Of the many wonderful blaxsploitation soundtracks to emerge during the early '70s, Shaft certainly deserves mention as not only one of the most lasting but also one of the most successful.
Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era's most accomplished soul artists, having helped elevate Stax Records to its esteemed status; therefore, his being chosen to score such a high-profile major studio film shouldn't seem like a surprise.
And with “Theme from Shaft,” he delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release.