John Legend Criticizes Kanye West for Antisemitism and Anti-Blackness

John Legend has expressed his disappointment and concern regarding the disturbing behavior of his former friend and business partner, Kanye West.

Legend, commenting on West’s previous enthusiasm for his work, criticized the controversial rapper for promoting “antisemitism” and “anti-blackness.”

John Legend also hinted that things seemingly went south for Kanye West since he lost his mom in 2007.

During an interview with The Times of London, Legend expressed his concerns about West’s troubling behavior. He observed West’s shift towards what he labeled as “antisemitism” and “anti-blackness” with a sense of dismay and regret over their former friendship.

Reflecting on their past relationship, Legend reminisced about a time when Kanye was deeply passionate, exceptionally talented, and filled with ambitious aspirations not only for himself but for those in his circle. Legend recalled West’s abundant optimism and immense creativity, making the current situation all the more disheartening and surprising.

The “All Of Me” hitmaker had a working relationship with West after the rapper signed him to his GOOD Music label in 2004.

Having worked closely with the father-of-four, Legend witnessed West’s rise and fall firsthand. In his new interview, he explained how the rapper had a hand in putting his career on the right path.

“Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z’s album ‘The Blueprint’ in 2001,” Legend explained. “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.”

He continued, “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, and all those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time around.”

They seemingly severed ties after West went public with his support for Donald Trump in 2022, yet Legend said he didn’t expect things to tank with West as much as they did.

“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 said.

He added, “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.”

West has notably hurled several anti-semitic remarks on his social media platform, writing things like, “I’m a Nazi,” and claiming that Hitler was “so fresh.”

He recently released a new single called “Heil Hitler,” with art that resembles a swastika, and has also featured the sign on his Yeezy merch.

During a recent interview with Piers Morgan, West stormed off midway through the sit-down just as the broadcaster wanted to ask him why he has become “vile” online.

“UPDATE: I interviewed Kanye West again today. As I expected, given what I’ve said about him recently, it didn’t last long or go well,” Morgan captioned a screenshot of West from the moment.

“This was him right before he stomped off like a big baby before I could ask him why he’s become a vile, Hitler-loving, Nazi-slathering, antisemitic pr–k,” he added before sharing the footage on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”