Chaka Khan is not pleased with the current state of music, and the legendary soul singer has no issue letting her dislike of popular musical techniques be known. Earlier this week, the “I Feel for You” singer expressed frustration over artists who use Auto-tune.
Page Six caught up with the music icon Monday night, Oct. 24, during the Angel Ball event, where the 69-year-old told reporters, “There is some great stuff out there, and there are some great artists. ”She continued, ‘There’s some very fine young artists out there doing great great work that I am impressed with,” before adding, “But the others, they just need to get them a job at the Post Office — they are always hiring!.”
The 10-time Grammy Award winner later declared that “People are using Auto-tune. They need to get to the Post Office quick.” The songbird made similar comments about Kanye West, who sampled her iconic 1984 record “Through the Fire” for his 2003 smash hit “Through the Wire,” which featured Chaka’s vocal but sped up and at a higher pitch.
“It was a little insulting,” she said during an interview on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” “Not insulting; I thought it was stupid. If I’d known he was gonna do that, I would have said, ‘Hell no.’ ” The singer said she never told Ye that she disliked the song, but she doesn’t speak to him anymore. “The best way to tell him is silence,” she explained. “Give him crickets.”
Last August, she brought up the matter again, but fans were quick to tell the musical icon to let the issue go, with many citing the song’s success and the payment she may have received from it. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005, for Best Rap Solo Performance but lost to Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.”
Chaka, who rose to fame in the early 70s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus, spoke on the state of music nearly three years ago during an appearance on “The Steve Harvey Show” with hosting vet and longtime comedian Steve Harvey. When asked, “What do you think is missing from some of today’s music?” the “Ain’t Nobody” singer quickly replied, “Talent.”
She added, “Sincerity, the reason, and initiative. Why am I here on this stage. You know, really speaking and loving all these people en masse.”
