The 50 Best Hip-Hop Album Covers
By Andrew Noz | Oct 28, 2011 | 1:14 pm | Permalink
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Dating back to its earliest ties to graffiti culture, the visual component has always played a large part in hip-hop culture. Today's album art mostly serves as thumbtacks for NahRight posts or, at best, just another category on iTunes for OCD sufferers to perfect.
But once upon a time, it mattered. LPs were hung on walls, CDs were cracked open, and cassette J-cards were unfolded awkwardly and with as much anticipation as is given to today's Zshare links. From the Daisy Age fluorescence of De La Soul to the digital age fluorescence of Kanye West, we're proclaiming the finest moments of three decades' worth of hip-hop album art as we countdown The 50 Best Hip-Hop Album Covers.
Written by Andrew Noz (@Noz)
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ssh September 8th, 2010 at 01:35 AM
the word is "ducats," not duckets.
BIGGFREDD September 14th, 2010 at 09:45 AM
Midnight marauders and the low end theory should have switched places. I remember tryin to name all the faces back in the day. Ill c;assic shit.
The Fresh Addict September 14th, 2010 at 10:18 AM
The freshest part about Reasonable Doubt's packaging was the .22 on the actually CD. I was mad after the 3rd time I purchased it (one of the most boosted CDs of ALL time i.e Doggystyle, The Purple Tape, and The Chronic) that it was gone. That CD is a classic in every sense of the word...
Robert Hooper September 14th, 2010 at 10:36 AM
Where is The RZA's Bobby Digital cover?
riff raff September 14th, 2010 at 10:54 AM
I remember seeing that pen and pixel shit in junior high school and thinking man this stuff looks like crap. Everybody was on No Limit and Cash Money back then. Those covers still look bad today.
DrewDown91 September 14th, 2010 at 11:21 AM
I agree with Big Fred, Midnight Marauders should be tops. WHERE IS THE GRAVEDIGGAZ "6 FEET DEEP/NIGGAMORTIS" ALBUM COVER! That should be on here no doubt. Also, kind of obscure but Jedi Mind Tricks "Legacy of Blood" was a crazy cover, peep it: http://respecta.net/uploads/posts/2009-04/1239796990_folder4.jpg
Someone September 14th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
where is jay-z BP3 cover that was better then some that were included in this top 50
wu September 14th, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Really? Where are Public Enemy: Muse Sick-N-Hour Message Jeru the Damaja: Sun rises in the east These are just two i thought of in 2 minutes. Step it up complex!
E_DUB September 14th, 2010 at 12:28 PM
You miss one of the dopest covers of all time in Newcleus "Jam on Revenge".,..Thats a pretty wack list who-ever came up with it. Some really bad album covers in there,...
Hocus Pocus September 14th, 2010 at 12:42 PM
How could you leave out Liquid Swords? Oh right, Complex has no credibility...