The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Magazine Covers

All the classics that used to be on your bedroom wall.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Before the blog boom, the magazine was the principle information source for hip-hop heads. In those days the publication world was merely a reflection of the hip-hop industry and a driving force within it. Frequently their most memorable component was the gift wrap on every issue—the cover.

Cover images burned forever into the hip-hop consciousness. They were pasted to lockers and bedroom walls, as well as autographed at shows. They broke stories and told stories. They fueled beefs, squashed beefs, and then mourned the consequences of those left unresolved. They bolstered identities and sometimes even created them.

In celebration of the form, we took a look back at 50 of the greatest magazine covers that hip-hop ever produced. And yes, we included a few of our own, although we did our best to be as objective as possible.

Intro

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#50. The Notorious B.I.G. (The Source, 1995)

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#49. Missy Elliott (V Magazine, 2004)

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#48. Freshman Cover (XXL, 2009)

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#47. Roc-A-Fella Crew (The Source, 2002)

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#46. Method Man (ego trip, 1994)

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#45. Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, & Kool Herc (The Source, 1993)

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#44. Ghostface (Pound, 2001)

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#43. Jay-Z (XXL, 1997)

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#42. MF Doom (The Wire, 2005)

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#41. Eminem (Complex, 2010)

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#40. Jeru the Damaja (On The Go, 1995)

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#39. The Greatest Day In Hip-Hop History (XXL, 1998)

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#38. Jay-Z (Stress, 1996)

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#37. The Notorious B.I.G. & Faith Evans (VIBE, 1995)

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#36. Rawkus w/ 12" (Stress, 1998)

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#35. Ice-T (Rolling Stone, 1992)

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#34. MF Doom x Ghostface (Mass Appeal, 2005)

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#33. Mobb Deep/Ice Cream Cops (On The Go, N/A)

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#32. Eazy-E (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#31. The Notorious B.I.G. (ego trip, 1997)

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#30. Lauryn Hill (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#29. Tone Loc (Newsweek, 1990)

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#28. Kanye West (Complex, 2008)

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#27. Redman (The Source, 1994)

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#26. The Notorious B.I.G. (XXL, 1997)

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#25. Lil Wayne (BLAZE, 2000)

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#24. Eazy E (The Source, 1990)

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#23. Pharcyde (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#22. 50 Cent vs. Kanye West (Rolling Stone, 2007)

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#21. Clipse x KAWS (Complex, 2009)

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#20. Nas (XXL, 2003)

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#19. Goodie Mob (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#18. Kid Cudi (Complex, 2010)

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#17. Kool G Rap (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#16. Nas & Large Professor/50 Cent's Gun (Mass Appeal, 2002)

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#15. Jay-Z, DMX, & Ja Rule as Murder Inc. (XXL, 1999)

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#14. The Notorious B.I.G. (Rap Pages, 1997)

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#13. Eminem (STRESS, 1998)

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#12. Tupac Shakur (Rolling Stone, 1996)

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#11. Run-DMC (Spin,1988)

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#10. Kanye West (Rolling Stone, 2006)

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#9. The Notorious B.I.G. (VIBE, 1997)

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#8. Ol Dirty Bastard (Rap Pages, 1995)

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#7. Treach (VIBE, 1992)

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#6. The Notorious B.I.G. & Puff Daddy (VIBE, 1996)

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#5. Eminem, Dr. Dre, & 50 Cent (XXL, 2003)

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#4. Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Suge Knight, & Dr. Dre (VIBE, 1996)

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#3. Snoop Dogg (VIBE, 1993)

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#2. Dr. Dre (The Source, 1992)

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#1. Tupac Shakur (VIBE, 1994)

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