US musician John Legend has said he is “sad” to see what has happened to former friend and collaborator Kanye West.
The 47-year-old rapper, who now goes by the name Ye, has displayed erratic behaviour and made controversial social media posts including some of an antisemitic nature.
Legend, 46, was among the first artists West signed to his Good Music label in the early 2000s, and the rapper was an executive producer on his 2004 debut album, Get Lifted.
Speaking to the Times, Legend, known for his solo hits and collaborations with Sam Smith and Ariana Grande, 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.”
Earlier in the year calls were made to X owner Elon Musk to remove West from the social media platform over a string of offensive tweets.
In 2018, West gave an explosive interview to US outlet TMZ where he said slavery “sounds like a choice”.
At the Grammy Awards in February, he caused controversy on the red carpet with his wife, Australian model Bianca Censori, wearing a transparent dress.
West and Kim Kardashian, who have four children together, finalised their divorce in 2022.
“Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint in 2001,” Legend 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 (West’s debut studio album) 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.”
In 2022, Legend told The Axe Files podcast that he did not agree with West’s decision to run for public office and added that it had become difficult for them to “sustain our friendship”.
He told The Times: “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.”
