A-list singer reveals he ‘cut a deal’ with porn producer to keep iconic stage name

John Legend has not always been known by the famous moniker; instead, he went by his birth name until fighting a porn producer to become a Legend.

The All of Me hitmaker, 46, featured on the first episode of Amazon Studios’ World+Music, discussing his career and how he adopted his stage name.

When his career began, Legend initially went by his birth name, John Roger Stephens, before working on Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout, in 2004.

He was discovered by spoken-word artist J. Iby, who was ‘impressed’ by his work on the critically acclaimed album, dubbing him a legend.

‘Now J. heard me singing, playing, and doing all I was doing on those College Dropout tracks, and he was impressed,’ he recalled.

‘He said, “Man, we’re gonna have to call you the legend.”‘ Soon after, West