Chaka Khan Says Kanye Sampling Her on His ‘Through the Wire’ Track ‘Was Stupid’ [WATCH]

*Chaka Khan says she was pissed when Kanye West’ sampled her 1985 single “Through the Fire” on his debut single “Through the Wire,” which launched his career as a solo artist in 2004. 

The 66-year-old singer stopped by “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen on Wednesday and spoke out about the 42-year-old rapper’s use of her classic track. She admits she was initially excited to have West sample her work, but was not pleased with the result.

As noted by Complex, Kanye reportedly recorded the song in a hospital bed with his jaw wired shut following a car crash. 

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“[The conversations went] very differently than the song turned out. Obviously,” Chaka said on WWHL. “… He called me when he just got out of the hospital. He said, ‘You were so instrumental in my healing process. I had to change the words a little bit to the song, but I had to eat through a wire, you know, and I was wired shut, through a straw.'”

“It meant that much to me and it really got my heart. It pulled… at my [heart] strings,” she continued. “So I said, ‘Yeah. Use it.’ Then when it came out… I was pissed.”

She added, “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 says she never shared her true feelings about the finished product with Ye.

“I didn’t. What can I say?” she questioned. “The best way to tell him is silence. And give him crickets.”

Despite her dislike for the track, Khan said she did receive money from it.

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