John Legend joins Eddie Francis on Apple Music 1 to discuss his new song “Dope” feat. JID. He tells Eddie why he chose to connect with JID on the track in addition to Charlie Puth, Ryan Tedder, and Ian Kirkpatrick who produced and co-wrote the song. He also reveals that Jhené Aiko, Ty Dolla $ign, Jazmine Sullivan, Rick Ross, Muni Long, and Rapsody are featured on his upcoming album. Additionally, he explains why he continues to collaborate with Rick Ross, being an EGOT winner, how his early days with Kanye made him into a go-to collaborator, and why he was honoured to work with Nipsey Hussle before his passing.
John Legend Tells Apple Music Why He Chose To Connect With JID on “Dope”...
He’s incredible, he’s such a gifted lyricist. He’s got such great charisma and great energy and we were looking for the perfect artist to join with me on this record. We were just listening to his body of work and thinking of what we could do on the track. We sent it to him and he loved the track and wanted to get on it and man… he murdered it.
John Legend Tells Apple Music About Collaborating With Charlie Puth, Ryan Tedder, and John Kirkpatrick on “Dope"...
We wrote together on my last album… we have the same management as well., We know each other. We live really close to each other. He’s such a talented kid. He’s so musical and so smart. When we get in a room together, we just make magic. Ryan Tedder worked on the track too who’s a prolific artist and songwriter himself and producer. And then Ian Kirkpatrick was on the track as well. He’s made a lot of hits for like Dua Lipa and some other artists. So between me, Ryan, Charlie, Ian, and JID… it’s like… there’s a lot of gifted people on the same track.
John Legend Tells Apple Music What Other Artists Are Featured on His Forthcoming Album...
And then you look at the album, we got people like Jhené Aiko, we got Ty Dolla $ign, we got Jazmine Sullivan, we got Rick Ross, we’ve got Rapsody, we’ve got just some incredible people and I’m excited for y’all to hear everything. Muni Long on the album. Just really talented people.
John Legend Tells Apple Music How His Early Days with Kanye West Turned Him Into a Go-To Collaborator...
I’ve just been collaborating with so many dope artist throughout my career. I started with Kanye at G.O.O.D. Music and our whole thing was bringing hip hop and soul together. So I was on a lot of his tracks…a lot of tracks he was producing for other people…he was producing my tracks and connecting me with other people in hip hop so there’s always been a lot of collaborations in my background. I’ve done a thousand tracks with Rick Ross, worked with so many great MCs over the years. I’ve just always thought collaboration was a great way to make music and when we do it together it can be better than when we do it separately. So I’ve just always had that spirit and that energy and I love working with dope people and we definitely did that with this album.
John Legend Tells Apple Music About Collaborating With Rick Ross...
We got a dope one on the new album. We got good chemistry… his voice and my voice, it just works well together. We like a similar type of track too.. A lush soulful track. You know… it works.
John Legend Tells Apple Music About Being an EGOT Winner...
They are lined up in our like piano room in the house where my piano is and my trophies are. I don’t know if they’re in EGOT order, which I guess is alphabetical order. I’ll have to look into that.
John Legend Tells Apple Music About Collaborating With The Late Nipsey Hussle on “Higher”...
This was right before he passed away that we made the video for this, we made the song not too long before that. We shot the video right in the area where he grew up and that he had invested so much in. Losing him in that way after making that video in the neighbourhood that he came from and was so proud of helping and supporting. It was just so tragic. I felt so much pain for everybody who loved him. Man… We just lost him way too soon, he had so much more work to do in the world and this community particularly. It’s a shame that we lost him. I’m honoured that I got to do a record with him before he died, but we lost him way too soon.
