Isaac Hayes Joins Long List Of Artists Demanding Donald Trump Stop Using Their Music

The family of late soul legend Isaac Hayes, who died on August 10, 2008, has slapped Donald Trump with a cease-and-desist, demanding he stop blasting "Hold On, I’m Comin’" at his campaign rallies.

Isaac Hayes III, son of the iconic singer, shared a letter sent to Trump and his team, threatening a lawsuit if they don’t cut it out. The letter, which is signed by lawyer James Walker, accuses Trump of copyright infringement and demands $3 million in licensing fees for playing the 1966 Sam & Dave classic—co-written by Hayes—at events from 2022 to 2024.

Walker claims Trump has been playing the song so much that the $3M demand is actually "heavily discounted." The letter warns that if Donald Trump doesn’t settle up, the Hayes family will come after him with a lawsuit, demanding $150,000 for every single time the track was played.

The letter from attorney James Walker blasts the Trump campaign for “wilfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement," accusing them of outright ignoring multiple warnings to stop. Walker claims Trump’s team kept using the track “despite being repeatedly told” by the Hayes family.

"Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father's music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric," Hayes III wrote on Instagram Saturday. "This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it."

Isaac Hayes' family is just the latest in a growing line of artists demanding the former president stop using their music. The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr, Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie, and Tom Petty’s family have all told Trump to stop using their tracks.

As of now, Trump and his team haven’t responded to the legal threats or the copyright infringement allegations.

Back in 2022, the Hayes family slammed Trump for using "Hold On, I’m Comin’" at an NRA convention just days after the tragic Uvalde school shooting that claimed 19 young lives.

“Our condolences go out to the victims and families of Uvalde and mass shooting victims everywhere,” the family wrote at the time. David Porter, who co-wrote the song with Isaac Hayes, also weighed in, saying,“I did not and would not approve of them using the song for any of his purposes.”

Hayes and Porter penned the hit while working at Stax Records before Hayes’ legendary solo career, with other classics like "Soul Man."

Trump's music choices have gotten him in hot water before. At his rally on Friday, he played "My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion’s iconic hit from the "Titanic" soundtrack. By Saturday, Dion had made it clear she wasn’t on board with Trump using her song.

"Today, Celine Dion's management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing 'My Heart Will Go On' at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana. In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use," a social media post on Dion's X account said, per NewsWeek. "And really, THAT song?"

Plus, other footage surfaced showing Trump playing "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" by The Smiths at a South Dakota Republican Party rally in Rapid City on September 9, 2023. The English rock band’s track added another name to the list of artists whose music Trump has used without permission.

After seeing the video, the band's guitarist, Johnny Marr, shared a post, writing, "Ahh...right...OK. I never in a million years would've thought this could come to pass. Consider this sh-t shut right down right now."

In addition to Isaac Hayes' family, Celine Dion, and Johnny Mar, Adele made it crystal clear that Trump wasn’t allowed to use her hits "Rolling in the Deep" or "Skyfall" at his 2016 rallies, and she told him to keep her music out of his political stunts.

Meanwhile, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith wasn’t having any of it either. He told Trump to stop blasting "Dream On" at his rallies in 2015, and when Trump tried using "Living on the Edge" in 2018, Tyler fired off another cease-and-desist.