R&B singer John Legend is calling for an end to the rampant misogynistic tone in hip-hop music today. In an upcoming interview with Rolling Out magazine, Legend puts the burden on the artists to take more responsibility for their lyrics. The same can be said for the lyrics that incites violence among young black men.
On a lighter note, Legend gives a rather level-headed response to his expectations of married life with his fiance Chrissy Teigen. Check out excerpts of the interview below:
On misogyny in hip-hop:
“Hip-hop is the dominant music on black radio today. The stations that traditionally played R&B aren’t playing it as much these days. That’s a part of where music is going. At times, I listen to more hip-hop than R&B. I don’t blame radio stations for playing mostly hip-hop. But 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.”
“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 s—. But to me, it just sounds like you’re an a–hole. I think rappers should pay more attention to what they say about women. Some of the things I hear, I find pretty disgusting.”
On his future marriage to Chrissy Teigen:
“Nothing will be perfect. I know that our marriage will not be perfect, but I feel good about it. I think you should treat people how you want to be treated, no matter what kind of relationship you are in. It’s not that complicated. Everyone is selfish to a degree, we all have our own desires and we mess up in life. But the key to being in a good relationship is knowing how to listen and figuring out a way to not be selfish all of the time.”
On Kanye West:
“Kanye is good at pushing the culture, pushing the conversation and making people think and challenging his audience …He does that with this new album as well. The music is interpreted differently by a lot of people. Part of what makes him exciting as an artist is that he makes thought-provoking music. It’s something that’s provocative and I think it’s a good thing.”
