The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite music celeb Surrounded by music, Legend was taught to play the piano by his grandmother and grew up singing in the church choir. While studying English at the University of Pennsylvania, he direct- ed a ‘co-ed a cappella’ group and played piano on Lauryn Hill’s track Everything is Everything. He performed in nightclubs in New York City and was also an in-demand session musician and songwriter who worked with the likes of Alicia Keys, Twista and Janet Jackson as well as Kanye West, an up-and-coming hip hop artist at the time, collaborating on each other’s demo tapes. Although they have been friends for a long time now, Legend and the rather opinionated West sometimes have a turbulent re- lationship because they don’t always have the same views. While Legend and his wife are quite liberal in their political opinions, West is the opposite. In her interview with Vogue, Chrissy re- assured them that the friendship continues to thrive because everyone listens to each other. “The thing with Kanye is that his opinions have always been super strong,” she explained. “He’s never been the guy to push them on you, but he will say what he wants to say.” Explaining it’s the same with her husband, the two friends may have a civil discourse but both have learned a lot from each oth- er. The particular incident that Chrissy Teigen was referring to occurred in April 2018 when West shared a private text message on Twitter that he had sent Legend, in which the singer pleaded with him to think differently about supporting Donald Trump. Chrissy admitted, “You can’t just believe you’re the right one all the time. That’s what makes us horrible. Trust me: my views are super liberal, and I’m like ‘How could anyone not think this way?’ But people are also entitled to their opinion.” The singer himself, opened up about his friendship with Kanye West, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, explaining that their political differences often prompt deeper conversa- tions and West’s support for Trump has changed how they talk to each other. “I understand what Kanye sees in Trump and I think it’s a reaction to his personality and his marketing panache and don’t-give-a-f**kness,” he told WSJ . “But my point to him was that when you wear that hat, when you appear to be endors- ing him, you’re endorsing his policies as well, all of his rhetoric and not just the parts you like…” Legend’s words must have had an effect onWest because the rap- per took to Twitter to announce that he was retracting from his political views. “My eyes are now wide open and now realise I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in,” he tweeted. “I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative!” When asked about West’s political views and ac- tions during that period, Legend said, “A lot of people have tried to armchair-diagnose him, but I leave it to him and his doctor to discuss what’s going on in his brain.” Wise words indeed! The story behind how the two actually met is quite interesting. “I went to school with this guy Devon Harris and he was a room- mate of mine in college and we also were roommates in New York together,” Legend said at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. “He had this cousin that moved to New York from Chicago. He wasn’t famous. He was just some cousin that made beats as far as I knew. But he was Kanye West, before everybody knew who Kanye West was.” Harris convinced Legend to meet West who would go on to work on Jay-Z’s album and with the Roc-A-Fella record label. “We were up-and-coming artists. People didn’t even know he [Kanye] could rap really yet. He had to convince people he could rap,” Legend explained. “[Kanye] was working on his demo. He was living in an apartment in Newark. I would go to his place and we would work on songs. He would give me beats for my demo and I would write to them, and then I would sing hooks on his.” When West finally got the deal at Roc-A-Fella, he didn’t leave his friend behind. “I’m an artist. I’m not just a producer.