Chaka Khan shaded Mariah Carey and Adele’s singing abilities during a recent interview.
While talking to Andrew Goldman for his “The Originals” podcast, which aired on Wednesday, the music legend – real name Yvette Stevens – was asked for her reaction to being ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time earlier this year.
After Goldman noted that Carey was placed at number five on the controversial list, Khan jokingly alleged the “Fantasy” singer may have bribed someone at the magazine.
“That must be payola or some s**t like that,” she said.
As for Adele landing at number 22 and Mary J. Blige ranking at 25, Khan commented, “OK, I quit.”
“These are blind b######! They are blind as a m############ bat! They need hearing aids… These must be the children of Helen Keller!” the 69-year-old continued.
In addition, she disagreed with Rolling Stone editors over Joan Baez being included at number 189.
“Let’s be honest, the b**ch cannot sing!” she said, adding: “Now, she was a good writer.”
Elsewhere, Khan was pleased to learn Aretha Franklin topped the list at number one, and Whitney Houston was placed second.
“Great… I’m the one who introduced her to Clive (Davis, music producer). And I introduced her to the business,” she recalled. “I made her mother bring her down to the studio and sing background with me. Her and Luther Vandross. They both sang background for me on my albums.”
She is also a fan of Beyoncé’s voice.
“I don’t have anything to say about Beyoncé. She’s a great singer… She’s got the chops. She does,” the Queen of Funk added.
But despite Khan’s criticisms, she insisted that she doesn’t pay any attention to the media.
“I didn’t even know what the hell you were talking about, so obviously, this doesn’t mean a great deal to me,” she added. “These people don’t quantify or validate me in any way.”
