After calling West's stage invasion 'funny,' the 'All of Me' singer says that he doesn't agree with the rapper's rant about how Beck doesn't deserve the Album of the Year Award.
- Feb 11, 2015
AceShowbiz - After admitting that he found pal Kanye West's antics at the 2015 Grammy Awards "funny," John Legend made it clear that it didn't mean he agreed with the rapper's statement about Beck. As previously reported, 'Ye nearly crashed the 44-year-old musician's Album of the Year speech before saying he should've given the trophy to Beyonce Knowles.
Responding to the news, Legend said in a new interview with Us Weekly that West's action "didn't hurt anybody" and "anybody who's upset just needs to relax." The "All of Me" hitmaker later clarified his comment in a lengthy Instagram post that came on Thursday, February 10 along with the cover of Beck's "Morning Phase" album.
"I want to clarify my thoughts on Kanye's actions at the Grammys on Sunday," he wrote, before praising West and calling him "one of the most gifted people I've had the privilege of working with." He also said that even though they're friends, they can't always agree on everything.
"In my comments to US Weekly, I said that when Kanye walked up on stage, mimicking his interruption of Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech, then turned around as if he was just playing, most of the room including me saw this as funny, as a way of taking the piss out of himself for his infamous behavior several years ago," he continued.
He went on explaining that what he called "funny" was West's stage invasion, not the rant the rapper made against Beck in a post-show interview. "I disagree with those comments," Legend added. "Beck is indeed a true artist's artist. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a creative and unique singer-songwriter whose music I have bought and enjoyed over the years. While his win may have been a surprise to many, it's not because he's not a great artist deserving of recognition."
Legend then gave a shout out to those people who got to decide the winners of the Grammys. "This is not an objective process. It's completely subjective, in fact. We can all debate who we thought should have won. But even if you didn't vote for him, plenty of our colleagues in the music business did," he said. "These voters are all creators who love music and have dedicated their lives to it, and the plurality of them chose Beck as the Album of the Year. I respect their decision and congratulate Beck on this outstanding accomplishment."
West's action has drawn criticism from many people, including Garbage's lead singer Shirley Manson. On Monday, she posted an open letter to the father of one in which she said he's the one who disrespects artistry by trying to crash Beck's speech.
"You make yourself look small and petty and spoilt," she wrote. "Grow up and stop throwing your toys around. You are making yourself look like a complete tw*t."
