John Legend looks back at Kanye West’s ‘decline’

John Legend and Kanye West had close ties until the latter’s behaviour spiralled out of control.

This, the All of Me singer said, happened after the death of Ye’s mother Donda West, with whom he shared a strong bond.

“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,” he told The Times.

The Grammy winner said a 47-year-old in his early career “has had so much optimism, so much creativity.”

But now, the father-of-four, who signed a record deal with the Donda hitmaker’s GOOD Music record label in 2004, says, “It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.”

While weighing in on his views on Judaism and Adolf Hitler, John 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.”

In 2022, John cut ties with Kanye after he backed Donald Trump. He explained at the time that the political tension between them “became too much for us to sustain.”

“I’d rather be my authentic self than put on a mask or betray my principles. And if I lose a few fans here and there, I’ll be fine,” he previously told The Independent.