The legacy and family of the legendary R&B singer Isaac Hayes has announced that they will sue the former president Donald Trump for copyright infringement because of his use of the classic song “Hold On (I’m Coming),” which Hayes and David Porter wrote for Sam and Dave.
A letter to Trump and his campaign team, addressed to Hayes’ official social media accountsrevealed that Trump’s estate is demanding that the song be stopped from being played at his rallies and that they are also demanding $3 million to cover royalties for the instances where the song has already been used without permission between 2022 and 2024.
In addition, the estate is demanding that all videos featuring the song be removed from websites and other media worldwide and a statement from Trump declaring that neither the family nor the estate authorized the use of the song.
The caption of the post states that “Hold On (I’m Coming)” has already been used 134 times by the Trump campaign. It also states that the estate is demanding compensation by August 16, and says, “Failure to do so will result in further legal action.”
Hayes’ son Isaac Hayes III commented on the lawsuit on his Instagram accountand criticized Trump’s use of the song: “This behavior will no longer be tolerated and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”
“We stand in solidarity with all musicians whose work has been co-opted without consent into divisive political campaigns,” he writes. “A musician’s art is a reflection of their soul, not a means of inciting hatred or bigotry. It is time for all artists to unite and demand respect for their creative legacy.”
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