R&B superstar John Legend is riding high off the release of his fourth solo album, Love In the Future, but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid to push buttons with provocative remarks about the music industry.
In a recent interview with Rolling Out, he called out some of his peers in hip-hop (without naming any names) about the misogynistic content of their lyrics.
“Hip-hop has a strong misogynistic streak that we should try to get rid of. More rappers should be careful about what they say about women. I think they’re trying to sound tough, or sound like they don’t give a sh*t. But to me, it just sounds like you’re an a**hole.”
“Some of the things I hear, I find pretty disgusting,” he added.
Legend has collaborated with numerous rappers such as Rick Ross, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Common, and oftentimes on songs which could be perceived as degrading to women.
The singer, who is engaged to model Chrissy Teigen, says that while he loves hip-hop and its influence on the culture, R&B artists still have a unique role to play.
He told Rolling Out, “It’s our responsibility as R&B artists to make music that will attract the people. We have to make music that’s urgent, great and compelling.”