Who is Isaac Hayes? Known as the ‘inventor of modern R&B’, the late artist was also the voice of South Park’s Chef and won an Oscar for the Shaft soundtrack – but why is his family suing Donald Trump?

Meet the man who used his voice to create change.

Why is Isaac Hayes’ family suing Donald Trump?

The Hayes family has threatened the Trump campaign with legal action over its use of the Sam & Dave song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at political rallies. Per The Guardian, Isaac Hayes III is alleging copyright infringement for use of the song, which was written by his father, Isaac Hayes, and David Porter.

The family is also demanding US$3 million in licensing fees for use of the song over the past two years. Per the publication, Trump has previously been filmed dancing to the song and used it at a rally in Montana despite the Hayes family requesting that the Trump campaign stop using the song. At the time of writing, Trump has not commented.

Isaac Hayes’ path to music

Hayes was born in rural Covington, Tennessee, in 1942, but he was raised in Memphis by his grandparents after his parents’ death, per The History Makers. According to Stax Records – the record company where Hayes would later make his name – when he was five years old, he began singing in a church choir, and learned to play the organ, flute and saxophone.

Despite being a good student and wanting to become a doctor, Hayes dropped out of high school to start making money. He worked at meatpacking plants by day while performing at local clubs at night. He was eventually hired as an in-house keyboardist at Stax. He would later go back to night school and earn his high school diploma in 1962.

His musical evolution

At Stax, Hayes branched into songwriting and teamed up with David Porter. The pair began churning out hits, including Johnnie Taylor’s “I Got to Love Somebody’s Baby”, Carla Thomas’ “B-A-B-Y” and Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Coming.’”

Hayes released his debut album, Presenting Isaac Hayes, in 1968 and followed it up with Hot Buttered Soul one year later. In Rob Bowman’s history of Stax, called Soulville USA: The Story of Stax Records, Hayes said that the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in 1968 inspired Hot Buttered Soul, the album that elevated him to fame: “I was so bitter and so angry. I thought … I can’t do a thing about it, so let me become successful and powerful enough where I can have a voice to make a difference. So I went back to work and started writing again.”

Hayes used his voice to disrupt the music industry. His 1970 album … To Be Continued marked the release of his signature spoken monologues, a move that many consider the start of hip-hop, per The New Yorker. In 1972, he became the first Black composer to win best original song for the hit film, Shaft. He also got nominated for best original dramatic score.

In an article published in Variety, Hayes said that the Shaft score changed his life: “It put me in another league. I was an R&B artist, doing my thing, and then I started scoring movies. It was a blessing in disguise.”

Per Stax Records, Hayes became one of the most sampled artists of all time with his songs being included in recordings by the likes of Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Destiny’s Child and 2Pac. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.

He was an activist

Social issues didn’t just inspire Hayes’ music – offstage, he became an activist. Hayes established a food bank which helped to register Black voters and he co-founded the Memphis based Black Knights, which fought against police brutality and discrimination.

Per The History Makers, he was also a spokesperson for the World Literacy Crusade and established the Isaac Hayes Foundation, which partnered with non-profit organisations to promote animal rights. Hayes regularly travelled to Ghana in a bid to fight the then HIV/Aids epidemic. In 1992, he was crowned as an honorary king and given the name Nene Katey Ocansey in honour of the work he did in the region.

Conquering Hollywood and The South Park drama

Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, told The Hollywood Reporter that his father couldn’t – and wouldn’t – have left the show voluntarily, asserting that someone must’ve quit South Park on his behalf. The senior Hayes had suffered a stroke in January 2006 and had little comprehension of what was happening around him. “He was in no position to resign under his own knowledge,” said Hayes III. “At the time, everybody around my father was involved in Scientology – his assistants, the core group of people. So someone quit South Park on Isaac Hayes’ behalf. We don’t know who.”

“My father was not that big of a hypocrite to be part of a show that would constantly poke fun at African-American people, Jewish people, gay people – and only quit when it comes to Scientology,” continued Hayes III. “He wouldn’t be that hypocritical.”