Let’s make one thing clear: Kanye West has given no indication that he’s making a David Bowie tribute album. With the release date of SWISH bearing down, it’s unlikely that he’d have time to work on a full-on tribute record. But if he was, there’s no way on earth a petition would stop him.
After rumors surfaced in a since-deleted article from the notoriously hoax-y Daily Star, 38 Degrees user Peter Piranha started a petition called “Stop Kanye West Recording Covers Of David Bowie’s Music.” Peter provides his explanation for starting the petition in a single sentence:
“David Bowie was one of the single most important musicians of the 20th and 21st century, it would be a sacrilege to let it be ruined by Kanye West.”
Because people are both awful and gullible, the petition has more than 11,000 signatures. So, before it goes any further let’s tackle this nonsense point-by-point:
- Kanye is absolutely not covering David Bowie. TMZ contacted Kanye’s representatives who clarified that he’s not working on this. The only thing that Kanye has said about Bowie is this tweet honoring the singer following his death.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/686449257767776256
- If he was, a petition isn’t going to stop him. He’s sailed right over those plenty of times before.
- Given David Bowie’s attitude toward innovators, hip-hop (and black musicians, in particular ) you can probably guess where he’d fall on this issue. HINT: It’s not with the petitioners.
- Calling David Bowie one of the “single most important musicians of the 20th…century” without acknowledging that West has been one of the most important musicians of this century is just intellectually dishonest.
In short, Yeezy Stardust isn’t happening. But if it was, there’s nothing you could do about it.
