John Legend opened up about former close collaborator and label head Ye’s latest antics.
On Saturday, The London Times published an interview with Legend, in which he spoke about his relationship with the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Legend met Ye in 2001, and they became collaborators. According to the singer, Ye was a very different person from what we’re seeing now.
“Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him,” said Legend in the interview. “He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.”
Legend then recalled how he stood by Ye’s side when he blew up after producing on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint in 2001 and how everything changed once Ye’s first album, The College Dropout, came out in 2004.
“Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp, and all those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round,” said Legend. “I didn’t see a hint of what we’re seeing now, his obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness, and it is sad to see his devolution.”
He continued, “I don’t think we’re qualified to psychoanalyze him, but after his mother passed in 2007, there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently.”
The relationship between Legend and Ye fizzled out when the latter began endorsing President Donald Trump. According to Legend, both men are doing their own thing.
“I just think we’re doing our own thing,” Legend said during an interview. “We’ve both got growing families, and I no longer have a formal business relationship with him as an artist, so I think it’s just part of the natural cycle of life.”
