(l to r) HarbourView head Sherrese Clarke (Photo Credit: HarbourView) and Chaka Khan (Photo Credit: Nick Nelson).

HarbourView has scored a multifaceted partnership agreement, extending to catalog development, “new creative ventures,” and more, with former Rufus lead singer Chaka Khan.  

Newark-based HarbourView and Chicago-born Chaka Khan (real name Yvette Stevens) just recently announced their deal – albeit without shedding light on its hard financials. Despite the lack of specifics in this department, at the top level, the tie-up rather unsurprisingly encompasses the 11-time Grammy winner’s music IP.

According to details shared exclusively with Digital Music News, on the compositional side, HarbourView has taken a stake (both writer’s and publisher’s shares) in many works penned by Khan across her more than 50-year career.

That includes but isn’t limited to a handful of efforts recorded for Rufus albums and for early Khan solo projects like 1978’s Chaka (“Some Love”), 1980’s Naughty (“What You Did”), and 1981’s What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me.

Also part of the package are Khan-written tracks popularized via solo albums such as 1992’s The Woman I Am, 1998’s Prince-produced Come 2 My House, 2007’s Funk This, and 2019’s Hello Happiness.

The investment further features Herbie Hancock’s “The Essence,” Todrick Hall’s “Fabulosity,” “Love Me Still” (which was written for the 1995 Spike Lee film Clockers), Shaggy’s “Get My Party On,” and Quincy Jones’ and Mark Ronson’s “Keep Reachin,’” to name a few.

(An important parenthetical: For a portion of the works, a few included on the above albums, HarbourView seemingly invested in Khan’s income as opposed to the actual compositions themselves.)

Finally, HarbourView has purchased the Rock Hall of Famer’s recorded income stream from the above-noted releases as well as a string of 70s funk hits from Rufus.

Khan’s time as the group’s lead singer brought the release of “Tell Me Something Good,” “You Got the Love” (which Khan co-wrote), “Ain’t Nobody,” and “Once You Get Started,” among many others.

Back to the wider HarbourView-Khan agreement, the parties intend to zero in on “global licensing” and “the development of new creative ventures” to boot.

Though time will tell what said ventures entail, it’s worth noting that the Lion Forge stakeholder HarbourView has been spearheading a number of non-music investments as of late.

Meanwhile, Khan last month dropped a single entitled “Chakzilla” and is preparing to release an album of the same name in September.

In a statement, HarbourView founder and head Sherrese Clarke praised Khan as “an artist whose voice, spirit, and presence have moved effortlessly across generations while never losing their power or soul.”

“She is not only an iconic vocalist,” Clarke continued, “but a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose energy, authenticity, and sense of self continue to inspire. As both a musical force and a fashion icon, Chaka embodies a rare blend of strength, style, and spirit. We are honored to work alongside her as she continues to evolve her legacy in ways that feel as vibrant and resonant as ever.”

And in remarks of her own, Khan applauded the “beautiful group at HarbourView,” which last year bought Slipknot’s catalog.

“Music is the most powerful and generous thing I know, you give it away and somehow it always comes back bigger,” said Khan. “Seeing these songs still finding new ears and new hearts fills me up with joy. This beautiful group at HarbourView gets what my music means, not just as a business, but as a body of love. That matters to me deeply.”