Latest news with #TheBlueprint
Hans India
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
John Legend reflects on Kanye West's decline: ‘It's shocking to see where he is now'
Grammy-winning jazz musician John Legend has expressed his sorrow over the dramatic transformation of his former friend and business partner, rapper Kanye West. Speaking candidly in an interview with The Times of London, Legend shared his shock at how West, once a prolific and passionate artist, has evolved into a figure defined by controversy and divisiveness. Legend reminisced about their early days together, recalling how West was a visionary with a boundless sense of optimism and creativity. 'Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him,' Legend said. 'He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.' In the mid-2000s, West played a pivotal role in turning around Legend's career. After being turned down by multiple labels, Legend was signed to West's label, GOOD Music, in 2004. The partnership not only gave Legend exposure but also allowed him to witness firsthand the meteoric rise of West, who was already making waves with his production on Jay-Z's The Blueprint and his own solo albums like The College Dropout. Legend explained how the success of The College Dropout, which sold 400,000 copies in its first week, turned the tables for both of them, making Legend a sought-after artist in his own right. However, despite their professional achievements, the two friends drifted apart after a public falling-out in 2022, when West voiced his support for former U.S. President Donald Trump. While Legend had hoped for a resolution, he never anticipated the further escalation of West's behavior, particularly his recent embrace of harmful ideologies. '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,' Legend admitted. He speculated that the passing of West's mother in 2007 marked a turning point in his life, with a noticeable shift in his behavior that has only accelerated in recent years. As the world watches Kanye West's increasingly controversial public persona, John Legend's reflection offers a somber look at the downfall of a once-promising artist who once inspired hope and creativity.
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
John Legend talks Kanye West's fall from grace
John Legend is reflecting on what he calls the "descent" of his former friend and collaborator Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. In a candid interview with The Times published on Saturday, the EGOT-winning singer opened up about the painful shift in Kanye's personality and politics over the years. "Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him," Legend said, recalling the early 2000s when their creative partnership blossomed. Kanye played a pivotal role in launching Legend's career, featuring him on 2004's The College Dropout and later signing him to G.O.O.D. Music. That early bond, though once defined by artistic synergy and mutual admiration, began to fray as Kanye moved deeper into public controversy. Their relationship suffered after Ye's vocal support for Donald Trump in 2016 and ultimately broke down during his 2020 presidential run. But for Legend, what's most painful isn't the political disagreement, but watching someone he once admired become a purveyor of hate. "I didn't see a hint of what we're seeing now," Legend said. "His obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness; it is sad to see his devolution." Ye has drawn widespread condemnation in recent years for antisemitic comments and inflammatory online behaviour. In 2022, he praised Adolf Hitler in interviews, tweeted a swastika merged with a Star of David, and said, "I like Hitler" on far-right conspiracy theory outlet Infowars, resulting in multiple platform bans. Most recently, he claimed his new single, Hitler, was banned from all digital platforms. He's also shown public support for embattled figures like Diddy, who is currently facing sex trafficking charges. Legend is clear that he's not here to psychoanalyse his former friend, but he does suspect a key turning point: the death of Kanye's mother, Donda, in 2007. "His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently," he said. Still, Legend hasn't forgotten Ye's early influence. "Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z's The Blueprint in 2001," he recalled. "Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, suddenly everyone wanted to know who I was." Now, though, that shared origin story is shadowed by what Legend sees as a tragic unravelling. "It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now," he said.
Buzz Feed
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
John Legend On Kanye West's Downfall
If you watch a Kanye West live performance from the early 2000s, it's possible that you might spot a young John Legend somewhere in the background. Yep, long before he was the EGOT winner he is today, John got his big break thanks to his close ties to Kanye, serving as his backing singer and keyboard player. For many years, John and Kanye were incredibly close, both professionally and personally, as were their wives, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen. However, around the time Kanye first publicly endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, it seems a rift began to form between the two artists. In 2018, Kanye memorably shared a screenshot of a text exchange between himself and John where the All Of Me singer was encouraging him to 'reconsider aligning' himself with Trump. 'You're way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for…So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now because they know the harm that Trump's policies cause, especially to people of color,' one of John's messages read. 'Don't let this be part of your legacy.' At the time, Kanye said he shared the private texts online 'to show that there are people around [him] that disagree with [him] and voice their opinion.' As we know, Kanye's problematic behavior only got worse over the years, resulting in his divorce from Kim in early 2021. Since then, the rapper's vitriolic hate speech online has rightfully left his reputation in ruins. Now, commenting on his former collaborator's public downfall during a new interview with the UK Times, John considered the drastic changes in Kanye's personality since they first met as budding artists. 'Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him. He had so much optimism, so much creativity,' he said. '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.' The Oscar-winning artist also acknowledged how his proximity to Kanye in the early 2000s took his career to the next level after being 'turned down by labels everywhere.' 'Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z's album The Blueprint in 2001,' he said. 'Then he experienced a buzz as a solo artist and the whole time I was traveling with him, doing shows with him, getting exposure not only as his singer and keyboard player, but also as an artist myself. Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp.' He added: 'All those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round.' It's no secret that Kanye was deeply impacted by the death of his mother, Donda West, in November 2007. Notably, John weighed in on the widely theorized belief that 'there was definitely a difference' in Kanye from that point onwards in terms of his problematic behavior. 'His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently,' he said.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Legend on Kanye West's 'Descent': It's 'Sad, Sometimes Shocking to See Where He Is Now'
John Legend didn't anticipate Kanye West's 'descent.' The two artists used to have a strong personal and professional relationship after they began working together on music in the early 2000s. However, the two have since gone their separate ways, and Legend admitted in a Saturday profile with The Times that 'it does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where [West] is now.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Johnny Rodriguez, Hispanic Country Music Star and "That's the Way Love Goes" Singer, Dies at 73 Dump Truck Crashes Into Whisky a Go Go Music Venue on Sunset Strip SoundCloud Says It "Has Never Used Artist Content to Train AI Models" After Backlash on Terms of Service Change 'Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him,' the 13-time Grammy Award winner recalled of his time working with West. 'He had so much optimism, so much creativity… 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.' Legend added that while he doesn't 'think we're qualified to psychoanalyze him,' he began noticing a 'difference' in the 'Stronger' rapper after the death of his mother in 2007. 'His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently,' he said. Even though they aren't close anymore, partly because of West's support of Donald Trump, Legend acknowledged his influence on the trajectory of his career as an artist who had previously 'been turned down by labels everywhere.' 'Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z's album The Blueprint in 2001,' he said. 'Then he experienced a buzz as a solo artist and the whole time I was travelling with him, doing shows with him, getting exposure not only as his singer and keyboard player but also as an artist myself. I had been turned down by labels everywhere. Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week, everyone wanted to know what was happening in our camp.' Legend added, 'All those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time round.' In recent years, West's career has taken a turn as he has continued to make aggressive antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks. Most recently, he made headlines after firing off controversial and antisemitic tweets, including praising Adolf Hitler, identifying as a Nazi, promoting a Yeezy T-shirt design with a swastika, denouncing the #MeToo movement and reigniting his controversial comments on slavery. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
John Legend slams former mentor Kanye West and rapper's 'sad devolution'
Singer John Legend has commented on his former friendship with Kanye West as it's revealed why the pair no longer see eye to eye due to rapper's vile comments about Hitler Singer John Legend has spoken out on Kanye West's "sad devolution" along with cutting comments about the rapper. John reminisced on his friendship with the music star as well as explaining the reasons for their fallout. He first described Kanye as "passionate" and "gifted" before going onto say what he thinks about Kanye's most recent work which includes a song which samples Adolf Hitler's speech from 1935. John's own music career first launched when he was signed by Kanye to his label. However, the duo are no longer close as Kanye started selling swastika T-shirts on his website and wore a black Ku Klux Klan hood to an interview. John said that his demise "does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now". The Times reported that John said: "Back then Kanye was very passionate, very gifted, and he had big dreams not only for himself but also for all the people around him. He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now." West first rose to fame when he produced Jay-Z's album The Blueprint in 2001 before going on to be a solo artist where John also travelled with him. Despite falling out with Kanye in 2022 when the rapper came out in support of Donald Trump, John explained that he still owes him a lot for how far he has come in his own career. "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," John said. Despite not knowing the reason for how Kanye is now, he thinks it could come down to the loss of his mother, explaining: "I don't think we're qualified to psychoanalyse him, but after his mother passed in 2007 there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently." This comes as Kanye released a vile new song on VE Day which samples Adolf Hitler's speech from 1935. The song, called Heil Hitler (Hooligan Version), was shared on the controversial rapper's X/ Twitter account and featured a video showing shirtless men wearing animal fur. The song ended with the Hitler speech, which translates to: "Whether you think my work is right, whether you believe that I have been diligent. That I have worked, that I have stood up for you during these years, that I have used my time decently in the service of my people. You cast your vote now, if yes, then stand up for me as I stood up for you." The music video began with Kanye rapping: "These people took my kids from me and they froze my bank account." Kanye was referring to the children he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian. He has claimed he hasn't been allowed to see his children and said he became a Nazi because of the custody battle with Kim. He rapped: "With all of my money and fame I still don't get to see my children / N****s see my Twitter but they don't see how I be feeling / So I became a Nazi, yeah b***h, I'm the villain."
