One of the most iconic singers of all-time Chaka Khan connected with Kanye West and provided the sample for his breakout hit “Through the Wire.” Nearly two decades later, the “Sweet Thing” singer reveals she was not a fan of the final result, calling the finished version of the single “stupid.”
For those who may be a little (a lot) behind on your music history. “Through the Wire” was created after West’s infamous car accident, which wired his jaw shut. He would create the single in that condition where he only could eat through a straw. The song also samples “Through the Fire” from Chaka Khan’s 1984 album I Feel for You. The sample serves as both an iconic part of Hip-Hop history but as the foundation of the single.
In detailing the back history to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, Khan states she spoke with Kanye about creating the song but the discussion was “very different than the song turned out, obviously.” Khan would go on to state she was not pleased with the end result at all.
“He called me when he just got out of the hospital. He said, ‘You were so instrumental in my healing process. I changed the words a little bit to the song but I had to eat through a wire. Jaws wired shut through a straw,'” Khan shared. “It meant that much to me. It really got my heart, tugged at my string. I was like, yeah, use it”
Khan would go on to tell Cohen “I was pissed” after she heard the final version.
“It was a little insulting. Not insulting, I thought it was stupid! If I’d known he was gonna do that, I would have said, ‘Hell no.'”
Chaka Khan does admit she never told Kanye how she felt and that she also made some money from the single. You can see the clip from the interview below.
