Chaka Khan Explains Why She Won’t Be Touring Anymore + Says She’s No Longer Upset w/Kanye West Over “Through The Wire” Sample

Chaka Khan, Kanye West

Chaka Khan Explains Why She Won’t Be Touring Anymore + Says She’s No Longer Upset w/Kanye West Over “Through The Wire” Sample

Music icon Chaka Khan recently shared the things she’s letting go in the new year.

Along with giving up touring for the foreseeable future, the 70-year-old says she’s also done with her Kanye West beef.

Reportedly Chaka Khan, real name Yvette Marie Stevens, made it clear that she’s done with touring because of the harsh travel conditions. After a interviewer recently asked why she previously contemplated titling her memoir To Hell and Back in a Limousine, the musician explained:

“Riding on a bus, pissing in a little bathroom, waking up in the morning and you’re five hours from your hotel where you can take a proper bath or shower and go to bed like a normal human being. And then you got a gig that night. That’s friggin’ insane.”

She added:

“It was just insanity. It’s like being a truck driver and a performer. It’s lonely as all get-out. 

Additionally, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says that she’s ready to focus on more important things like family. The songstress has two adult children, daughter Indira Milini and son Damien Holland, who’s children also have children. Sharing her intentions to still do shows but have a better work life balance, she reportedly continued:

“I got this rich-a** life. I’ve got great-grandchildren I want to get to know better. So I will not do another tour. I’ll do dates, but it won’t look like a tour. They’ll be far enough apart that I can have time to sleep in between.”

Chaka Khan & Family

Taking a look at her career, it’s no wonder Chaka Khan is ready to settle down a bit. The “I’m Every Woman” artist has maintained a stellar career that has spanned over 5 decades since getting her start in the early 70’s. To date, she’s earned 10 Grammy awards, three gold singles, one platinum single, four gold albums, and two platinum albums with her funk band Rufus as well as three gold singles, three gold albums, and one platinum album as a solo artist. Earlier this year, the musician also landed a place in the reputable Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after previously being nominated for the honor three times as a solo artist and four times as a member of Rufus.

One of her biggest hits “Through The Fire”, featured on her six studio album in 1984. The record peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. However, the single got a new life in 2004 when then rising rap star Kanye West sampled the song on his debut album “College Dropout”. His rendition of the record peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even earned a Grammy nomination. Being critically acclaimed,  the song garnered love from almost everyone, with the exception of Chaka Khan herself.

As we previously covered, the songstress has expressed her frustration that West sped up her vocals and made her sound like a “chipmunk”, much to her surprise. While speaking about it back in 2019, she reportedly stated:

“when it came out, […] I was pissed. I thought 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

It seems she has since forgiven her colleague, however, stating that she now understands the essence of the song a bit better. She reportedly shared during her recent interview:

“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.”

Adding:

“I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.”

[VIA]

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