Chaka Khan Says Kanye’s ‘Through The Wire’ Sample Was “Stupid”

Chaka Khan has a voice, and the attitude to match. She’s never been one to hold back, and on Watch What Happens Live, she lived up to her persona.

Andy Cohan asked Khan about how she felt about Kanye sampling her song “Through the Fire” for “Through the Wire.” Kanye’s version, which was released in 2004, was created after Kanye’s car accident where his jaw was wired shut. In the clip below, Khan revealed that Kanye told her she was an inspiration through the healing process.

“He called me when he just got out of the hospital,” she began telling the story. “He said, ‘You were so instrumental in my healing process. I changed the words a little bit to the song but I had to eat through a wire. Jaws wired shut through a straw.’ It meant that much to me. It really got my heart, tugged at my string. I was like, yeah, use it”

However, Khan wasn’t too happy with the final version, s she told Cohen “I was pissed.” She continued with “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.’”

Check out both versions, and the clip below.