Funk represents a rhythm, in which syncopation is of great importance. It appeared in the late 1960s. Performers such as James Brown and Funkadelic were pioneers of the funk genre. A big role is played by the bass guitar, which plays very complicated musical lines – while the guitar plays only a sharp rhythm.
Because of that infectious rhythm, funk became the cornerstone of disco music, which appeared a few years later. In the beginning, funk was played by blacks, and later in the 1980s a new direction of funk-rock emerged and groups such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction appeared. The elements of jazz, blues and soul are also very present.
It’s impossible to talk about this type of music, not to mention her – the funk queen Chaka Khan.
The wild child of the seventies has been winning the world for four decades with her voice, her huge curly hair and her beauty on stage. The famous funk queen, “little Aretha Franklin”, winner of ten Grammy awards, a woman of divine voice who when you hear, you won’t be able to get a smile off your face.
Early life
This diva was born on March 23, 1953 under the name Yvette Marie Stevens, and was nicknamed Chaka early in her career. Let us explain that nickname to you. Chaka in many African languages means “fire”, which may also be one of the first thoughts on this fantastic singer.
She was born in Chicago and has four other siblings. Her father is a classic representative of the beatnik generation. She grew up in a very dangerous and poor part of Chicago, South Side, which still remains so today. Obviously, musical talent exists in her family, since his sister had a successful music career under the name Taka Boom, and her brother founded the Aurra group, also successfully.
As a child, she sang in the church choir because she grew up in a Catholic family, but she also knew jazz, so Billie Holiday was her biggest role model at the time. Her grandmother instilled in her a love of that kind of music.
Towards the end of the 1960s, she began to take an active interest in the rights of blacks, with her father’s second wife. She even joined the Black Panther Party (BPP). It was an African-American organization of revolutionary socialism, active in the United States from 1966 to 1982. The organization originally advocated the doctrine of armed resistance to social oppression in the interests of African-American justice, although its goals and philosophy changed radically during the party’s existence.
Career
She began her serious music career by the time the disco hit the stage. She changed bands until she finally settled down with the members of the Rufus band. In the 1970s, they released several albums, one in collaboration with Stevie Wonder, experiencing incredible fame and reaching the top of the charts. Along with fame, Chuck comes in contact with narcotics and is nicknamed the Wild Child of the Seventies. Great hits from that period are: “Tell Me Something Good“, “Feel Good”, “Sweet Thing”, “Ain’t Nobody” …
In the early 1980s, she embarked on a solo career with the album “Chaka Khan” and the hit song “Every Woman”. He collaborates with many famous musicians such as Prince, Steve Wonder, Ray Charles, Quincey Jones, George Benson, and Freddie Hubbard. Her career is going uphill, recording big hits, winning Gremies, captivating everyone, and so until the early 1990s, when she moved with her family from New York to London.
She has recorded music for films and series, such as “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, “That 70s Show”, “Doctor Dolittle” … She also tried acting, appearing in large numbers television comedies since the late 1980s. She performed in the musical Mama, I Want to Sing! , and has appeared in several films and series, including The Blues Brothers, 1980 and Malcolm & Eddie, 1999. In May 2011, she received a star on Hollywood Boulevard.
She described her teenage years, struggles with drugs, as well as her rise to fame in her autobiography “Chaka! Through the Fire, ”where she explained that the only music kept her with one foot on the ground and save her from becoming a drug addict.
She has released her first studio album in the last twelve years. “Hello Happiness” comes as successor to the 2007 album “Funk This”.
Chaka Khan Net worth 2024
According to Taddlr, she earned about 30 million dollars in her career. Although it is a very good profit, she did not earn as much as some of her colleagues. Also, her earnings continue to grow as she remains active. And not only did her wealth come from music, but she invested significant funds in real estate and the stock market.
Personal life
With three marriages behind, it can be said that she was not particularly lucky in love. At the age of 18, she left her parents’ home and married Hassan Khan, a young bass player whose last name she still carries today. She was married for the second time briefly in the 1970s, and in the mid-1980s she was in a relationship with her children’s teacher.
He has a daughter Milini and a son Damien Holland. No matter what was going on in her life, she had always been close with her family, especially her sister Yvonne Stevens, who had followed her in everything. Faced with major family problems after more than twenty years of drug and alcohol use, she applies for rehabilitation and relieves addictions.
Humanitarian Foundation
She also used her fame to start a charity called The Chaka Khan Foundation, which provides help to abused children, autistic children, and drug addicts. The goals are clear, just as it says on the foundation’s website: “I understand that I cannot change the world, but I can contribute to society. If I leave this world knowing that I helped a woman break the chain of addiction and abuse, or that one child believed enough to receive the education it deserved, then I can rest in peace. ”
Conclusion
Although she may not have achieved as much fame as let’s say, Tina Turner, you still need to get to know her career and listen to her songs. You will enjoy it for sure!
