John Legend is opening up about his relationship with Ye.
The singer sat down with Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning to promote the North American leg of his 40-city world tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Lifted and was asked about some of the comments his longtime collaborator (formerly Kanye West) has said about him.
“He was very obsessed with the sweaters, and he said I smell like mashed potatoes,” Legend said of Ye’s comments during an interview with DJ Akademiks a few months back. “What kind of potatoes? Cheesy, garlic? … All of it makes me sad, though. All of it does. And it’s not for me, because obviously, I smell great.”
Legend added: “It never affects me personally, but just the whole story is sad. Like, seeing this guy praise Hitler, seeing this guy be this force of hate and just vitriol and nastiness. Somebody who has made some of the great art of this century as an artist, as a performer, as a fashion designer, all of the things that he’s done to make the world more beautiful and interesting and then for him to be this now, it’s sad.”
Legend was then asked about their early years working together, and the “Ordinary People” singer had nothing but great memories and said those days were inspiring.
“He was full of so much energy and creativity and optimism and we really believed that we were starting a new movement in music, and being a part of that was inspiring,” he recalled. “It was truly inspiring. That’s why it’s sad now because we did amazing things together as a collective, as a movement. Just think about all the amazing music that came from it. The G.O.O.D. Fridays, all the things that happen during the first 10 years of his career, just thrilling and to be part of that was amazing. I have no regrets. Even though he’s gone completely left now, I’m so glad that we did what we did together.”
Back in the spring, Ye was interviewed by DJ Akademiks while donning a black Ku Klux Klan robe and hood and he said Legend always wears sweaters no matter the weather and smells like mashed potatoes.
You can watch Legend’s full Hot 97 interview below.