From Drake and Nicki Minaj to Taylor Swift and Cardi B, Kanye West (formerly Ye) has a long and well-documented list of people with whom he’s had beef. But according to a recent Rolling Stoneinterview, one iconic musician has rethought getting into it with the “New Body” rapper.
On December 28, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Chaka Khan said that her apparently one-sided grudge with West was over. Back in 2019, on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Khan confessed that she was “insulted” by how her 1984 single “Through The Fire” was sampled on West’s 2003 track “Through The Wire.” But upon reflection, she’s changed her mind.
“You know, 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,” said Khan. “I’m done. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.”
Based on a video floating around online, Khan isn’t the only artist that recently buried that hatchet with West. It appears that Kid Cudi and him have also put aside their issues after reconnecting at his Vultures listening party on December 14.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Chaka Khan just got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a deserving accolade for such a superstar. Thus, she reflected on her career highlights, personal experiences, and so much more during a recent interview with Rolling Stone. What will probably prove to be of most interest to hip-hop fans is the singer’s assessment of her relationship with Kanye West. For those unaware, he sampled her track “Through The Fire” on his first-ever single “Through The Wire,” something that she critiqued for many years since. Now, though, it seems like it’s all water under the bridge.
“To clarify something, the reason you were annoyed with Kanye West about ‘Through the Wire’ is that he asked to use your sampled voice, but didn’t make it clear that it’d be sped up, right?” the publication asked. “Yeah. And you know, that was my fault, too, for feeling salty about that in any way,” Chaka Khan responded. “Because if I understood the rap game more completely, like I do now, then that wouldn’t have been a big deal to me. No, I’m done [having it bother me]. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.”
Kanye West & Chaka Khan Perform “Through The Wire” In 2004: Watch
Of course, Kanye West is no stranger to sampling issues, whether from an artistic standpoint or actually clearing it. Most recently, that’s what’s happening with his song “Everybody” off his yet-to-be-released collab album with Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures. The song samples The Backstreet Boys, and it looks like the publishers in charge of the sampled record refuse to give the rights over as of writing this article. It’s just one of many ways in which this album rollout turned chaotic. We still doubt it will ever see the light of day.
Meanwhile, Ye isn’t just receiving apologies from a legend; he’s also giving them. Everyone has a different take on his apology in Hebrew to the Jewish community for his antisemitic remarks. While some are forgiving and others don’t buy it for a millisecond, at least it’s better than complete silence. For more news and the latest updates on Chaka Khan and Kanye West, stay logged into HNHH.
When you think about the greatest artists ever, a lot of different names from all sorts of genres might come to mind. One that you cannot ignore is Kanye West. Atlanta-born and Chicago-raised, Ye has been viewed as a polarizing visionary for most, if not all of his career. That is no secret and has not been for a long time. However, from a purely music perspective, there is not many better than him.
His debut album was proof of that back in 2004. The CollegeDropout is viewed by many as still his greatest body of work even nearly two full decades later. Even with others like Graduation, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Late Registration, the original stands the test of time. With classics like “Jesus Walks,” and “All Falls Down,” it is not hard to see the vision. But, what basically shot Kanye into immediate star status was “Through The Wire.”
It is a classic because of its amazing sampling of Chaka Khan’s “Through The Fire,” but there are plenty of other reasons too. For one, some of the recordings were done right after he broke his jaw in a nasty car accident. Even with his mouth nearly closed shut he was so dedicated that he laid down vocals anyway. On top of that, it is a great storytelling track, as you can see from some of the lyrics below. Kanye continues to inspire and create some of the best material all these years later, and it is all because of songs like “Through The Wire.”
What were your initial thoughts on Kanye West’s classic song “Through The Wire?” Is this his greatest song of all time? Is he the master of sampling and telling personal stories? We want to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the best throwbacks, as well as all of the latest breaking news around the music world.
Quotable Lyrics:
I must got a angel, ‘cause look how death missed his a** Unbreakable, what, you thought they’d call me Mr. Glass? Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past Toys “R” Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash And I still won’t grow up, I’m a grown-a** kid Swear I should be locked up for stupid **** that I did
In 2003, Kanye West released one of his biggest singles to date, “Through The Wire.” While the song, which served as the lead to his debut album, The College Dropout, proved to be a breakthrough for Ye, it’s safe to say not everyone is a fan of the song.
“Through The Wire” prominently samples a song called “Through The Fire” by Chaka Khan, using a sped-up version of Khan’s vocals on the song’s chorus. In an interview with Good Day DC, she said “I was upset about sounding like a chipmunk,” and revealed she wasn’t aware how much Ye was going to speed up the vocals.
“[West] didn’t mention that he was gonna speed it up, you know, three times its normal speed,” Khan said. “Had he, I would’ve had something to say. But since I didn’t think of that, believe me, I think of it now. I ask, ‘How are we gonna do this?’”
This isn’t Khan’s first time vocalizing her disdain for the song. In 2020, she told Vlad TV that she was displeased by the final result of “Through The Wire,” as she imagined something different when he first reached out for permission to use the sample.
“I said, ‘Well, are you a singer?’ He said, ‘No, no. I just wanted to use your chorus,” she recalled. “I thought about it and said, ‘Well, he can’t mess it up because I will be singing it after all. It’s my voice.’ But he found a way. By golly, he found a way to frick that up. I was through.”
Its been almost 20 years since Kanye dropped his debut album, The College Dropout. The lead single for the album was “Through The Wire” which Ye recorded with his jaw wired shut following a near fatal car crash. The song itself features a sample from Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire” and is pitched up to give it that signature “chipmunk” sound.
Ever since the “Through the Wire” was released, Chaka Khan has gone on record to say that she hates the song, especially how Kanye pitched up her vocals to sound like a “chipmunk.” In a new interview with Good Day DC she doubled, maybe even tripled down on her previous comments, letting it be known just how much she hates that song.
The singer was asked if she’s heard from Kanye after having voiced her disapproval on the song. “I’m not looking to hear from Kanye, either,” she said. “No, I’ve not heard from him and I’m not looking to hear from him. That’s what he did. That’s what he did with his music. I was upset about sounding like a chipmunk, ’cause he didn’t put that when he asked [if] he could use my, sample my song. He didn’t mention that he was gonna speed it up three times its normal speed.”
Khan added that had Kanye told her of his plans with the sample then she probably would have denied him his request. She also stated that Kanye is the reason why she artists specify exactly what they intend to do with her music when trying to sample it.
