Latest Release
- JAN 27, 2023
- 1 Song
- The Very Best Of Rufus (feat. Chaka Khan) · 1975
- Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 · 1983
- I Feel for You · 1984
- Rags to Rufus · 1974
- I Feel for You · 1984
- Reasonable Woman · 2020
- Masterjam · 1979
- Chaka · 1978
- Set It Off (Music From the New Line Cinema Motion Picture) · 1996
- What Cha' Gonna Do for Me · 1981
Essential Albums
- In the transition from the ‘70s to the ‘80s, few R&B artists showed as much willingness to adapt as Chaka Khan. Her fearlessness paid off with 1984’s I Feel For You, the most successful album of her career. Rather than rest on snappy new-wave soul of her last few albums — let alone the bubbly disco funk of Rufus, whose music now seems ancient in comparison to I Feel For You — Khan and producers Arif Mardin and David Foster wholeheartedly embrace modern sounds while retaining the high musical standard of Chaka’s past efforts. The shiny, mechanized grooves of “This Is My Night” and “My Love Is Alive” are brought to life by Khan’s vivacious singing. The new production techniques give extra dramatic flair to “Stronger Than Before,” and especially “Through the Fire,” one of the most smoldering ballads of the mid-‘80s. All of the album’s aspects come together on the title song. Written by Prince, it features Stevie Wonder on harmonica and rapping by Grandmaster Melle Mel. Leave it to Chaka Khan to unite three generations of R&B innovators for the purpose of one perfectly wrought pop song.
- Chaka Khan’s third album with Rufus proved that commercial and artistic success needed not be mutually exclusive. As the band perfected its blend of pop, funk and disco, they continued to retain a high caliber of songwriting and instrumentation. Chaka Khan’s importance to the band cannot be overstated. She gives every song soul and guts, and makes every performance utterly convincing. “Fool’s Paradise,” “Ooh I Like Your Loving” and “Circles” are brilliant productions that combine complex arrangements with Chaka’s vibrant vocals, while “Have a Good Time” and “Everybody Has an Aura” reprise the hard-hitting funk of the band’s early years. A reading of the Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’” shows Chaka’s ability to squeeze the sex from any song, but as a whole, the album is more of a showcase for her gentle side. “Little Boy Blue” is a poignant love note to a man lost in addiction, but the real showstopper is “Sweet Thing.” Over a slippery, minimalist guitar riff, Chaka offers the sweetest evocation of lovelorn delirium.
- 2004
Artist Playlists
- Disco anthems and relaxed funk from this R&B icon.
- Her explorations of funk and soul never dry up.
Live Albums
- Quincy Jones & Mark Ronson
More To Hear
- Her run with Rufus was funky, but in 1978 a pop diva emerged.
About Chaka Khan
While she’s known as “the queen of funk,” singer Chaka Khan has also been an important figure in soul and R&B during a career spanning five decades. • Chaka Khan and her sister Taka Boom performed together in various groups as young women, including the Crystalettes and Shades of Black. They were also active in the Black Panther Party in their native Chicago. • She has said the name Chaka Khan was given to her by a Yoruba priest she met as a teenager. • Khan sang in the funk band Rufus from 1972 to 1983 and made a splash on their 1974 single “Tell Me Something Good,” which climbed to No. 3 on the pop and R&B charts. Stevie Wonder wrote the song, which won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group, or Chorus. • She was the first to record “I’m Every Woman,” for her 1978 solo debut, and the song reached the top of Billboard’s R&B chart. Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin would later record the tune. • Her 1984 single “I Feel for You” is considered the first crossover hits to fuse hip-hop and R&B, thanks to an iconic opening rap from Melle Mel. The song won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance. • In 1989, she teamed with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones on a version of “I’ll Be Good to You,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group. • The singer competed briefly on Dancing With the Stars in 2015 and The Masked Singer in 2020. • She has won 10 Grammys throughout her career, with 22 nominations.
- HOMETOWN
- Chicago, IL, United States
- BORN
- March 23, 1953
- GENRE
- R&B/Soul