Exclusive: JohnLegend explains how he and KanyeWest 'elevated' each other's debut albums.
Even beyond how West differed from his hip-hop contemporaries of the time, Legend credited the budding superstar with helping put a modern spin on his 2004 debutBillboard 200“It was so important for me to work with Kanye at that point in my career,” he said. “He really elevated my sound and made it feel more urgent and more ready for prime time.
“I was more of an old soul and I think, left to my own devices, my music wouldn’t have been as cool without someone like Kanye influencing me. Andbecame what it was because we worked together, because [of] our connection, because of our merging of our sounds. And I also had a pretty significant impact onas well. You hear my voice and musicianship on a lot of his records too, even when you don’t know it’s me.