(AllHipHop News) DeVon “Devo Springsteen” Harris is one of the people that helped launch the music career of his college roommate, John Stephens, who now goes by the stage name John Legend. Harris is also the cousin of G.O.O.D. Music founder Kanye West.
Devo Springsteen co-wrote several tracks on Legend’s 2004 Platinum-certified debut album Get Lifted. The producer/songwriter also worked with West on the Grammy-winning “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” track off 2005’s Late Registration.
During an appearance on the Bedroom Beethovens podcast, Springsteen spoke about Kanye West trying to make the transition from a record producer to a recording artist at the beginning of his career. The University of Pennsylvania graduate used the conversation to express how some people in positions of power can undervalue talented individuals.
“When you believe, you have to just believe. You don’t know how many people would say to even [Kanye], ‘You’re not a real artist,'” stated Springsteen. “I know people have heard stories like, ‘Oh, they didn’t want to sign him.’ No, it was worse. They would ridicule him. Executives, artists, etc. would ridicule this guy until he was crying. And he would still say, ‘I’m going to be the #1 artist in the world.'”
