In a recent interview with The Art of Dialogue, Dame Dash reflected on the early days of Roc-A-Fella Records and took a moment to call out John Legend for not signing with the iconic label. Dash revealed that he believed Legend was poised to join the Roc, especially after taking him on tour with Kanye West.
“John Legend was supposed to be Roc-A-Fella,” Dash stated. “I toured John Legend. I would have never taken John Legend on the road with Kanye and paid for him to go around the world to sing before Kanye unless I thought he was going to sign to Roc-A-Fella – but he did some sneaky shit and went to Sony.”
Despite missing the opportunity to join Roc-A-Fella, John Legend went on to carve out a successful career, aligning himself with Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label. His debut album, Get Lifted, released in 2004, came through a partnership between Sony and G.O.O.D. Music, establishing him as a prominent artist in the industry.
However, the friendship between Legend and Kanye West has soured over the years, particularly after their differing political views came to light during the 2020 presidential election. In a 2022 interview with The New Yorker, Legend clarified that the narrative surrounding their fallout was misrepresented, emphasizing that West was more upset about Legend’s lack of support during his presidential run than any comments regarding Trump.
Legend expressed, “What I was saying was that he was very upset with me that I didn’t support him running for President, and that was the real impetus for us having a strain in our friendship.” His support for Joe Biden seemed to be a particularly contentious point.
Kanye echoed similar sentiments during a previous appearance on Drink Champs, stating that Legend and fellow artist Big Sean were quick to align with the Democrats against him, calling it “sell-out shit.”
Dame Dash’s comments serve as a reminder of the complex relationships within the hip-hop industry and how choices made at pivotal moments can have lasting ramifications. As the landscape of hip-hop continues to evolve, the impacts of these decisions remain a topic of discussion among fans and industry insiders alike.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the world of hip-hop, right here at HipHopRaisedMeTheBlog.com!
