Album Art Face Off: Battle Of The Clipse Covers
This morning, the cover art for Clipse’s long-awaited third album Till The Casket Drops leaked, and as promised, it features an illustration by art icon Brian “KAWS” Donnelly. Obviously, we prefer the cover that KAWS and Clipse created for the current issue of Complex (this one!), but we’re probably a little biased.
How do you think their new cover matches up against the illustration from their 2001 debut Lord Willin’ and the money-filled image from the 2006 follow-up Hell Hath No Fury? Learn more about each of Clipse’s covers and cast your vote for the best below…
ALBUM: LORD WILLIN’ (2001)
ILLUSTRATION BY: Vicki Berndt
DESIGN BY: Courtney Walter
For their official debut, the Thornton brothers went with an illustration that shows them riding through Virginia Beach with black Jesus in the back seat. Damn, he couldn’t get shotgun?
ALBUM: HELL HATH NO FURY (2006)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Jonathan Mannion
DESIGN BY: Courtney Walter
What better way to convey the crack music inside than by photographing Pusha and Malice with a kitchen stove? The international currency on the wall was definitely all obtained through legal channels.
ALBUM: TILL THE CASKET DROPS (2009)
ILLUSTRATION BY: KAWS
He’s already done cover art for all of their 2009 singles—“Kinda Like A Big Deal”, “All Eyes On Me” and “I’m Good”—and KAWS continues the up-close graphic motif on the official album art, which shows a pink casket and the artist’s signature X’s.
Loading ...RELATED: Album Preview: Clipse’s Till The Casket Drops
• Complex’s Clipse x KAWS Cover Story
Rush November 11, 2009 at 3:58 pm
When I heard Kaws was doing their album Art I was excited to see what was going to happen. I like most of his work and there’s no question about the great music the Clipse puts out, but that album cover is straight up BORING!!!. I hope Kaws threw them a freebee. He could have done way better then that. He did Pusher and Malice dirty, I’ll still cop (buy NOT Download) the album none the less.
johngone November 11, 2009 at 4:12 pm
i got love for the clipse.. but their album covers have always sucked.
soneerokz November 11, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I agree….Kaws could’ve done something a lot better than this! This cover is way too plain. Put it this way, the other covers for Clipse’s previous albums are way better!
yoooo November 11, 2009 at 5:34 pm
i thought the HHNF cover couldve been better, only because the album was so frickin good. The cover is the only visual you have at the moment when listening to the album, so a cover that coincides with the music is always good. kaws’ cover was good, it matches the mood of the album..lighter and more free and etc
(thumbs up)
yoooo November 11, 2009 at 5:42 pm
oh and NOBODY has a cover worse than thiiiiiiis
http://www.amalgamdigital.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/imported/images/Big_Bear_%27Doin_Thangs%27_Album_Cover.jpg
yoooo November 11, 2009 at 5:43 pm
or thiiiiiiiis hahah
http://www.torkhum.com/topten/rap_trickdaddy.jpg
Marcus2000 aka Marcus Robinson November 11, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Please Clipse…Don’t fuck around and use this cover man..don’t let this be a epic fail on your part..AZ’s Doe or Die Album cover shits all over this new one so that in itself should tell u what’s really really good..Back to the drawing board immediatelly my niggaz b4 its too late!!! Then again I’m hoping that ur pulling a fast one on us and had plans 2 switch it up on em all along..
ugh! November 11, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Maybe they should’ve had the cover in the shape of a Tri-angle face.
cm photography November 11, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I like lord willin’. There just something about illistrations that I love.
DoubleClutch95 November 11, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Til the Casket Drops cover is easily the worst of the 3 and KAWS is truly killing the clipse with his gay looking shit. How could the clipse approve this bullshit? Hope it get changed in time so the cover matches the actual work of the music…
Edward November 11, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Lord Willin’ is just a kind of funny throwback to the Joe Cool illustrated Death Row covers. Hell Hath No Fury really says a lot about the Clipse as a group in such subtle ways that its really amazing in what its able to accomplish.
REIF November 11, 2009 at 11:11 pm
next time they need to hire the cat who did that Kanye story over here:
http://brandmakernews.com/branduniverse/kanyewestbrand.php
I think he’s this graf artist/illustrator CHAN
I’m diggin his style,but that KAWS joint looked lazy,rushed and not in anyway reflective of the Clipse attitude.
Pink??
mike November 12, 2009 at 6:36 am
this new cover ain’t really bad
but please not for the album’s cover
when it’s singles covers no problem but
damn u need more for this third album than that
ps: the promotion picture was a lot betta !
oh and da complex cover too
need a new cover right now so
this kaws artwork is only for a special edition
(japan, for example)
that’s a better idea, nah? indeed
riff raff November 12, 2009 at 12:03 pm
till the casket drops will definitely stand out on the shelf that’s for sure. But yeah I think Kaws could have done better. Especially after what he did on the magazine cover with clipse.
Incilin November 12, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I have no idea why people show love to someone like KAWS or why he’s such an acclaimed “artist” His Kinda Like A Big Deal cover looks like something I could have made myself. And the TTCD cover just plain old sucks.
Jayson Absolutely November 12, 2009 at 3:10 pm
they’re used to getting all the neptunes throwaway beats…so this throwaway album cover isnt a surprise… tho there other 2 covers i thought were dope, especially the first one
omar November 12, 2009 at 7:01 pm
they All Suck! how can I get with these labels and push my art?
CassavaLeaf.com November 12, 2009 at 7:44 pm
That’s the gayest album cover EVER
This looks like some Lil Kim joint
kash November 12, 2009 at 11:14 pm
wack!! HHNF is their best cover
rons1972unes November 13, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Clipse you all can put the cover art of KAWS on the inside of the booklet with the title of the tracks, producer, and contributing credits in my opinion I believe that would be dope. Ready to cop that Album too for the collection. 100
John November 16, 2009 at 2:49 pm
What happened to this album cover?
http://hiphop-n-more.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/the-clipse-album-flyer.jpg
This was far better. If this one by KAWS is the real one I’m gonna be pretty disappointed. This other one if far better.
Anthony December 4, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Kaws is a genius, how was THIS what he came up with? Extremely boring. I feel bad for Clipse, like they got a raw deal. If they had a bunch to choose from and chose this then I’d be interested to hear their thought process. But if Clipse are happy with it then I am happy with it.