Mark Metcalfe
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Justin Vernon is well known for his somber, emotional music and his reclusive recording techniques (you'll remember that he recorded his 2007 debut in a cabin). But it seems that hanging out with frequent collaborator Kanye West may be rubbing off on the singer-songwriter. During a recent interview with The New York Times, Vernon said that a conversation with Kanye about the word "humble" helped change his perception.
“I got in a friendly argument with Kanye West about the word humble once,” Vernon said. “He said, ‘Have you ever looked up the word humble?’ I was like, ‘Actually I don’t know if I have.’ And he showed me the definition of it, and it’s far more self-demeaning, kind of the problematic Midwestern ‘Sorry!’ mentality, than I realized.”
“I took a lot out of that conversation," he continued. "Ultimately, I think it’s great to serve others and everything, but I think there’s a certain point where it’s diminishing returns for the people around you if you’re not showing up and being who you are.”
Read Justin Vernon's full interview with The New York Times here.