Years after Kanye West sampled her classic “Through the Fire” for his breakthrough single “Through the Wire,” Chaka Khan has had a change of heart about the rapper’s use of the track.
West initially released “Through the Wire” in 2004, featuring a pitched-up sample of Khan’s 1984 single. Since then, the R&B singer, whose son convinced her to clear the sample, has repeatedly claimed that she never heard from him about how he planned to use the song for his track. In 2020, she referred to it as an “insult,” and just last year, she claimed that she was “upset about sounding like a chipmunk,” since he never said he intended to alter the pitch.
In a recent interview, she now says that she doesn’t hold onto the grudge she had against West, and understands that altering songs in samples is simply a part of hip-hop culture that she didn’t comprehend.
“That was my fault, too, for feeling salty about that in any way,” she told Rolling Stone. “Because if I understood the rap game more completely, like I do now, then that wouldn’t have been a big deal to me.” When asked if it bothers her to this day, she responded, “No, I’m done. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.”
Khan released “Through the Wire” to moderate success in the 1980s, with the track peaking at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. West’s single, a reflection on a car accident that nearly took his life, was an entry point for the rapper as a solo artist. Widely acclaimed for its soulful production and personal lyrics, “Through the Wire” hit No. 15 on the same chart.
