The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Single Covers

The cover art is dope so here are the greatest hip-hop single covers.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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J-Zone is a rapper/producer (also rapping resident kingpin of lampoonery) turned opinionated curmudgeon (a.k.a hip-hop's greatest humorist). He's written for Hip-Hop Connection, Ego Trip, Slam, The Source, and is author of the memoir, Root For The Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure

Before you could preview an album on iTunes, you had to buy...erm...the 12" single! Or even more archaic, the cassingle and CD single. But the music on the 12" single was more than a mere glimpse into what could possibly be on the album. Musically you had instrumentals, a capellas, remixes, radio edits and the now extinct unreleased b-side. And then there were the covers. Some labels cut corners by throwing a 12" single in an inconspicuous, no-frills donut hole jacket to cut down on costs. After all, 12"s are only for DJs, right? Wrong.

Labels that opted to shell out a little cash for a quality 12" cover made their promotional tools more marketable to the average consumer. And if you were part of the indie boom of the late '90s, the 12" cover played an even bigger role—you probably never had an album coming out, so you better make this shit good. From the salacious ass of Ice-T's ex girl to the Joe Clark-esque don of discipline and conquerer-of-evil steez of an anti-drug MC Shan—here are the greatest hip-hop single covers. 

RELATED: Green Label - 10 Great Hip-Hop/Rock Collaborations
RELATED: Green Label - The Most Iconic Hip-Hop Cover Art of All Time

Written by J-Zone (@jzonedonttweet).

 

Dead President$

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Insane In The Brain

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Wrong Place

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Jump Around

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Ice Cream w/ Incarcerated Scarfaces

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Burnt Pride

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Bonita Applebum

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Fight The Power

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A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'

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Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)

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I Gotcha Opin

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It's Tricky

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Ebonics

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Troy

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Universal Magnetic

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Time 4 Sum Aksion

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Original Stylin'

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Big Poppa

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Around The Way Girl

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Pay Style

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Dr. Bombay

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Body Rock

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Bang Zoom

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Leave Me Alone

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I Wanna Rock

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Till My Heart Stops

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You're Gonna Get Yours

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That's When Ya Lost

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She's On It

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Teenage Love

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Saturday Nite Fever *Add Label*

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Product Of The Environment

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Needle To The Groove

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The Phuncky Feel One

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Children's Story

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Express Yourself

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ego trippin'

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Fuck Compton

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End To End Burners

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high rollers

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Wrong Side Off Da Tracks

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Just A Friend

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Sleepin' On My Couch

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looking at the front door

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Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa

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Whatta Nigga Know?

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Droppin' Science

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Gangsta, Gangsta

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Beat Bop

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Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing

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