Chaka Khan is ready to move on from her longstanding beef with Kanye West over him sampling her record, “Through the Fire.”
Khan has slammed West several times for using her vocals for his 2004 breakout single, “Through the Wire.” The record was featured on his debut album, “College Dropout.” Ye sped up Khan’s vocals, but they are very much identifiable. After years of dragging Ye for not correctly notifying her about how her vocals would be used, Khan says she is over it.
“I’m done. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges,” Khan shared with Rolling Stone during a recent interview.
Part of Khan’s frustration stemmed from her not knowing much about hip-hop and sampling back then. During a June 2019 interview with “Watch What Happens Live” and host Andy Cohen, Khan firmly stated, “I was pissed. I was a little insulted — not insulted; I thought it was stupid.” She reiterated this during a 2022 chat with VladTV. However, with a better understanding of how and why rappers speed up and slow down tracks to make new beats, she is not upset by it.
“That was my fault, too, for feeling salty about that in any way. Because if I understood the rap game more completely, like I do now, then that wouldn’t have been a big deal to me,” she shared.
These days, she is much more consumed with her new accolades, which include being honored with the Musical Excellence Award by the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame.
