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.

Image via Complex Original

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

49. The Game, Jesus Piece

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

47. Mellowhype, BlackenedWhite

46. Drake, So Far Gone

45. Kidz in the Hall, Land of Make Believe

44. Wiz Khalifa, Rolling Papers

43. Kendrick Lamar, Section.80

42. Die Antwoord, Ten$Ion

41. Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail

40. GOOD Music, Cruel Summer

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

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

37. Curren$y, Pilot Talk

36. Ka, Grief Pedigree

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

34. Clipse, Til the Casket Drops

33. Tyler, the Creator, Goblin

32. Kid Cudi, Indicud

31. Mos Def, The Ecstatic

30. Ab-Soul, Control System

29. The Roots, How I Got Over

28. A$AP Ferg, Trap Lord

27. Earl Sweatshirt, Doris

26. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday

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

24. Big Sean, Hall of Fame

23. Prodigy & The Alchemist, Albert Einstein

22. Schoolboy Q, Habits & Contradictions

21. Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off

20. The Roots, Undun

19. DOOM, Born Like This

18. Tyler, The Creator, Wolf

17. J. Cole, Born Sinner

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

15. Kanye West, Yeezus

14. Danny Brown, XXX

13. T.I., Paper Trail

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

11. Drake, Nothing Was the Same

10. Freeway & Jake One, The Stimulus Package

9. Kanye West & Jay Z, Watch the Throne

8. Eminem, Relapse

7. Nas, Life Is Good

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

5. Drake, Take Care

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

3. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

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

1. Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak
