John Legend‘s tribute to Prince at the Democratic National Convention was good, but it pales in comparison to the song itself … so says the late Purple Rain singer’s ex-manager.

We spoke with L. Londell McMillian — who previously worked as both manager and attorney to the ethereal star — about JL’s performance at the DNC this week … a show which pissed a lot of people off.

ICYMI … fans called out Legend, ’cause he sounds a lot like himself while singing, and not enough like Prince, while performing with longtime Prince collaborator Shelia E. — and, many people felt he wasn’t the right person to sing “Let’s Go Crazy.”

Lots of folks online were more excited about Shelia and guitarist Ari O’Neal‘s skills … saying she can shred just like The Artist Formerly Known As.

McMillian’s being a whole lot kinder to Legend than many fans on social media … telling us he was at the DNC and thinks John did a fine job with the song.

That said, LLM adds there’s only one Prince … and, one of his best skills was the ability to craft a powerful message — a message he felt was on full display in Chicago this week.

McMillan goes on to say everyone’s entitled to their opinion … and his is Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are HUGE Prince fans — just like everyone should be, L. Londell says.

We broke the story … Prince passed away more than 8 years ago after overdosing on fentanyl — and, Shelia E. performed a tribute to him then as well.