Chaka Khan trashed Joan Baez, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige & Ariana Grande
On New Year’s Day, Rolling Stone published their “200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list and people fought about it for days. I skipped it – I didn’t even look at the list, nor did I care enough about who was placed where. As I get older, those listicles of “the greatest whatever” are just stupid – all art is subjective, everyone has different tastes and the online stan wars are too crazy. Well, Chaka Khan feels differently. Khan was recently interviewed on The Originals podcast and she was asked about the list. RS put her at #29. She took pains to emphasize how her ranking doesn’t validate her in any way, but she still had sh-t to say about the rankings of some of her fellow musical artists.
On New Year’s Day, in what seemed an early birthday gift for the “I’m Every Woman” singer, Rolling Stone awarded Khan a high perch on its “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list, putting her at #29—a great neighborhood, it would seem, with David Bowie three positions behind and Paul McCartney just three ahead and Khan leaving such icons as Diana Ross (#87), Janice Joplin (#78), Tina Turner (#55) and Mick Jagger (#52) in the dust. This is not to mention Celine Dion, whose snub caused the Canadian chanteuse’s fans to take to the streets and picket the magazine’s Manhattan offices.
In the latest episode of The Originals, the award-winning podcast from Los Angeles, Khan—who may be entitled to be henceforth also known as the “Queen of Candor”—reveals her personal thoughts on Rolling Stone’s list. Apparently, the very existence of the magazine’s list was unknown to the legendary singer before the podcast’s host, Andrew Goldman, congratulated her on being included.
“I didn’t even know what the hell you were talking about, so obviously this don’t mean a great deal to me,” she told him. “These people don’t quantify or validate me in any way.”
Nevertheless, Khan was curious to hear who else appeared in the top 200. Some of Rolling Stone’s decisions struck her as apt, like granting Aretha Franklin the top spot (“As she f–king should be”) and including Joan Baez on the bubble, at #189 (“let’s be honest, the bitch cannot sing. Now, she was a good writer.”) In granting Mariah Carey the #5 spot, however, Khan suspects the kind of industry chicanery that has long dogged the singer (“That must be payola or some sh-t like that.”).
It was Adele’s inclusion, a few spaces ahead of Khan at #22, that brought on a momentary existential crisis. (“Okay, I quit.”) However, nothing seemed to prepare Khan for the news that longtime frenemy Mary J. Blige appears on the list just ahead of her, at #25. Khan remarked on Rolling Stone’s editors. “They are blind as a motherf–king bat! They need hearing aids…These must be the children of Helen Keller!”
The history: Though decades ago in concert, Khan had been known to introduce the 1975 Rufus ballad, “Sweet Thing” as “the song Mary J. Blige f–ked up” after the “queen of hip-hop soul” covered the song for her 1992 debut album. The pair appeared to have been enjoying a long détente, and Blige even sang on Khan’s 2007 song, “Funk This.” Now thanks to Rolling Stone, that truce may have run its course.
To the Rolling Stone editor who put Blige before Khan: Welcome to Chaka’s special s-list. Here you’ll join Ariana Grande, who failed to appear in in the same studio as Khan to record their duet “Nobody” for the 2019 Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, a snub that still stings. Khan explained: “I would never have somebody come sing on my motherf–king project without me knowing them.”
Give Chaka Khan the microphone more often, not just to sing, but to gossip. I’ve said this before, but I love it when older celebrities get to the point where all they do is trash everyone and talk sh-t. More people should give interviews like this, especially when they have f–k you money and a significant lack of f–ks left to give. Mariah Carey = payola! Ariana = disrespectful! Mary J. = f–ked up Chaka’s song. Joan Baez = the bitch who cannot sing!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Chaka Khan arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Charlie’s Angels’ held at the Westwood Regency Theater on November 11, 2019 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 540914992, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon 
BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 09: Chaka Khan arrives at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 563496841, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / AvalonncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWhmbYJ5e8KhmKSZj6C1orq%2Bramaq5iasaC2zpqlmJqRmsegucCroJqgj5ius7HYmKSaqqmUt6Cuy6KenpeRp7aiusCYnquZnpmycA%3D%3D