The entertainment industry has so many conspiracy theories and wacky coincidences floating around—and that makes a lot of sense. From the crossover of those who actually know each other to friendships and relationships, the music world is very interconnected. And that includes there being a conspiracy theory connecting David Bowie and Kanye West.
This all started back in 2007 when a blog surfaced online aiming to reveal the conspiracy that connects David Bowie and Kanye West. The theory posits that David Bowie predicted the birth of Kanye West and that he prophecised him as a sort of musical saviour or messiah.
One of the first pieces of evidence—and perhaps the most obvious—is the cover of his fifth studio album, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. In the photo, he stands below a sign that clearly reads “K.West”. Ironic, right? Perhaps just a coincidence, but strange nonetheless. However, some people have taken the opening track of the album, ‘Five Years’, to denote the event that would occur almost exactly five years later—this being the birth of Kanye West.
However, the conspiracy doesn’t stop there. Two years after the album’s release in 1974, David Bowie gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which he described the death of his Ziggy Stardust alter-ego. “As soon as Ziggy dies onstage, the infinites take his elements and make themselves visible.” Some fans have also taken this to be a nod to Kanye West.
When Bowie passed away, West was among the first to share his condolences for the artist publically. Digging a little beneath this, many fans have found themselves fascinated by Bowie’s final studio album in connection to this theory, as it was released two days before his passing. Some people think that the title track is a reference to Kanye West, with lyrics like, “Something happened on the day he died, spirit rose a metre and stepped aside. Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried; I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar.” Again, this might be a bit of a stretch.
Additionally, the third track on the album is titled ‘Lazarus’, and centres on a biblical character who is brought back to life thanks to…Jesus. See where this is going? Three years later, we have Yeezus.
Although this theory is a fun one to poke around in, it must be said that there isn’t acutally too much to it upon further inspection. Sure, there are a few coincidences, but it’s clear that this is all they are. Expecially with the “almost” and “nearly” to-the-date details of the theory. But again, this is likely a bit of fun for people who love conspiracy theories, and it’s a relatively harmless one at that.
