The 50 Best Rap Album Covers of the Past Five Years

We celebrate the release of "Nothing Was The Same" with a look at rap album covers from the past five years that deserve classic status.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Today is the official release day for Drake's new album Nothing Was The Same. As we learned from talking to the artist who painted both the regular and deluxe versions, Kadir Nelson, it's a cover that means a lot to Drake and mirrors his introspection on the album. It was hard to top the covers for So Far Gone, Thank Me Later, and Take Care, but Drake just might have.

Did the Nothing Was The Same cover match up to some of the best album covers in recent memory, though? It's hard to say. You can judge a rap album cover by its design, concept, story, or eventual reception, and all of these were the criteria for choosing and ranking The 50 Best Rap Album Covers of the Past Five Years. We also included and ranked them according to what album covers have remained memorable and influenced the greater scope of cover design.

Throughout, we also noticed how minimalism has become a recent, lasting trend in rap album covers. We made sure to give shine to the photographers, art directors, graphic designers, art producers, and labels who made these covers a reality. It may not be safe to judge an album by its cover, but there's nothing wrong with pitting some of these against each other to see what's really resonating in our culture. 

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50. Jay Z, The Blueprint 3

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49. The Game, Jesus Piece

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48. Big K.R.I.T., K.R.I.T. Wuz Here

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47. Mellowhype, BlackenedWhite

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46. Drake, So Far Gone

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45. Kidz in the Hall, Land of Make Believe

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44. Wiz Khalifa, Rolling Papers

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43. Kendrick Lamar, Section.80

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42. Die Antwoord, Ten$Ion

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41. Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail

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40. GOOD Music, Cruel Summer

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39. A$AP Rocky, Long.Live.A$AP

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38. Lil Wayne, I Am Not A Human Being II

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37. Curren$y, Pilot Talk

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36. Ka, Grief Pedigree

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35. M.I.A., /\/\ /\ Y /\

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34. Clipse, Til the Casket Drops

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33. Tyler, the Creator, Goblin

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32. Kid Cudi, Indicud

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31. Mos Def, The Ecstatic

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30. Ab-Soul, Control System

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29. The Roots, How I Got Over

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28. A$AP Ferg, Trap Lord

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27. Earl Sweatshirt, Doris

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26. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

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25. 2 Chainz, B.O.A.T.S. II: #METIME

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24. Big Sean, Hall of Fame

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23. Prodigy & The Alchemist, Albert Einstein

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22. Schoolboy Q, Habits & Contradictions

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21. Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off

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20. The Roots, Undun

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19. DOOM, Born Like This

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18. Tyler, The Creator, Wolf

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17. J. Cole, Born Sinner

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16. Wiz Khalifa, O.N.I.F.C.

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15. Kanye West, Yeezus

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14. Danny Brown, XXX

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13. T.I., Paper Trail

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12. Run the Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P), Run the Jewels

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11. Drake, Nothing Was the Same

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10. Freeway & Jake One, The Stimulus Package

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9. Kanye West & Jay Z, Watch the Throne

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8. Eminem, Relapse

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7. Nas, Life Is Good

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6. Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of Day

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5. Drake, Take Care

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4. 2 Chainz, Based on a T.R.U. Story

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3. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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2. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d city

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1. Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak

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