10 Rappers React to David Bowie’s Death

The music world lost one of its most transcendent artists when David Bowie passed away on Sunday (Jan. 10), sending fans and fellow artists into a state of mourning. His death was a result of an 18-month battle with cancer.

The 69-year-old singer, who just dropped his 25th album, Blackstar, earlier this month, had a deep connection with hip-hop. His music has been sampled countless times by some of the game's biggest names. Even Blackstar was inspired by the sounds of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly.

Puff Daddy and the Family's 1997 hit "Been Around the World" took a page from Bowie's book by sampling his 1983 hit song "Let's Dance." The bassline for Queen and Bowie's "Under Pressure" can be heard on Vanilla Ice's Grammy-nominated track "Ice Ice Baby." Jay Z's famous Nas diss "Takeover" wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for elements of the singer's 1975 song "Fame" included. Public Enemy's "Night of the Living Baseheads," off their It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back album, also samples the track.

As news of David Bowie's passing emerged, many rappers and producers in the hip-hop community have used social media to share their thoughts on his artistry.

Kanye West sent his condolences to the artist's family as well as revealed the "Space Oddity" creator's influence on his career. "David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime," he wrote on Twitter. "I pray for his friends and family."

Pharrell even offered his own tribute to Bowie. "David Bowie was a true innovator, a true creative. May he rest in peace #RIPDavidBowie," the rhymer tweeted.

His label, Columbia Records, also released a statement about his death: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of David Bowie. It was an honor and a privilege to release his music to the world."

Take a look at the gallery above to see what the hip-hop community has to say about the legendary artist's untimely death.