John Legend‘s candor about Kanye West‘s “devolution” came with a fair amount of sadness and gratitude, given that the controversial rapper was once his mentor. The singer got candid while talking to The Times about his closeness with West, who now goes by Ye, and the latter’s “descent” over the past decade. Legend believes the rapper, who aided in kick-starting his career, changed after his mom died in 2007. Moreover, his backslide has seemingly “accelerated recently,” especially in light of his disturbing tweets on X (formerly Twitter).
John Legend finds Kanye West’s decline ‘sometimes shocking’
John Legend reportedly fell out with Kanye West in 2022 after he came out in support of Republican President Donald Trump. However, he believes that West’s “descent” began long before he began supporting Trump or selling swastika T-shirts on his website or wearing a black Ku Klux Klan-like outfit for an interview. Legend revealed to The Times about witnessing a shift in the rapper after his mom’s death in 2007. “His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently,” he told the publication.
However, as fans who have known him from the outset of his ground-breaking music career, the “All of Me” singer apprised that West wasn’t always like that. Legend even recalled that his former friend was extremely “passionate,” “gifted,” and “had big dreams” for himself and “all the people around him.” Things have changed since then, with the rapper and his music career spiraling downward. The interviewee told the news outlet that he never saw any signs of West’s “obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness,” and how “sad” his devolution makes him.
Nevertheless, John Legend seemed to have ample gratitude for Kanye West and his role in jump-starting his legendary music career. West was the first to sign the Grammy winner to his level when he had considerable “optimism” and “creativity,” and somewhat revolutionized the industry. “It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now,” Legend said about the rapper’s decline, who helped him get the much-needed exposure. He also remembered and mulled over their time together.
West has been in the spotlight again, especially after his rants on X (formerly Twitter), attacking the Kardashians. Some of his previous posts also targeted Jay-Z and Beyonce’s family and made a disturbing revelation about his incestuous relationship with his convicted cousin.
Originally reported by Nikita Mahato on Reality Tea.
