John Legend Shares His Opinion On Rolling Stone’s Controversial ‘200 Greatest Singers’ List: ‘If You Gonna Call It The Greatest Singers, They Should Be Good Singers’

John Legend

John Legend Shares His Opinion On Rolling Stone’s Controversial ‘200 Greatest Singers’ List: ‘If You Gonna Call It The Greatest Singers, They Should Be Good Singers’

John Legend is the latest famed vocalist to call out Rolling Stone for its controversial “200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list.

The “Ordinary People” singer was a guest today (Mar. 16) on America’s popular morning radio show “The Breakfast Club” where he couldn’t help but laugh when asked for his thoughts on the way Rolling Stone ranked singers in the music industry. 

 John Legend, who wasn’t even on the list despite his 12 Grammy wins, answered truthfully and said:

“I don’t understand their criteria. It was a lot of people left off. Leave aside the fact that I was left off, but there was a lot of other people left off and I’m like, [it] didn’t really make sense.”

He continued,

“Somebody called them the ‘trolling stone,’ and I feel like they just wanted to spark conversation and be a little bit controversial.”

The 44-year-old continued and asked again what the ranking for the list is based upon. 

“What is your criteria?…Are you basing it on their vocal ability or are you basing it on just their pure success as a lead artist?”

John Legend added:

“It seemed like it was all over the place.”

Seemingly throwing shade, the vocalist shared:

“If you gonna call it the ‘greatest singers,’ they should be good singers.”

The pianist wasn’t the only musician who wasn’t too fond of Rolling Stone’s list. As previously reported, earlier this month singing mogul Chaka Khan took to Instagram to apologize following the backlash she faced after calling out the singers who ranked higher than her on the chart. 

Chaka Khan placed 29th on the list while singers such as Diana Ross, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, and Mick Jagger landed in higher slots. In her apology, Chaka Khan, 69, explained:

“Recently, I was asked about a list of the ‘greatest singers of all time’ and instead of questioning the need for such a list, I was pitted against other artists and I took the bait. As artists, we are unfairly put into ‘boxes’, ‘categories’ or on ‘lists.’  Being an artist or musician is not a competition.  It’s a gift, for which I am truly grateful.”

Chaka Khan

Khan, real name Yvette Marie Stevens, added:

 “It was not my intention to cause pain or upset anyone. To anyone that felt this way, I sincerely apologize. Thank you for all the love everyone has shown me, unconditionally. I have always been about empowering others and I started a foundation for that very purpose. I will be announcing soon. Empowering all artists is most important because we truly are the architects of change…and change begins within the heart.   I love you all and God bless – Chaka #chakakhan”

What are your thoughts on John Legend’s opinion on Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers List? Tell us below.