David Bowie predicted the rise of Kanye West in 1972, according to this bonkers theory
Theorists claim the cover of Ziggy Stardust paves the way for pop 'messiah' Kanye
DAVID Bowie has long been hailed as a visionary, but could he actually see in to the future?
Some fans seem to think so.
A bizarre theory that the British superstar predicted the rise of Kanye West 40 YEARS AGO has been doing the rounds on the internet.
The conspiracy theorists believe he foresaw Yeezy as a kind of messiah of music, and that Bowie was his ‘John the Baptist’, paving the way for his meteoric rise.
The whole things springs from the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars – and specifically its cover.
The famous alleyway shot shows Bowie under a sign which reads K.West, which some believe was no coincidence.
The fact that the sign is actually that of a tailor who had premises in London’s Heddon Street, where the cover was shot, is brushed away by the theorists who claim the name must have had some signficance to the singer for him to keep it in shot.
They also point to the apocalyptic song Five Years as a prediction of a second coming of a musical ‘god’.
Kanye, of course, was born five years after the release of the iconic album (give or take a month or two).
The theory goes on to cite the last album Bowie released, days before his death from cancer in January.
The LP is called Blackstar and its title track appears to predict Bowie’s death and his replacement by a new “black star.”
The lyrics state: “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.”
It is claimed that this refers to Kanye taking his place as an icon of music.
The song continues: “I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar, I’m not a gangster.”
The theorists believe this is another reference to Kanye, who has deliberately distanced himself from gangster rap scene since emerging in 2002.
The third track on the album is called Lazarus, after the biblical character who died and was brought back to life by Jesus.
Kanye – who has cancelled his LA date after fans were subjected to a 17 minute rant at a gig last night – released his latest album Yeezus at the same time as Blackstar.
The third track is called I Am God, leading the crackpot theorists to conclude the pair synchronised the tracks as an announcement to the world about Kanye’s rise to take Bowie’s place.
The conspiracy first emerged in 2007, on a blog called The Kanye West, David Bowie Conspiracy: He Has Come Again and has grown with the Blackstar references.