Black Moses: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Records, jacket, and sleeve for Black Moses by Isaac Hayes from the set of Scandal.

a. & b. The black vinyl record has a circular black label in the center with white text. There is a rainbow colored logo at the top with the word “ENTERPRISE” below. Side 1 has text which reads [ISAAC HAYES / “BLACK MOSES”] on the proper right and [Side 1 / STEREO / 4M222] on the proper left side. There is a list of four song titles, their length in minutes and second, and the names of the songwriters. Side 2 has the same information. There is some slight wear and tear on the labels on either side of the record. Disc two has the same labels and information except it is labeled “SIDE 3” and “SIDE 4”.

c. The front of the jacket features a color image of Isaac Hayes. He is wearing sunglasses and a striped robe with a hood. There is black text at the top of the jacket which reads [Black Moses / ISAAC HAYES]. When the jacket opens, it becomes a crucifix shape. The image of Hayes becomes a full body image of Hayes standing on sandy ground in front of some water. His arms are raised out to his sides with his palms up towards the sky. His robe is red, white, and blue striped with yellow on the sleeves. There is a white rope belt around the waist. He is wearing sandals. The reverse side of the jacket has a black background and an image of a shirtless Isaac Hayes. He is wearing sunglasses, several gold chains around his neck, and several gold chains around his waist. He is holding his hands out in front of him with his arms extended. There is a stone on either side of the open jacket that looks like the Ten Commandments. The stones contain black text listing the song titles. The right side has white text underneath the stone, including a “4 Men with Beards” logo and copyright information. The bottom portion of the crucifix shape has two columns, each with several paragraphs of small white text. The beginning of each paragraph has a fancy blue letter. Under the second column there is text which reads [Chester Higgins / SENIOR EDITOR, JET MAGAZINE]. There is white text along the spine of the jacket which reads [ISSAC HAYES BLACK MOSES 4m222]. There are areas of wear and tear in several places on the jacket.

d. & e. The sleeves are solid white with rounded corners and an open circle in the center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1971
• Produced by: Enterprise Records, American
• Recorded by: Isaac Hayes, American, 1942 - 2008
• Used by: Shondaland, American, founded 2005
• Type: long-playing records
• Type: 45 rpm records
• Medium: a. & b. vinyl with ink on paper
• Medium: c. ink on cardboard
• Medium: d. & e. paper
• Dimensions: Diameter (a. and b.): 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c. closed): 12 5/16 × 12 3/8 in. (31.3 × 31.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c. open): 12 in. (30.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (d. and e.): 48 1/2 × 36 3/4 in. (123.2 × 93.3 cm)
• Place made: California, United States, North and Central America
• Place used: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Topic: Television
• Topic: U.S. History, 1969-2001
• Object number: 2019.90.12.10a-e
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Walt Disney Television
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Universal Music Group Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.