John Legend and Kanye West.Photo: John Sciulli/Getty; Robin Marchant/Getty
During a Thursday appearance onNew York Magazine’s podcast,On with Kara Swisher, Legend reflected on the West he once knew — and whether he thinks he deserves a second chance.
“I do find him different than he was back then,” Legend, 43, told the host of West, 45, who he worked with on the albumsThe College DropoutandGet Lifted. “I didn’t see hints of this kind of harmful behavior back then but, you know, I think life happens to people, and I think the death of his mother probably had something to do with this.”
He continued, “I don’t want to play armchair psychologist, but he’s definitely changed, and a lot of us who have known him over the years are really concerned about it.”
Later, the host asked whether Legend was still in touch with the “Flashing Lights” rapper — and if he was making an effort to get him help.
“Well, I know people in his life that are, but we have lost touch,” he said. “We have not been friends for a while now, and so I’m not personally doing anything, but I do know people who are, and a lot of people are concerned about him.”
Last month, West shared in now-deleted social media posts that he wanted to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
HisTwitter account was later restrictedafter one of his tweets violated the company’s rules. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) also called out West’s language for perpetuating “antisemitic tropes like greed and control,” writing in a statement: “Kanye Westshould figure out how to make a point without using antisemitism. Over the last week, the musician has fomented hatred of Jews.”
“So you said it knowing it’s racist?” Morgan asked, to which West replied: “Yes. I fought fire with fire.”
Later in the interview, West offered an apology. “I will say I’m sorry for the people that I hurt,” he said. “I feel like I cause hurt and confusion, and I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through and that I use my platform where you say, ‘Hurt people hurt people,’ and I was hurt.”
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In the interview with Swisher, however, Legend condemned anti-Semitism, saying “we need to be clear about how insidious and nasty anti-Semitism is and has been for centuries.”
“It’s cropped up in societies all over the world, and it’s made life very difficult for Jews all over the world for a long time,” said Legend. “And it is not some news discovery. It’s not some innovation in hate.”
Still, Legend added that there’s “always a place for forgiveness.”
“I believe that the forgiver needs to forgive, you know? Like it’s better for you, the person that feels like they’ve been harmed, to be able to forgive,” he said. “Because if you can’t do that, it’s a weight on your life. And so I believe in forgiveness in general. That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t face consequences for what they do wrong, but I also do believe in forgiveness.”
source: people.com
