They may not be as close as they once were, but John Legend can’t refrain from giving Kanye West his due. At the inception of Legend’s career, West was instrumental in aiding in the development of the singer into a superstar. It was a dynamic Chicago duo that made for great hits and classics that longstanding fans hold tight, and in a chat with Eddie Francis for Apple 1 Music this week, Legend reflected on those early days with a West.
“I’ve just been collaborating with so many dope artists throughout my career. I started with Kanye at G.O.O.D. Music and our whole thing was bringing Hip Hop and Soul together,” said the Grammy winner.
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Legend suggested that those early days were also the catalyst to his working, collaborative relationship with Hip Hop artists.
“I was on a lot of [Kanye’s] tracks... A lot of tracks he was producing for other people.” Still, West made time to work on Legend’s 2004 debut album, Get Lifted. “He was producing my tracks and connecting me with other people in Hip Hop so there’s always been a lot of collaborations in my background.”
The singer also spoke about working on his album with Rick Ross and mentioned the “good chemistry” they have. He said that he and the Florida icon have a “similar” taste.
“I’ve done a thousand tracks with Rick Ross, worked with so many great emcees over the years,” said Legend. “I’ve just always thought collaboration was a great way to make music and when we do it together it can be better than when we do it separately. So I’ve just always had that spirit and that energy and I love working with dope people and we definitely did that with this album.”
Revisit Ye and Legend together below.
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