John Legend Says Kanye West Is “Obsessed” In “Mashed Potatoes” Retort

John Legend has finally broken his silence following Kanye West’s bizarre and insulting remarks earlier this year in which the controversial rapper likened his former friend’s body odor to “mashed potatoes.”

During a March interview with DJ Akademiks, West launched a crude tirade aimed at Legend. “Look at John Legend’s old sissy a**. I ain’t never do nothing wrong to that ni**a,” West said of the acclaimed crooner, seemingly referencing Legend distancing himself from him in the wake of his controversial remarks and alliances.

“I changed generations of his life. And he got on that fa**ot a** hot sweater. They said he smells like mashed potatoes.”

Now, in a recent appearance on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning, Legend responded to the jab with a mix of humor, sadness, and pointed clarity.

“He was very obsessed with me wearing sweaters. He was very obsessed with the sweaters, and he said I smelled like mashed potatoes,” Legend recalled on Tuesday (July 1).

When asked of the effect that West’s verbal jabs and outlandish behavior has had on him, Legend replied that West’s conduct “makes [him] sad.”

The Grammy-winning R&B artist acknowledged that the entire situation with West, including his extreme political and social views in recent years, has been deeply disheartening.

“It never affects me personally, but the whole story is sad,” Legend explained.

“Like, seeing this guy praise Hitler, seeing this guy be this force of hate and vitriol and nastiness. Somebody who has made some of the great art of this century as an artist, as a performer, as a fashion designer.”

Legend continued, “All the things that he’s done to make the world more beautiful and more interesting and then for him to be this now is sad. It’s just sad.”

Legend added that he “never saw this side of [West] that was obsessed with Hitler,” and noted that politics was never a topic of conversation between them.

“I have friends that I talk about politics with all the time; he was never one of them. So I never thought of him as a person that thought about who was president or any of these social and cultural issues.”

The two artists shared a prolific run in the 2000s and early 2010s, with West signing Legend to G.O.O.D. Music and executive producing his breakthrough 2004 debut Get Lifted, which went on to win three Grammys. They worked together on numerous classic tracks, including “Used to Love U,” “Heard ‘Em Say,” and “Blame Game.”

“That’s why it’s sad now because we did amazing things together as a collective,” Legend reflected. “I have no regrets because even though he’s gone completely left now, I’m so glad we did what we did together.”

See John Legend’s Ebro in the Morning interview below.