STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Kendrick Lamar Inspired This Rock Legend's New Album

To Pimp a Butterfly is generating more than sales.

It’s often that rappers take inspiration from all genres of music and it’s becoming more common that the reverse is true.

Just ask David Bowie, whose longtime producer Tony Visconti credits Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly as a main influence of his new album ★ (pronounced Blackstar).

"We were listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar," he told Rolling Stone when asked about inspiration for the album. "We loved the fact Kendrick was so open-minded and he didn't do a straight-up hip hop record. He threw everything on there, and that's exactly what we wanted to do. The goal, in many, many ways, was to avoid rock & roll."

David Bowie’s forthcoming album is slated for release on January 8. He recently released the project’s title track single, which you can hear below.

BET.com is your No. 1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

(Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.