33 Of The Best Hip-Hop Album Covers Ever
Re-live some of the best and most memorable hip-hop album covers of all time.
-
1. Notorious B.I.G, 'Ready To Die'
Another album cover featuring a baby picture of the rapper who made it, Notorious' 'Ready To Die' album was released in 1994 and included the incredible single 'Juicy'
-
2. Kanye West, '808s & Heartbreak'
The cover art for Kanye's auto-tune album '808s & Heartbreak' features a broken heart and was designed by KAWS. The album arrived shortly after the death of West's mother, Donda.
-
3. Drake, 'Nothing Was The Same'
Drake's third studio album features two covers - one of him as a child and one of him now - and the oil painting was created by Southern California's Kadir Nelson, the designer behind Michael Jackson's posthumous album cover, 'Michael'.
-
4. Beastie Boys, 'Paul's Boutique'
The artwork for Beastie Boys' 1989 album 'Paul's Boutique' is a photograph of Ludlow Street and was shot by photographer Jeremy Shatan, but credited to Nathanial Hörnblowér.
-
5. The Fugees, 'The Score'
The iconic Fugees album had a cover to match, showing the band members - Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel - in different poses.
-
-
6. Dr Dre , 'The Chronic'
The simple cover artwork for Dr Dre's debut solo album sees a picture of the rapper hanging inside a gold frame. The striking image remains one of the hip-hop's most iconic album covers.
-
7. Eminem, 'The Marshall Mathers LP'
There are two covers for 'The Marshall Mathers LP. The first shows Eminem in front of the house in Detroit that he grew up in and the second, pictured here, shows him sitting on the floor beside wooden bars on a wall. The album was released in 2000.
-
8. Jay Z, 'Magna Carta Holy Grail'
Released in 2013, the artwork for Jay Z's 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' was premiered in Salisbury cathedral alongside the original copy of Magna Carta 1215.
-
9. Drake, 'Take Care'
Drake's second album 'Take Care' was released in 2011 and the cover art, designed by Martin "Drop" Wong, sees Drake sitting at a table and surrounded with expensive looking antiques.
-
10. Kid Cudi, 'Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day'
The graphical artwork for 'Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day' sees Kid Cudi emerging from the moon. The album was released in 2009 and included his breakthrough hit 'Day N' Nite'.
-
-
11. Ice Cube, 'Death Certificate'
As one might expect from the title of the album and the content it featured, Ice Cube's 1991 album 'Death Certificate' came with a cover that created just as much debate. The album was a huge success, with more than one million pre-orders.
-
12. Childish Gambino, 'because the internet'
Always one to push boundaries with his music and his artwork, Childish Gambino's artwork actually moves. (You'll have to buy a hard copy to see it in full effect.)
-
13. Lupe Fiasco, 'Food And Liquor'
The cover art for Lupe Fiasco's 'Food And Liquor' sees the rapper surrounded by different items, including a Banksy postcard and a Nintendo DS, and was designed by Chuck Anderson and Righteous Kung Fu. The artwork for the 2006 album was inspired by a skateboard dec that Lupe owned.
-
14. Beastie Boys, 'License To Ill'
Beastie Boy's 1986 album features a features a Boeing 727 on its cover with 'Beastie Boys' emblazoned on the tail. The tail of the plane featured the Def Jam logo and '3MTA3' which spells 'EATME' when viewed in a mirror.
-
15. Lauryn Hill, 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill'
Released as the peak of Lauryn Hill's fame in 1998, the album cover for 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' featured the singer's face carved into a piece of wood.
-
-
16. The Pharcyde, 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde'
Slick K2S was behind the artwork for The Pharcyde's 1992 album, which depicted the rapper emerging from a tunnel on a fairground ride.
-
17. A$AP Rocky, 'Long. Live. A$AP'
Draped in an American flag, A$AP Rocky can be seen in two parts on the cover for 'Long. Live. A$AP', his debut album, which was released in January 2013.
-
18. Outkast, 'ATLiens'
The cover art for 'ATLiens' shows cartoon versions of Big Boi and Andre 3000, and the theme on the cover continued throughout the album's singles. With Outkast set to reunite in 2014, look for interest in their back catalogue to grow.
-
19. Snoop Dogg, 'Doggystyle'
The artwork for Snoop Dogg's 'Doggystyle' was created by by artist Joe Cool and represents the themes covered in the album.
-
20. Jay Z, 'The Blueprint'
Released on September 11th, 2001, the striking artwork for 'The Blueprint' shows a picture of Jay Z taken from above smoking a guitar. There are a number of items on a table next to the rapper on the cover of his seminal album, including a microphone.
-
-
21. Kanye West, 'Graduation'
The cover art for Kanye's 2007 album 'Graduaton' was designed by Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami and sees his mascot Dropout Bear being fired into space.
-
22. Lil' Wayne, 'Tha Carter III'
Lil' Wayne's incredible album 'Tha Carter III' was released in 2008 and features a baby picture of the rapper on its cover. The artwork was seemingly inspired by Nas's 'Illmatic' and Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die', both of which featured baby pictures of their makers.
-
23. Nas, 'Illmatic'
Speaking of 'Illmatic', Nas' 1999 album shows a baby picture of the rapper superimposed on top of a street from the Queensbridge housing project.
-
24. Kanye West, 'Yeezus'
Always one to push the boundaries with his album covers, Kanye's 'Yeezus' artwork was simply - there wasn't any. West's album was contained within an empty CD case, with just a red tape keeping it closed.
-
25. De La Soul, '3 Feet High And Rising'
The artwork for De La Soul's 1989 studio album was designed by the radication British art collective, The Grey Organisation, which was Toby Mott and Paul Spencer. They designed the artwork for De La Soul after moving to New York, where they had also started making music videos for stas including Public Enemy and The Rolling Stones.
-
-
26. Eric B. & Rakim, 'Paid In Full'
As you might expect from an album called 'Paid In Full', the cover art for Eric B. & Rakim's 1987 sees the two rappers on top of a pile of money.
-
27. Mac Miller, 'Watching Movies With The Sound Off'
The cover art for Mac Miller's 2013 album sees the rapper sitting naked behind a table with only an Explicit Content sign to protect his modesty.
-
28. J. Cole, 'Born Sinner'
J. Cole's album 'Born Sinner' was released in 2013 and included the songs 'Power Trip' and 'Crooked Smile'.
-
29. Tyler, The Creator, 'Goblin'
There are two editions of the 'Goblin' cover - this is the deluxe edition and shows Tyler staring deep into the camera with the album's title covering his face.
-
30. Kendrick Lamar, 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'
Inspired by the themes on the album, the cover artwork for ' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City' shows Kendrick, two of his uncles and his grandfather with his relations' eyes all censored. His decision to censor his relatives' eyes was because he wanted fans to feel like the story was being told through his eyes.
-
31. Wiz Khalifa, 'o.n.i.f.c.'
The cover for Wiz's 2012 studio album shows an elegant shot of the rapper sitting on a chair while sporting a leopard print coat and red and white striped trousers.
-
32. Public Enemy, 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'
Hit hop album covers don't come more iconic than Public Enemy's 'it Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. The album was released in 1988.
-
33. 2 Chainz, 'B.O.A.T.S. II: #METIME'
The second studio album by 2 Chainz had nothing but two gold chains on it. Somehow it did everything it had to.