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American singer-songwriter John Legend recently interviewed with The Times, where he talked about his friendship with rapper Kanye West. As per the article, published on May 10, 2025, Legend stated that West was a completely different person when the pair met in the early 2000s and linked the rapper's "devolution" to his mother's death.
"I don’t think we’re qualified to psychoanalyze him, but after his mother passed in 2007 there was definitely a difference. His descent started then and seems to have accelerated recently," John Legend said (as per The Times).
As per the Daily Mail dated January 11, 2008, rapper Kanye West's mother, Donda West, was suffering from serious coronary artery disease. She died on November 10, 2007, at the age of 58. Donda's death stemmed from complications related to heart disease, combined with multiple postoperative factors after cosmetic surgeries like breast reduction, tummy tuck, and liposuction.
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On May 10, 2025, X user Pop Base shared a post about John Legend's remarks on West linked to The Times interview. The post took the internet by storm as netizens flooded its comment section with their thoughts on the same.
One X user commented that Kanye West's antisemitic comments and recent online behavior stemmed from his "hatred" and had nothing to do with the passing of his mother.
"Please stop using Donda as a crutch. That don’t got nothing to do with the hatred in his heart."
Some X users completely disagreed with Legend's remarks and claimed that Kanye West's downfall was something that the rapper had brought upon himself.
"Kanye ruined his own legacy , we don’t care about him anymore," one user remarked.
"Can they stop bringing up his mom passing like we literally don’t care he’s just a terrible person," another netizen wrote.
"The only thing Kanye’s evolving into is a bigger mess," another X user added.
Some netizens supported Legend's reasoning behind the rapper's descent, adding that the death of West's mother seemed to flip an emotional switch in him.
"We all know this. Once Dr Donda West died, that was the beginning of his downfall... She kept him on his meds and he only listened to her," one X user commented.
"I do agree that Kanye started to switch once his mom passed …I have my reasoning on that but I won’t put the tinfoil hat on,” another netizen remarked.
"John’s right it is sad to watch someone with Kanye’s genius spiral this way. The shift after his mom’s passing was real, but let’s not ignore the emotional chaos that followed, especially during and after his time with Kim Kardashian. That relationship shut him down," another user observed.
John Legend talks about his friendship with Kanye West, says the rapper was "passionate" and "gifted"
In a candid interview with The Times on May 10, 2024, John Legend reflected on his longtime friendship and eventual fallout with rapper and producer Kanye West. The Grammy-winning singer opened up about how painful it was to watch West's transformation over the years, describing him as someone who was once full of passion and creativity.
Legend spoke about the early days of their relationship, recalling the time when West signed him to his G.O.O.D. Music label in 2004.
"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. He had so much optimism, so much creativity. It does feel sad, sometimes shocking, to see where he is now," John Legend explained.
The singer further detailed how their friendship blossomed during the release of Kanye West's critically acclaimed album The College Dropout, which marked a turning point in both their careers.
"Kanye blew up after producing Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint in 2001," John Legend added.
He then revealed that Kanye West "experienced a buzz as a solo artist" and touring with the rapper helped John Legend gain "exposure" not only as West's "singer and keyboard player" but also as an "artist" himself.
"I had been turned down by labels everywhere… Then The College Dropout sold 400,000 copies in its first week... all those people who turned me down suddenly decided that my music sounded a lot better than it did the first time around," he remarked.
However, John Legend acknowledged that the Kanye West he once knew was no longer the same person he once knew, adding that his "obsessions with antisemitism, anti-blackness" were sadly the cause of his "devolution". He also confirmed that their friendship ended in 2022 due to differences in political beliefs.
At present, Kanye West is still actively involved in music, and his song Heil Hitler from his upcoming studio album Cuck was released on May 8, 2025. John Legend is a senior coach on the American TV show The Voice and the Chief Music Officer for Headspace. His latest album, My Favorite Dream, was released on August 30, 2024.
