Marvel has been killing it with their hip-hop variants of comic book covers for a few years, taking covers of classic rap albums and placing their heroes and villains on them to great effect. Now they're taking it a step further in partnership with UMe's Urban Legends label, releasing Marvel variants of classic records on vinyl.
To kick off the series, Urban Legends will release three LPs with the variant covers this December: 50 Cent's debut Get Rich or Die Tryin', GZA's Liquid Swords, and LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out.
Speaking about the collaboration, UMe president/CEO Bruce Resnikoff said, “Marvel comics have always occupied a special place in the hearts of hip-hop fans–both media continue to serve as source of expression, escapism and inspiration for generations of super fans around the world." From how well the hip-hop comic book variants were initially received, it's likely this won't be the last time we see Marvel do its magic with real albums.
“Marvel’s hip-hop variant covers celebrated the music industry in a whole new way, combining the creativity of original album art and the Marvel Universe to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. We’re excited to collaborate with UMe to bring these variants back for fans of these iconic albums,” added Daniel Fink, executive director of business development at Marvel.
Pre-order the 50 Cent variant here, the LL Cool J variant here, and the GZA variant here.
