Chaka Khan chose violence when she responded to a podcaster asking about Rolling Stone’s much-criticized 200 top vocalists of all-time list. In an interview with Andrew Goldman on his The Originals podcast, the legendary vocalist was skeptical about the placement of several singers she deemed unworthy of their spot.
While she agreed with Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin’s place atop the list (“As she f-cking should be,” Khan said.) Mary J. Blige’s inclusion at #25, several spots above her, Khan found insulting.
“What, wait. That’s why I feel the way I do,” she said. “These must be the children of Helen Keller.” (For those who don’t know, Keller is a famous deaf author and activist.)
Khan has already made her feelings known about Blige’s 1992 cover of her classic song “Sweet Thing” which she says the singer was flat. But if you actually listen to the podcast instead of the reports about it, Khan says she told Mary this to her face, because that’s how they talk and that she loves her some Mary. (And it didn’t stop Mary from getting a hit).
But she said when she found out Mary sang the song at 8 a.m. after being up all night, Khan said, “You don’t sing nothin’ at 8 o’clock in the morning.”
Listen and learn, young vocalists.
Khan on Mariah at #5: “That must be payola.”
On Adele at #22, ahead of Khan at #29: “Ok, I quit.”
As for Beyonce at #6: “I don’t have anything to say about Beyoncé,” Khan said, adding that “she’s a great singer.”
But if you think the Black Twitter backlash was going to go against Khan, you’d have been wrong. While Mariah’s fanbase swooped in to defend their queen, the Black community landed firmly behind Chaka.
After all, this is the woman who first did “I’m Every Woman” the song Whitney remade in 1992 with Khan in the video and Whitney name-checking her on the song as ‘My girl.’
This is the same Chaka Khan that remade (and rearranged) Prince’s song…
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