John Legend 'Disagrees' With Kanye West's Slamming Beck's Grammy
Even West's friends don't agree with what he said about Beck.
— -- Like the rest of the world, John Legend thought it was hilarious at the Grammys when it appeared that Kanye West was mocking himself by jumping on stage after Beck won a Grammy for his album "Morning Phase."
It seemed like West was poking fun of his 2009 flub, where he jumped on stage and interrupted Taylor Swift's speech at the MTV VMAs.
But, everyone found out after when West spoke to E! about the incident, that he wasn't joking -- going as far as to say Beck should hand over his Grammy to Beyonce, whom he thought should have won.
"All I know is if the Grammys want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain't gonna play with them no more. 'Flawless,' Beyoncé video. Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé, and at this point, we tired of it," West said after the show on Sunday.
Legend, who is close friends with West, took to Instagram on Tuesday to defend Beck and disagree with what his friend did and said..
"First of all, Kanye is my friend. He believed in me years ago when very few did, and I wouldn't be here without his support. That doesn't mean we'll agree on everything, but it does mean that I am grateful to him," Legend wrote. "And I also believe he is one of the most gifted people I've had the privilege of working with. "
Legend said comments he made to US Weekly about the incident being funny was only when he thought West was joking.
"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. "When I said that was funny and people should lighten up about it, that's what I meant. I wasn't referring to Kanye's comments after the show which I have now seen and heard. I disagree with those comments."
About Beck, Legend said, "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. All of the other nominated artists, including Beyonce, are incredible in their own right, and arguments could be made for any of them deserving to win. 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. 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."