John Legend is always keeping it real and the singer/songwriter continues to do so in a new interview with Rolling Stone. Though the brief interview covers a myriad of topics, some of Legend's most thoughtful commentary comes through when he is asked about Donald Trump and his friend and collaborator Kanye West.
Check out some excerpts from the interview below and visit the full article for details.
John Legend on President-elect Donald Trump:
"It's a bit of a challenge 'cause we don't know who he is all the time. He's been consistent about being a racist and about a couple of other things, but he's also been wildly inconsistent and lied a lot. So we truly don't know how he's gonna govern. We haven't seen anyone like him before. It's a very kind of different world now, knowing that someone's going to possibly dismantle a lot of what Obama accomplished. I don't know where we're going to go."
John Legend on why artists are so important in Trump era America:
"Paul Robeson said that artists are the gatekeepers of truth. And Nina Simone said we're supposed to reflect the times. So we have to be ready to tell the truth and reflect what's going on. We've gone through some really dark periods in this country. You can't trivialize them, because they cost people their lives, but we have made progress since those times, and even when we go backward, there's definitely an opportunity for us to go forward again. We just have to be vigilant and get through this, and then hopefully it'll be over soon."
John Legend on Kanye West's mental health:
"This is a very difficult life and a difficult business. I don't want to try to play pop psychologist, so I'm not gonna try to analyze what's happening with him. I just want him to do whatever he needs to do to feel better and to feel like he's ready to go again, because music needs him. The world needs him. I think he's such an important talent. We need him at full strength."
