The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite music celeb I’m an artist. Oh, and, by the way, I signed this really cool kid, John Legend from Ohio, and you should sign him, too.” Since he released his debut album Get Lifted in 2004, Legend has been extremely successful, having won three Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance and Best New Artist, thanks in part to hit single ‘Ordinary People’ which he originally penned for the Black Eyed Peas. Following his two subsequent solo albums - Once Again and Evolver - the singer collaborated with hip hop band The Roots in 2010 for their album Wake Up! In the same year he appeared on the TV competition Duets as a coach before releasing his next album Love in the Future in 2013. He went on to accept an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Grammy with rapper and actor Common for their song ‘Glory’ from the 2014 film Selma and received an Emmy, Grammy, Os- car and Tony award for his performance in the 2018 production of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Not only this but he has performed at Super Bowl XL in Detroit, the NBA All-Star Game and the Major League Baseball All-Star in Pittsburgh. He also had a supporting role in the 2008 comedy film Soul Men with Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson. A philanthropist and a social activist, the music video for Leg- end’s touching and effective song ‘Preach’ shed light on social is- sues like immigration, police brutality and school shootings. At time of writing, it has raised $21,236 out of the $50,000 goal the singer is aiming to reach through YouTube’s fundraising feature toward his criminal justice initiative Free America. He is also committed to investing in the future of formerly incarcerated individuals who struggle to find employment after serving time by raising funding to help them start their own businesses. His contribution doesn’t stop there. It was reported that he and former model, Chrissy Teigen who is now a cookbook author and TV host tapped into their combined network of more than 60 million fans on social media in June 2018 to raise and donate $1 million in 48 hours to the American Civil Liberties Union to help families separated at the southern border under the Trump administration’s immigration policy. In January of this year, the couple donated $200,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund to provide legal support for victims of sexual violence and as- sault. They also donated $25,000 to the anti-gun movement March for Our Lives to support survivors of the Parkland school shooting. Legend serves as a vice chairman on the board of Harlem Vil- lage Academies, a New York City organisation that runs several charter schools. Speaking to Black Enterprise , he explained why education is such an important issue to him: “I come from a city where 40 percent to 50 percent of our kids drop out of high school. I did well in high school and then went to an Ivy League school, but I was the exception. We need to do more to make sure every kid has a quality education.” A singer who is using his music to promote positive messages and help find solutions to problems that have been around for so long, we take our hat off and salute the wonderful John Legend. We need more superstars like him to effect change in the world that we live in. www.johnlegend.com