"What else you got?" — Chaka Khan recalls rejecting Stevie Wonder's offered song

Chaka Khan recently opened up about a pivotal moment in her career. In a candid interview with The Independent published on June 11, 2024, she recalled the time she rejected a song offered by the popular Stevie Wonder.

The artist spoke about her time with the band Rufus and shed light on when Wonder personally visited the studio when the group was working on some music. During his visit, he offered them an unrecorded song, which was titled Come and Get This Stuff, and speaking about her reaction, Khan said:

"And I told Stevie, 'I don't like it – what else you got?"

Chaka Khan was then asked how often she thought Stevie Wonder had heard what she had to say, and she mentioned that she believes in being truthful.

"I don’t think he ever heard that at all. But I wasn’t thinking about that. I just tell the truth all the time, and I can’t help it. It upsets people sometimes. But hell, if the truth upsets you I can’t really help that," Khan added.

Yvette Marie Stevens, also known as Chaka Khan, is an American singer, who is often referred to as the "Queen of Funk." Her career took off in the 1970s and she was the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Her hits include Through the Fire, Missing You, Ain't Nobody, Tell Me Something Good, and Stay among others.

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Chaka Khan recalls Stevie Wonder playing a song for her on the keyboard

Chaka Khan (Image via Getty Images)

In her interview with The Independent, Khan spoke about the time when Stevie Wonder approached her with a song he had penned, eager to collaborate with the vocalist. The artist mentioned she declined the offer, citing her commitment to staying true to herself and her artistic vision.

Khan further spoke about a sweet moment she shared with Wonder when he asked about her birth sign and suggested that he had a song for her.

"Stevie said, 'What's your birth sign?' Aries. 'Oh, I got the song for you…' And then he started playing that 'wakka-wakka' on the keyboard, and – bam! – there it was," Khan recalled.

She said this with reference to Tell Me Something Good, the popular group's 1974 track penned by Stevie Wonder. The song ranked in the Top 3 on Billboard’s chart the same year. This was the first and only song credited to Rufus, as later, the label changed the group's name to Rufus and Chaka Khan.

Stevie Wonder, an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer (Image via Getty Images)

Reflecting on this decision, Khan told The Independent that she was "totally against" it and added:

"That caused a huge rift in how the band felt about me. I was totally against it and made that very clear. But the label said, 'Go along with it, or forget it.' Of course, I had to ride the pony, for everybody's sake."

She continued:

"But it broke my heart for them to feel secondary to me. We'd all been equals. But something beautiful died during that second album, Rags to Rufus, and people are still recovering from what happened. I love those guys. But we can't talk straight like we used to anymore."

Rags to Rufus was released in May 1974, and it included tracks like You Got the Love, I Got the Right Street, Walkin' in the Sun, Rags to Rufus, and more. Chaka Khan then left Rufus to start her solo career and signed a deal with Warner Bros. She released Chaka, her debut solo album on October 12, 1978.