Kanye West is rumoured to be starting work on a David Bowie covers album following the iconic artist’s death last week.
According to the Daily Star, the 38-year-old wants to pay tribute to the legendary performer by recording a mix of straight cover versions and some with his own interpretation.
This is only a rumour at the moment – nothing has been confirmed by either the rapper or anyone connected with him, but that hasn’t stopped a petition emerging to stop him from ruining Bowie’s work.
A source said:
Some are straightforward cover versions with Kanye actually singing. On others he is rapping with his own lyrics over Bowie’s music.
Almost 8,000 people have now signed up to stop Kanye from recording the tribute album.
The description of the petition, created by Peter Pirahna and addressed directly to the rapper, reads:
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.
The unconfirmed report also claimed that Kanye sees himself as a successor to Bowie in terms of musical innovation.
According to the Mirror an insider added:
He is determined to carry on David’s work as a musical innovator. He says that the torch has been passed to him.
In the meantime, other observers have recalled Kanye’s divisive version of Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody at Glastonbury, and accused the rapper of ‘cashing in on Bowie’s death’.