Chaka Khan on finally joining the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
nypost.comwill be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Nov. 3. And having been nominated seven times before — four times with Rufus and three times as a solo artist — in the performer category, her Musical Excellence Award is overdue recognition for the Queen of Funk.But as one of the most important and impactful R&B divas of her generation, Khan, 70, is keeping it all in perspective. “I don’t live for prizes or trophies,” the 10-time Grammy winner tells Alexa. “That’s not why I do what I do.
I do what I do because I have to, you know what I’m saying? God gave me this gift to use. It’s not a competition.”In 1975, Khan had her breakout hit with Rufus, “Tell Me Something Good,” which Stevie Wonder wrote for her. “He wrote a few songs that I didn’t like, and I asked him for something else,” she recalls. “And finally, he said to me, ‘What’s your birth sign?’ I said, ‘Aries.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I know the song for you!’ ”Wonder would also end up playing harmonica on Khan’s biggest solo hit, 1984’s “I Feel for You,” which was a groundbreaking mix of R&B and hip-hop, featuring rapper Melle Mel.
But she was embarrassed about the MC’s repetition of her name in the song. “I love rap, but I never thought I’d be subject matter for any rapper,” she says with a laugh.Khan would also develop a special relationship with Prince, who originally recorded and released “I Feel for You” in 1979. “We both influenced each other’s careers,” she says. “I influenced him while he was an up-and-coming artist; he used to tell me that all the time.
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