16 Behind the Scenes Stories About Complex's 2012 Magazine Covers

Learn about the planning and development of each from our art director, Brent Rollins, and photo editor, Gina Batlle.

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Complex Original

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Complex's bi-monthly magazines are always a product of group planning, in-depth conception, and tight execution. 2012 was a year of multiple double-sided covers we are proud of, whether it was helping to break artists like A$AP Rocky and Lana Del Rey or finding new ways to present well-known figures like Justin Bieber and Nas

Behind the book, especially its cover shoots, are Complex's Art Director, Brent Rollins, and Photo Editor, Gina Battle. We asked them to share the stories behind all of last year's covers, in addition to our February/March 2013 covers with Rihanna and Kid Cudi. Whether talking about ideas that initially got rejected, how they picked photographers, or the experience of getting multiple people on a cover, they'll surprise you with how all of this really goes down.

Read through 16 Behind the Scenes Stories About Complex's 2012 Magazine Covers for a peek into our world.

As told to Cedar Pasori (@cedar).

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Kid Cudi (February/March 2013)

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Kid Cudi: Life After Death

Issue: February/March 2013

Photographer: JUCO (Julia Galdo and Cody Cloud)

Written By: Joe La Puma (@jlapuma)


 

Noah's idea was from a comic book cover showing Spiderman crawling out of a grave. Cudi was really into it.


 

Brent Rollins: "So Cudi, Joe, Noah, and I went to meet Cudi at some recording studio, and he played us some music. We were tossing around ideas, and Noah had one that he's always wanted to shoot based off of a Spiderman comic book cover. Basically, we wanted it to be like Cudi's rebirth, because he wants to reassert himself in hip-hop. Also, he had been going through all this dark stuff in his life, and now he's clean and feels like a new person.

The idea of him coming back to life was a thought, and Noah's idea was from a comic book cover showing Spiderman crawling out of a grave. Cudi was really into it. We wanted to do a whole futuristic-type thing and were thinking about that one part in Star Trek with the space pod. We got JUCO to shoot that in LA. They were really excited and ended up coming up with more ideas. Cudi has this sci-fi thing as part of his whole character, so we had a lot of ideas coming from different places. They found all these other references with robots and embryonic fluids—all these crazy, related things that they were trying to tie together.


 

JUCO found all these other references with robots and embryonic fluids—all these crazy, related things that they were trying to tie together.


 

We got to LA, and they built the set for the grave. Cudi got in the dirt, and we took some great pictures of him there. They had built an acrylic coffin that they were going to fill up with liquid, so it was kind of this weird birth/death-type thing. At first, Cudi wanted to do it naked, but he kind of went back and forth. It's a little weird, because he has shoes on, but it's all these different metaphors about life, death, and being reborn that make it so unusual. It's not so 'on the nose,' but it touches all these different points. It's far too compelling and very unexpected but also super simple."

Gina Batlle: "We couldn't decide and brought in other editors to look at the final shots, and they thought that it maybe went too far. For us, if something is compelling, we go for it. Sometimes when you go in too hard with a specific idea, you'll miss something better that might happen. What's cool about photo shoots is that you have an idea, but you don't actually know what you're going to get."


 

For us, if something is compelling, we go for it. Sometimes when you go in too hard with a specific idea, you’ll miss something better that might happen.


 

Brent Rollins: "There are several different shots of Cudi in water, and then they added milk to the water. It's so crazy, because Cudi has tattoos of his wrists slit, so there's all this morbid stuff going on. He's definitely got that sort of Latin death fascination. They put that colored syrup on his arms and then in the water. Then he started getting in all these embryonic positions, and there was all this crazy shit with the coffin and being in the fetal position. The final shot is probably truer to his persona and a lot more unexpected and unique, so I think that's why that cover won."

Gina Batlle: "It's really shocking and weird; you're not necessarily sure how to feel when you're looking at it, which is cool because you don't want someone to look at a photo and say, 'I get it.' It's also great to work with people who trust you, and Cudi is one of those people who really trusts Complex, Brent, and Noah to have awesome ideas and to make sure things are going to look cool. He really trusts what we do."

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Rihanna (February/March 2013)

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Rihanna: Full Exposure

Issue: February/March 2013

Photographer: Zoe McConnell (@ZOEMCCONNELL)

Written By: Soo-Young Kim (@sooeypooey)


 

The catch was that she wanted to do seven covers, and I just didn't think it could happen.


 

Brent Rollins: "For Rihanna, this was her seventh record and a little bit of a victory lap for her. We had been wanting to get Rihanna on a cover for a while, and I think for various reasons it just had never happened. She's been on the cover of Complex before, but it had been a while and a lot happened in her career. The catch was that she wanted to do seven covers, and I just didn't think it could happen. The first thing that came to my mind was the seven deadly sins; how do you illustrate seven completely different things?

We didn't think we were going to get her for the amount of time it would take to do seven different covers and have seven different set-ups. They really wanted to do seven covers and at the same time keep it simple. We came up with selfies, since that is kind of her thing-her taking pictures of herself in seven different scenarios like with a Polaroid camera, a photo booth, or a cell phone camera. That was a way we could do seven different covers relatively easily.


 

What you see in magazines and online is what she actually looks like.


 

So we got on the phone with them and found out that Rihanna had her own very specific idea, and that was part of the deal. She was very specific that she wanted to present herself through her previous six albums, with the attitude of 'Unapologetic,' which is not necessarily an easy thing to do."

Gina Batlle: "It's not something that's easy to illustrate."

Brent Rollins: "It's her hair that's changed most drastically per look per album, but that was the thing we weren't touching. She has a short haircut, and that was going to be the only consistent part. She's not Madonna where she has this look or that look. She does have different looks, but they are not so extreme every time that you would not know per era.

This was an experience for me, because I'm not a 15-year-old girl, so I don't know Rihanna's looks throughout her career. Everyone changes their style and stuff, but it was fun doing a little bit of back history. I knew probably three looks before researching. Now that I look back on it, I think they did a really successful job in conveying her looks. The good thing is that it was a really simple shoot. We had her for two days. She's super beautiful."

Gina Batlle: "What you see in magazines and online is what she actually looks like. It's like, wow, you actually look like this. She is beautiful, which was cool to see. She was into it and really sweet."

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A$AP Rocky (December 2012/January 2013)

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A$AP Rocky: Rocky Road

Issue: December 2012/January 2013

Photographer: Glynis Selina Arban (@glyselarb)

Written By: Joe La Puma (@jlapuma)


 

He was like, 'I told you I wasn't going to change.'


 

Gina Batlle: "Shooting A$AP Rocky again was awesome. The first time we shot him, we had a conversation about fame, and I remember talking to him about how has his life has changed and how exciting this is for him. One of the things he said was, 'I'm not going to be like those other people who get famous and turn into assholes. I'm going to stay the same.' People say that, but their situation changes. He came in and he was the same."

Brent Rollins: "He remembered me."

Gina Batlle: "He was like, 'I told you I wasn't going to change.' And I was like, 'Damn, you remembered our conversation!'"


 

You have to go into fame knowing all the forces surrounding you.


 

Brent Rollins: "You have to go into fame knowing all the forces surrounding you."

Gina Batlle: "He was very aware of what fame could do to him, so it was cool that he remembered everyone. He was nice, on time, talking to everyone, and he invited everyone to his show. It was cool."

Brent Rollins: "The cover image was actually one of the last shots. We were trying to re-conceptualize, because we had just shot him a year before, and his album was going to be coming out. It's tricky to do that, because it can look weird dressing someone up. We used Game of Thrones as a starting point so the other shots were a mix of humor and fashion, which was interesting. We didn't have a lot of time."


 

That's what makes it a great cover; it can be easily mocked and referenced.


 

Gina Batlle: "We had about three days. We were told that he had a day in New York or else we were going to have shoot him in a random place. All of these things get harder when it's not in a major city."

Brent Rollins: "Noah knows my work; he collected the early magazines I art directed because of the covers. He understands that it's always my goal for these covers to be special. There's something about seeing iconic images of celebrities that gets people excited. In every situation, we have avoided shooting straight portraits, because that's not really the direction we are trying to go in. You want to come up with a story that burns into people.

We didn't have much time to prep, and Glynis has a mystical characteristic to her photographs, so I thought it was a good match for her. I wish we had a crown just to play off of the royal part for the spread. The point is—the final cover is memorable. If someone takes a photo or uses a knife like he does, I'll know what they are referencing. That's what makes it a great cover; it can be easily mocked and referenced."

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Alicia Keys (December 2012/January 2013)

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Alicia Keys: Unlocking Alicia

Issue: December 2012/January 2013

Photographer: Gavin Bond

Written By: Rob Kenner (@boomshots)


 

Noah actually made a sketch of her in a window. It was supposed to be more natural.


 

Gina Batlle: "We had a meeting about how we were going to present Alicia Keys. We wanted to keep it simple but not dismissible."

Brent Rollins: "Her first single off of the new album, "Girl on Fire," was easy to riff off of, but she had already done a shoot with fire, so that was off the table. That put us in the position of going in a different direction, and this one actually came from Noah, in the sense that there have always been cover ideas we've wanted to do. '70s Playboy magazines have always had great covers, so keeping with the time of year, we were trying to show it raining outside. Noah actually made a sketch of her in a window. We wanted to present her not wistful and not "fashion-shooty"—it was supposed to feel more natural."

Gina Batlle: "I had a conversation with her team and what they envisioned for her new album. This is her first album after having a baby. We went into it looking at her other stuff. Previous shoots always had a lot going on with her, whether it was really intense styling or the concepts were just over the top. We thought, 'What if we strip her down—make it simple and just be like this is Alicia Keys.' We were fortunate that this was the idea they were pushing, too, so we were able to continue."


 

They built the set, and we didn't have much time, so we shot her in that window pretty much like the original sketch.


 

Brent Rollins: "The photographer, Gavin Bond, hadn't worked with us for a while, but it seemed like a good opportunity, because he is good at shooting women. He had actually shot with her before, so there was a comfort level already established. They built the set, and we didn't have much time, so we shot her in that window pretty much like the original sketch. The window was dropped in afterwards with the skyline. Before it was just the white light, and it looked good, but we just wanted to give it a little something. She's from New York and reps New York openly, so we found some examples of the skyline that Gavin shot at a friend's house."

Gina Batlle: "His friend lived across from this woman with these huge open windows."

Brent Rollins: "We had finished the shoot and wished that there was a window in it. We ended up dropping one behind her, and that was that."

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Wiz Khalifa (October/November 2012)

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Wiz Khalifa: Balancing Act

Issue: October/November 2012

Photographer: Bryce Duffy

Written By: Insanul Ahmed (@incilin)


 

We were in a position where we needed to figure out what people's stories are.


 

Brent Rollins: "By the time we shot Wiz, we were in a position where we needed to figure out what people's stories are. We've had some very successful covers, but I was personally a little frustrated, because we would come up with stuff in spite of what the process was.

Wiz had already been on the cover for April/May 2011 with Danny McBride. His single had come out, and it was very clear that he was going for two different audience, so we came up with the idea of him walking this line and straddling this fence. We know that as an artist, he is very cognizant of that, so the idea of him literally walking this line was very appealing.


 

I had actually sketched out this cover before even applying it to Wiz.


 

We were trying to come up with a really good conceptual cover. I had actually sketched out this cover before even applying it to Wiz. Sometimes I'll sketch out a cover before I even know who it's for and just put it away.

We found a great photographer, Bryce Duffy. The hardest part about a lot of the shoots is finding a photographer that fits the right tone, because for this Wiz Khalifa cover to work, it had to look real. The lighting had to look plausible. Bryce has a slight sense of humor in what he shoots, so we reached out to him and proposed this rooftop idea.

We shot him on a set, but he is actually walking on a tightrope, which was very uncomfortable for him. It's cool that he was down to do that. I think the light was coming from the top; it was very conservative, natural light. If anything, you have to look at it and make sure, because it looks very plausible."

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Olga Kurylenko (October/November 2012)

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Olga Kurylenko: Flexible Fly Girl

Issue: October/November 2012

Photographer: Tony Kelly

Written By: Matthew Barone (@MBarone)


 

She is also a dancer, so she was able to do these interesting body positions.


 

Brent Rollins: "For Olga, we got to work with Tony Kelly once again, because he shoots women really well. Again, this was working with an actress, so we weren't sure what sort of story to tell with her. The yoga idea came from Tony, and that was a good thing, because it's an opportunity for her to do all these shapes and be sexy.

As an art director, I like that we could create interesting shapes with her body to use in both the layout and on the cover. We shot it in a studio in Los Angeles, so it has this crazy view. She is also a dancer, so she was able to do these interesting body positions."

Gina Batlle: "There are photographs of chicks in every issue, and you want to make them look hot, but it's not that simple. You want to find different ways to have them look hot and have there be an interesting scenario. She didn't want to do a straightforwardly sexy shoot, so how do we still have her look hot without her being in a bra and underwear? They had a yoga instructor there, so we would know what positions were actually real. She also showed us different angles that we could do, so that helped for us to get a better idea."

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G.O.O.D. Music (August/September 2012)

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G.O.O.D. Music: New Religion

Issue: August/September 2012

Photographer: Nabil (@nabildo)

Written By: Noah Callahan-Bever (@n_c_b)


 

We shot it at the Angel Orensanz synagogue in the Lower East Side, where they shot Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers, because it's a gothic, super crazy-looking space.


 

Gina Batlle: "Originally, we had four or five days to plan this shoot. We met with DONDA and had to pitch them photographers and ideas, all within 24 hours. Kanye said that Nabil could shoot it. He already has a relationship with DONDA, which helped."

Brent Rollins: "It's hard to do something with a bunch of people, especially a bunch of guys. It became difficult to get approved. Working with DONDA was the smart thing to do from an execution standpoint. We shot it at the Angel Orensanz synagogue in the Lower East Side, where they shot Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers, because it's a gothic, super crazy-looking space. Nabil wasn't feeling the grittiness or religious vibe that G.O.O.D. wanted, but he did a variety of photographs and portraits that became a cross through DONDA. We refined it from there. Nabil ended up shooting Kanye and John Legend separately in Paris."

Gina Batlle: "The shoot itself was really intense because all six of them were there—Cudi, Common, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and Q-Tip."


 

It was like, wow, this is some serious star power—some serious rap history in the room.


 

Brent Rollins: "It might have been the first time they were all together, so the record label had all their people there to shoot publicity shots, as well. It was just like a crazy, manic G.O.O.D Music day."

Gina Batlle: "It was a lot, because we were dealing with six different people being ready, six different needs to meet, and all of their teams, too, but I think it worked out really well."

Brent Rollins: "It was kind of cool to see Q-Tip, Pusha, and Common all in the same room. It was like, wow, this is some serious star power—some serious rap history in the room."

Gina Batlle: "They have a genuine respect for each other, so it was cool to see them interact and talk with each other. During that roundtable Noah had, it was really cool to hear what they all had to say."

Brent Rollins: "And they weren't there to work on music, so they were just in a social environment, which was cool to witness."

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Rita Ora (August/September 2012)

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Rita Ora: Rita Rocs

Issue: August/September 2012

Photographer: Zoe McConnell (@ZOEMCCONNELL)

Written By: Rob Kenner (@boomshots)


 

We were in London during the Queen's Jubilee, and all the streets were blocked off.


 

Brent Rollins: "We found this photographer Zoe McConnell, because we needed to hire a photographer in London. There is no shortage of photographers in London, but we needed somebody who would still be able to shoot Rita in a sexy but not so cheesecake way. We found Zoe and thought it was a good fit, so we went to London for the shoot. We were in London during the Queen's Jubilee and all the streets were blocked off."

Gina Batlle: "Because we were there during this huge holiday, I think we were at the shoot a little longer than they originally wanted us to be, so it worked out for us in terms of a lot of down time. Rita was really sweet, funny, goofy, and had a really positive attitude. We actually had the opportunity to see her perform; she opened for Coldplay the night before, and we got to meet her whole family. We don't usually have the opportunity to see what someone is about in that way, because timing doesn't allow, but it was cool to see her in action."


 

She opened for Coldplay the night before, and we got to meet her whole family.


 

Brent Rollins: "We did the shoot at this amazing house. We were looking for 'dorm' story/foreign exchange student scenario, because she is 'coming to America.' The photographer found this house, I forget who it was owned by, but it is badass. It's super '70s, but in an awesome way-very modern and high design with a yellow bathtub. Everything was just awesome."

Gina Batlle: "The interior design was really cool. Even though they had all this cool shit, it felt really comfortable. Zoe was really awesome; she knows how to direct women without making them feel uncomfortable. She is also really easy going. When I sent her an email, I accidentally typed her name into my Gmail search and saw that she had sent me an email two weeks before pitching her work. I just ended up replying back to that email."

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Nas (June/July 2012)

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Nas: Return of the Don

Issue: June/July 2012

Photographer: Kareem Black (@kareemblack)

Written By: Rob Mariott (@tafari)


 

We built a set, sort of like a whole New York City block, because we wanted to get that Do the Right Thing feel.


 

Brent Rollins: "We were kind of struggling with how to present Nas, because he doesn't normally do super conceptual covers. It's not a diss, that's just not him. We really liked his single that summer, 'The Don,' and it's exciting because he's a legend. We were trying to do something that was sort of 'Life is good,' which led to a more documentary feel. We staged it from a shot in the film Do the Right Thing, the one with three guys sitting on a bench. We were inspired by the color saturation from that film.

We built a set, sort of like a whole New York City block, because we wanted to get that Do the Right Thing feel. Kareem Black was the photographer for this. Going back to the 'meta' idea from the Drake cover, we wanted this to be a reflection of Nas' life. You used to see guys hanging out on the corner listening to records, and then it followed through on the inside story with old, faded posters of Nas' things, so it looked natural. We had my younger cousins as the kids, and we rented an Icee cart for those shots. It looks like we shot it on the street, and there is a slight artiness to it, which was intentional. That picture is all about the negative space, because there is a big field of red, and he is in the corner. We don't do a lot of headlines, because it ruins the beauty of the photography."

Gina Batlle: "Nas was super great to deal with on set. He came in on time and was super nice. Brent had already set up everything before, so it was just a matter of Nas being there. For us the question was, 'How do you tell the story of summer without beach balls and beaches, and still have the integrity of his brand and what he represents?' So that's how we came to think of this 'Life is good' idea."

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Mary Elizabeth Winstead (June/July 2012)

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Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Geek Chic

Issue: June/July 2012

Photographer: Micaela Rossato

Written By: Matt Barone (@MBarone)


 

She knew how to take a picture; she knew her shapes and angles.


 

Brent Rollins: "Actors and actresses can be really tough, because they typically put on the personality you give them. It's hard to figure out what their identity or story is. Even actors with a certain identity are so used to putting on a different story that it's almost a little too wide open in terms of coming up with ideas. For this, we knew we wanted to convey the idea of summer, because this was still our summer issue. We came up with this idea of the 'hot girl next door,' so we wanted to shoot in suburbia and have all these sprinklers cooling her off. There are sprinklers, she's drinking a slushee on the curb, and she has a handheld fan.

This was actually at my sister's house in Palmdale, California. We had been to Palmdale a couple of months earlier to shoot a digital cover for Kid Cudi, and the cookie-cutter houses struck me. The fact that this is where my sister lives is cool, since I got to get my family involved. She was really cool, and I think she used to be a dancer, so she was interesting to watch in front of the camera. Her body movements were very slow and controlled."


 

The photographer, Micaela Rossato, was a sculptor originally. She shoots women by shape.


 

Gina Batlle: "She knew how to take a picture; she knew her shapes and angles."

Brent Rollins: "And she was moving in slow motion which was trippy. The photographer, Micaela Rossato, was a sculptor originally. She shoots women by shape, while most women photographers shoot women for inner beauty."

Gina Batlle: "She was really cool, and it had a lot of American elements with surburbia, the car, and the flag we got made. It was the little things."

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Justin Bieber (April/May 2012)

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Justin Bieber: Second Round KO

Issue: April/May 2012

Photographer: Tony Kelly

Written By: Joe La Puma (@jlapuma)


 

I wanted to do this idea, so it got presented to one of his people, and they immediately shut it down.


 

Brent Rollins: "We were very excited about shooting Justin Bieber, and this was a big opportunity—how do we make the Complex reader interested in Justin Bieber? Nevermind that it's a pop magazine, we knew people would still be wondering why we're covering Justin Bieber. He's obviously a really huge star. I wanted to do a portrait of him with someone shaving his hair off, because to a lot of guys his hair was 'his thing.' That one got shot down, and the other idea that still had a long way to go was—What do most guys want to do when they see Justin Bieber? Punch him in the face. People feel less that way than they did at the time, and I think our magazine was the beginning of him trying to get away from the 'teeny bopper' image. I wanted to do this idea, so it got presented to one of his people, and they immediately shut it down."

Gina Batlle: "They were in a position where they wanted to introduce him to a new market, but they were afraid to go too far in one direction, because they didn't want to lose his original image completely."

Brent Rollins: "Then there was another idea, and it was really typical: him at his mansion surrounded by a lot of hot girls and being a baller. There's nothing surprising about that, because even if it could be over the top, it's not anything you haven't seen in rap videos, despite him being an eighteen-year-old white kid; there's no twist or 'a-ha,' and it just makes you want to punch him in the face more. Noah was in conversation with one of his closer dudes, and I remember he sent me a text being like, 'Dude they are going to do your cover, Bieber wants to do the punching-in-the-face cover.' Somehow his shields got circumvented, and the idea actually got to him."


 

He had tweeted out a picture of Compton Street, and these girls figured out where that was, so they arrived at the shoot and were waiting on him.


 

Gina Batlle: "I think it was more that his team was being protective of him."

Brent Rollins: "Which is frustrating, because it's an idea that almost didn't happen. We hired Tony Kelly, who is great, because he was a fashion photographer, but also a photojournalist, and has experience in high-pressure situations. He also knew how to compose everything amazingly, and his color and sense of humor is right there, but never over the top. He got very enthused and ran with the whole boxing ring idea, and it's great because it was the 10th anniversary for Complex. We shot it in a gym in downtown Los Angeles, and it looked like a movie set. Bieber's whole interest in presenting himself was becoming more challenging. He had tweeted out a picture of Compton Street, and these girls figured out where that was, so they arrived at the shoot and were waiting on him, which was weird."

Gina Batlle: "They wrote a blog post about it, and I think they got to hug him at the end."

Brent Rollins: "So we did two covers, because it was special, and they are both different. Justin picking himself up off the ground is sort of shocking and maybe more memorable than the one of him holding the meat on his eye, so we couldn't decide. We decided to go with both."

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Nicki Minaj (April/May 2012)

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Nicki Minaj: Self-Possessed

Issue: April/May 2012

Photographer: Christian Anwander

Written By: Miss Info (@missinfo)


 

The tongue idea came from the photographer, and the swirly lollipop was a last minute addition. It's always good to have a prop; people pose, but with a prop it's easier to play off of.


 

Brent Rollins: "We first shot Nicki Minaj for a cover in 2011, and I remember when she walked in, I said, 'Hey we shot you last year,' and she was like, 'Really?' It's fine, because I don't expect people to remember me each time, but it was more in the sense that so much had changed since the last shoot as far as her career.

The concept was that we had a logo for the 10-year anniversary, and we thought it would be cool to do something graphic, because she's open to costumes. We wanted to have her be amongst all these stripes and whatnot, so that's why she's dressed the way she is.

The tongue idea came from the photographer, and the swirly lollipop was a last minute addition. It's always good to have a prop; people pose, but with a prop it's easier to play off of. The photographer, Christian Anwander, had thought of her tongue being painted a while ago, but when we actually found the lollipop we wanted, we were able to resurrect the idea. It's surprising to see someone's tongue painted, but it works for her because she's a character that would allow that."

Gina Batlle: "We didn't actually get confirmation that she would be able to do the shoot. The shoot was on a Saturday, and we didn't find out until Thursday that she was going to be there for sure. She was preparing for the Super Bowl performance [with Madonna] at the time."

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A$AP Rocky and Jeremy Scott (February/March 2012)

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A$AP Rocky & Jeremy Scott: Knock 'Em Out The Box

Issue: February/March 2012

Photographer: JUCO (Julia Galdo and Cody Cloud)

Written By: Joe La Puma (@jlapuma)


 

In the same way Basquiat idolized Warhol, Rocky idolizes Jeremy Scott.


 

Brent Rollins: "A$AP was super excited to meet one of his fashion idols. I can't even describe how excited he was. We decided to use [photography duo] JUCO. They actually kind of came up with the Basquiat/Warhol idea. We were trying to think of an interesting way to pair A$AP and Jeremy. JUCO conferred with their set designer who was pretty imaginative.

I think it's good to let the photographers come up with the ideas sometimes, because they are their own artists; so even if you're paying them and you have your own ideas, it's work for hire. As an art director and photo editor, we want to respect them. It's a process, and for this one, the cover concept originated on their side. It's actually a pretty interesting reference in many ways. In the same way Basquiat idolized Warhol, Rocky idolizes Jeremy Scott. It worked out and made for a great cover that we don't normally do style-wise and some fantastic photographs."


 

We went into it not knowing what to expect or how they would interact with each other, and they actually became buddies.


 

Gina Battle: "This was my second cover, and I really liked working with JUCO. They have really amazing energy, which worked really well with A$AP and Jeremy, because A$AP was really enthusiastic—his mixtape had been out and everyone was pumped up about it. It was really cool. I introduced A$AP to Jeremy, and it was really cute, because he was so genuinely excited to meet him. I don't know if I've ever really been that excited to meet anyone. Jeremy was so shocked at how excited and sweet A$AP was. We went into it not knowing what to expect or how they would interact with each other, and they actually became buddies. It was really nice to see that relationship happen. The video we did, where they are interviewing each other, was how it was on set."

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Lana Del Rey (February/March 2012)

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Lana Del Rey: Can She Live?

Issue: February/March 2012

Photographer: Glynis Selina Arban (@glyselarb)

Written By: Brad Wete


 

She initially wasn't going to do it; she didn't want to do it, and we were actually kind of surprised.


 

Brent Rollins: "The Lana Del Rey cover pretty much came off of the strength of 'Video Games,' so we were pretty excited, because it was like, this chick is going to be huge. I found it intriguing, because she was truly at the beginning of her career as an artist."

Gina Batlle: "For both of this issue's covers that was really exciting—introducing people who are just starting their careers."

Brent Rollins: "We started off the year with two artists who people are talking about. We were trying to figure out what to do with her, outside of the fact that her music is very melancholy. I look at different images for general inspiration, and the original idea was going to be her in a raincoat in the rain with water reflections, which didn't end up happening. Giving her a prop was good. It didn't seem out of character. We try to come up with covers that reflect the time of year that the cover is coming out, so that was our thought. She initially wasn't going to do it; she didn't want to do it, and we were actually kind of surprised."

Gina Batlle: "They pitched an idea to us."


 

Lana was standing in a tank like a kiddy pool, and we had this guy with a nozzle make it rain on her with a little bit of wind. It was all like a movie.


 

Brent Rollins: "She wanted to be Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface. Now knowing more of what her influences are, I understand it, but I was like, huh?"

Gina Batlle: "We were able to convince her team that we had this awesome idea. The puddle reflection thing didn't really work out, but that's why we incorporated a lot of the mirrors you can see in the story."

Brent Rollins: "We talked to Glynis, the photographer, who wanted to prove herself this go-around and was more into it. She decided to stop shooting with strobes and started using movie lights, so the set gets hot, but the quality of light is a lot better; it's more cinematic. The raindrops were totally her style. Lana was standing in a tank like a kiddy pool, and we had this guy with a nozzle make it rain on her with a little bit of wind. It was all like a movie."

Gina Batlle: "She walked in and didn't know what was happening; because I don't think her team really communicated the concept with her. I was nervous, because this was my first cover. Was she going to walk off? We have the rain in the studio and she was very hesitant."


 

When you're a new artist, I understand the hesitancy with your image...you're trying to get people used to looking at you one way, and the thought of dressing a different way is difficult.


 

Brent Rollins: "Then it happened, and everyone was like, it looks fucking amazing. She was actually surprised that it was a woman photographer, too. We shot it, and it came out way better than expected. It looks like a painting; the backdrop was painted, but even the clothes look painted because of the light. This was her first American cover. Then of course the Saturday Night Live thing happened, and people thought the cover was some sort of metaphor for haters, but obviously we shoot the covers months in advance. When you're a new artist, I understand the hesitancy with your image, because you can't switch it up; you're trying to get people used to looking at you one way, and the thought of dressing a different way is difficult."

Gina Batlle: "We decided on this cover and photographer, because Glynis has a delicate, feminine sensibility. The result is just really soft and gentle, which I think plays well with Lana's image."

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Drake (December 2011/January 2012)

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Drake: The Long Way Home

Issue: December 2011/January 2012

Photographers: Hyghly Alleyne and Lamar Taylor

Written By: Damien Scott (@thisisdscott)


 

There is no surprise in making a magazine cover look like an album cover, but when you introduce the young lady holding the album, it tells a different story.


 

Brent Rollins: "We came in with some very specific ideas about how to shoot Drake for this cover. It was supposed to be Drake's 'Toronto'—him and his relationship to his hometown, which is detailed in the cover story. The cover shoot went awry and didn't happen as planned, which put us in a position where we almost thought that we weren't going to have a shoot.

Drake had a relationship with Hyghly Alleyne and Lamar Taylor, a photography duo responsible for shooting for The Weeknd. Their take is a lot more documentary than what we normally do for the magazine, not that there is anything wrong with that (we ran their photos on the inside of the magazine, too), but for the covers we try to do something more conceptual.


 

It contains the idea of someone holding the cover, or as Noah likes to put it—meta; it kind of refers to itself.


 

After going through the photography they sent us, we were more interested in tapping into a mood—an executed idea similar to a movie poster, or something that suggests a story. I don't remember how this record thing came up, but it is sort of his mood—the emo rapper. There is no surprise in making a magazine cover look like an album cover, but when you introduce the young lady holding the album, it tells a different story. He is presented like an old album cover, so it has that mood attached to it, and that photograph was a cropped image of him sitting outside his apartment building during the evening that Hyghly and Lamar shot him.

We decided to twist it a little bit and make it more dimensional, so it's not just some sort of flat thing. It contains the idea of someone holding the cover, or as Noah likes to put it—meta; it kind of refers to itself."

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Paula Patton (December 2011/January 2012)

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Paula Patton: The P Is Free

Issue: December 2011/January 2012

Photographer: Thierry Le Gouès

Written By: Matt Barone (@MBarone)


 

She had just had a child, so this was her 'coming back,' like unveiling her post-baby body.


 

Brent Rollins: "We had been trying to get Paula Patton on the cover for a long time. The photographer, Thierry Le Gouès, shot our Beyoncé cover and is a renowned fashion photographer, so we were excited to learn he'd be coming back for this shoot."

Gina Batlle: "I did a lot of the research for the concept. The idea was to put her in gymnastic positions but have them be sexy. She had just had a child, so this was her 'coming back,' like unveiling her post-baby body. We only got three looks in, because she got a phone call saying that her kid had some sort of medical emergency. I think the pictures came out well, but we didn't end up getting to do a lot of what we wanted. There were parts where she was supposed to be in the air hanging from those rings with her legs in them, but we didn't get to do it."

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