rally Friday night in Bozeman, Montana.
“Today, on the anniversary of my father Isaac Hayes’ death, we have repeatedly asked Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee and his representatives not to use the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Isaac Hayes and David Porter during campaign rallies, but once again, in Montana, they used it.”
“Donald Trump represents the worst of integrity and class through his disrespect for women, his sexual abuse of women, and his racist rhetoric. We will address this matter very quickly now.”
This was the same gathering that also drew condemnation from Celine Dion’s team for using her hit song “My Heart Will Go On” without permission. The post added: “…and really, that song?”
A few days ago, on August 4, Isaac was killed again. It was published. He expressed frustration over the song’s use at a Trump rally in Atlanta this weekend.
“Once again, the @isaachayes estate and family did not approve of the use of the song ‘Hold on I’m Coming’ by Isaac Hayes and David Porter by Donald Trump tonight in Atlanta,” he wrote.
In 2022, the family again spoke out against Trump. Dance To the song that followed his controversial speech at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention, just days after the massacre of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
In a social media post from the singer’s account, the family shared excerpts from the lawsuit against the former president, accusing Trump and the campaign of “continuing willful and unlawful actions.”
“It has come to our attention that you or the campaign have allowed the unlawful public performance of the song on multiple occasions during your various political campaign rallies without the permission of the copyright holder, despite your repeated requests that our client not engage in such unlawful use,” reads a letter from Walker & Associates, Walker Jr.’s Georgia-based law firm.
The lawsuit also demands the removal of any campaign media that uses the song, and social media posts with a formal disclaimer stating that the family did not authorize the song’s use.
Other artists who have criticized Trump for using their work without permission include Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Rihanna, Prince’s family and Tom Petty.
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