John Legend Says He Won't Perform With Kanye West Again, Cites Ye's 'Long Campaign of Hate'
The former G.O.O.D. Music singer tells Bootleg Kev the stage is off the table, but he is open to talking with Ye man to man.
Don't expect a John Legend pop-out at a Ye show anytime soon.
On The Bootleg Kev Podcast, Kev brought up Ye's recent homecoming shows, where Lauryn Hill and Big Sean reportedly made appearances, and asked whether Legend could ever patch things up. Legend's answer was direct. "I don't see myself performing with him, but I'm happy to talk to him and, like, just connect on a human level. We haven't done that in years," he said.
Legend made it clear the issue isn't personal. He said what Ye said about him "really wasn't that big of a deal." What keeps him off that stage, he explained, is the hate Ye directed at Black people and Jewish people, which he described as "a long campaign of hate" that Ye still needs to atone for. Being on stage with him, Legend said, would feel like being part of that.
Read More: John Legend Reportedly Says Jay-Z Once Told Him 'You're Our Voice'
He still gave Ye his flowers for the early days, crediting him for signing him to G.O.O.D. Music, making Get Lifted together and putting him on records before he had a deal.
It lines up with what Legend told Complex last week, when he said Ye's Wall Street Journal apology was not enough to cover the harm and that any talk between them would be private, not a public reunion. Ye has not publicly responded to the latest comments.
Legend is out promoting Muse, his Pharrell-produced album that dropped Oct. 23.
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Sources: XXL on X, The Bootleg Kev Podcast on YouTube, Complex
Watch the full interview: John Legend on The Bootleg Kev Podcast
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