R.I.P.: Isaac Hayes is gone

we know this is mean, but for the majority of our readers...it's totally okay

Hayes and songwriting partner David Porter wrote a reported 200 songs, including such soul classics as Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'," Carla Thomas' "B-A-B-Y" and Johnnie Taylor's "I Had a Dream."

Hayes released his debut solo album in 1967, but his breakthrough came two years later with the classic Hot Buttered Soul, which featured lush, ambitious arrangements and an innovative structure, and exerted a profound influence on many soul albums to come — not least Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

In 1971, Hayes reached the peak of his musical popularity with the single and album Shaft, the score from the film. The song not only was an archetypal slice of funk that garnered Hayes a #1 single and Grammy and Academy Awards, the talk-singing style he employed on it exerted a huge influence on rap music.

Read more of MTV's obituary here.  We can't honestly say we were gigantic fans of Hayes, but his influence was certainly something we understand.  Over thirty years since Hot Buttered Soul and the man was still as relevant in the public sphere, albeit maybe for different reasons.

(mp3)    Isaac Hayes - Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic

Godspeed!