Us ordinary people aren’t the only ones completely confused by the recent actions and tweets of Kanye West. It’s been difficult to keep up with all of the madness, but so far there’s been random album announcements, support of white supremacist sympathizers, freestyles for TMZ, and subsequent unfollows from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Drake, Jaden Smith and a few others. So we aren’t the only ones scratching our heads.
Concerned over Ye’s outright support of Donald Trump, the platinum-selling megastar’s friend and longtime collaborator John Legend reached out to offer a few words of advice.
“Hey it’s JL,” starts the private text exchange, which Kanye then made public on his Twitter account. “I hope you’ll reconsider aligning himself with Trump. “You’re way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for. As you may know, what you say really means something to your fans. They are loyal to you and respect your opinion. So many people who love you feel so betrayed right now, because they know the harm Trump’s policies cause, especially to people of color. Don’t let this be part of your legacy. You are the greatest artist of our generation.”
The “I Am A God” rapper’s response?
“I love you John and I appreciate your thoughts,” he wrote. “You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought.”
Legend’s wife, supermodel Chrissy Teigen, also chimed in via social media. “When it comes to people we know, we DO speak up. To THEM. not on Twitter,” she said. “And sometimes, I guess it makes it to Twitter.”
Following the back and forth with the star of the latest revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, the Yeezus star continued with the Twitter fingers. “I really appreciate this dialogue with John Legend because I’m actually very empathetic,” he posted.