Gorillaz, the British “visual band” that pairs musician Damon Albarn with visual artist Jamie Hewlett, managed to do something that few bands are able to do: they created an entirely new sound. A blend of alternative rock, electronica, and hip hop somehow translated into a Grammy-winning, platinum-selling music project that lasted over a decade. They temporarily disbanded in 2012, citing disagreements between Albarn and Hewlett, but since reconciling the duo has apparently been hard at work on music for a new album slated for a 2017 release. A recent slew of social media activity (including the creation of an Instagram account that seems to be tracing back through the band’s career) indicates the return of Gorillaz, so hopefully a new single is on its way. As we wait for news, let’s take a look back at the role hip hop has played in the creation of one of the 2000’s biggest music projects.

In 1988, 20-year-old Damon Albarn was a music student in London’s Goldsmiths College (reportedly just so he could access the college’s student union bar). It was there that he would meet the musicians who would later join him in forming Blur, an alternative rock band that topped British charts for years, generating massive hits like “Girls & Boys“, “Beetlebum“, and “Song 2” and nearly rivaling Oasis for their number of Brit Award wins.

Damon Albarn met Jamie Hewlett, a visual artist an co-creator of the famous Tank Girl comics, when Hewlett interviewed Blur in 1990. The two became friends and rented a flat together in 1997, and a night of watching MTV together led to the idea of creating a cartoon band as a statement on the emptiness of modern music. Thus, Gorillaz was born, as were the band’s imaginary members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs.

Part of Albarn’s reasons for creating another band, rather than simply carrying on his lucrative career with Blur, was to embrace American hip hop in his music. While Gorillaz’ self-titled 2001 debut would include clear instances of punk, art rock, and Blur-esque Britpop, hip hop producers Dan the Automator and Kid Koala were heavily involved, and rapper Del the Funky Homosapien was featured on two tracks (including “Clint Eastwood“, the song that launched Gorillaz into international acclaim). This would prove only to be the beginning of hip hop’s profound effect on Albarn’s sound.

Gorrilaz have managed to nail features for their albums that many rappers would kill for. MF DOOM and De La Soul appeared on Demon Days (which was executive produced by Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse, who would go on to executive produce MF DOOM’s The Mouse and the Mask and A$AP Rocky’s At.Long.Last.A$AP); Snoop Dogg and Mos Def appeared on Plastic Beach; and non-album singles have paired the duo up with both D12 (on “911“) and André 3000 (on “Do Ya Thang“). Gorillaz also embraced grime before it was trendy, placing rappers Bashy and Kano on their 2010 track “White Flag” (years before Drake and Kanye decided grime was cool enough to cosign).

Gorillaz also showed up on Snoop Dogg’s 2011 album Doggumentary. As a solo artist, Damon Albarn appeared on Kano’s second album, Del the Funky Homosapien’s Deltron 3030 concept album, MF DOOM’s Keys to the Kuffs collaborative release with Jneiro Jarel, and …And the Anonymous Nobody, De La Soul’s ninth album, released just this past August.

Hip hop’s influence has extended past the features, however, as Albarn’s own vocal style has shifted to allow a hint of rapping to his laid-back singing. Gorillaz’ early work – particularly Gorillaz and G-Sides – also show a proclivity for sampling, incorporating work by artists like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, and the Human League.

Expectations are high for the new Gorillaz album, which would be the band’s first release since 2011’s The Fall. The as-yet-untitled album is already set to include Snoop, De La Soul, and (possibly) Vic Mensa, and hopefully Mos Def/Yasiin Bey makes another appearance before his supposed retirement at the end of this year. Hip hop has played a massive role in Albarn’s transition from Blur to Gorillaz, and it seems that the genre’s going to be an important part of the next record.