Hip Hop Reacts To The Passing Of David Bowie

David Bowie died Sunday night at age 69 after a private, 18-month battle with liver cancer. A defining figure of '70s glam rock, Bowie is considered one of the greatest song writers of the last 50 years. His final album, a collaboration with a jazz quintet entitled Blackstar and released just two days ago, is indicative of Bowie's relentless forward-thinking style determination to stay ahead of the broader musical curve.

Though he didn't collaborate with many rappers, Bowie possessed the sort of outsider's perspective that has defined hip hop for decades. The number of hip hop figures who have already honored Bowie on social media (with the lone exception of Lord Jamar, who managed to inject his usual flavor of homophobia into his RIP David Bowie post), demonstrates Bowie's influence. The Roots will perform at a memorial concert at Carnegie Hall on May 31.

R.I.P. David Bowie.