These were David Bowie’s final collaborations and influences

by: David Klemow Jan 18, 2016

Blackstar may have been the most apropos name for Bowie’s final offering to the world. Just days before his passing, David Bowie offered his 25th and final studio product, aptly named for the theoretical concept of a star that collapses perpetually — a star that never truly dies. Tony Visconti, producer of Bowie’s final record was originally slated to split production duties with none other than LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy. Though, due to the now highly-anticipated reunion of Murphy’s group at Coachella 2016, the LCD frontman had to cut his contribution short, but not before performing percussion on two of Blackstar’s selections.

According to Visconti, Bowie’s final musical inspirations came from another one of our modern day musical leaders, Kendrick Lamar. The Compton-bred rapper who has given the concept-album powerful meaning in the hip-hop space was a big influence on Bowie in his final days, and behind the scenes of Blackstar, Kendrick was fueling the Starman’s creativity to a certain degree.

Whispers of a Gorillaz and David Bowie collaboration had just begun to make rounds in the end of 2015. Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn of the electronic pop outfit were recently teasing a picture of a cartoonified Ziggy Stardust, eyes gleaming above a mischievously crooked smile, branded by a simple “Bad Bowie” beneath the photo. It is said that Albarn and Bowie were very close, and the Gorillaz impending comeback looked like it would yield a generation-crossing collaboration between Bowie and the animated enigmas.