John Legend Laments The ‘Devolution’ Of Former Pal Kanye West

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

Legend, who noted that West used to be so “passionate” about his craft, slammed the controversial rapper for pushing “antisemitism” and “anti-blackness.”

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

Legend recently shared his thoughts on West’s unsettling antics. In an interview with The Times of London, the singer described watching West’s descent into what he characterized as “antisemitism” and “anti-blackness” as “shocking” and “sad,” before going on to lament their past friendship.

“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 recalled. “He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now.”

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.”