The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Single Covers

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).

Artist: Jay-Z

Label: Roc-A-Fella, 1996

So indicative of the time. You could use a car phone while driving back then and not get a ticket. I just got pulled over for that by some fat, no neck, Long Island cops with Supercuts military fades. I should've kept this cover in the car as proof that the rich used to be able to do this shit with their car phones and it was all good. Soon as broke muthafuckas get phones, now we can't talk and drive without risking a fine?

Heavy Exhaust is credited with the design on the cover notes.

Artist: Cypress Hill

Label: Ruffhouse, 1993

I'll get shit for saying this, but I never really liked the imagery or the sound that Cypress went with after the first album. I respect it though, it was pioneering—that's what enabled them to tour like they did and hit new audiences. But when I first heard this and saw the art for Black Sunday and its associated 12"s, I was a bit apprehensive. It felt goth, and I always hated rock-rap collaborations, goth imagery in rap, etc. Rock is rock. Rap is rap. I like both and I like rap that has rock samples in it, but I never like to feel like I'm listening to a 'rock and rap bridging the gap' type of thing. That said, the greatest rap video of all time is Schoolly D's "No More Rock N Roll."

Artist: Del The Funky Homosapien

Label: Elektra, 1993

The No Need For Alarm covers were nowhere near as good as the ones from the first album, but this song was my shit and the ransom letter font fits the tone. I had that B.T. Express record for years and never imagined it could be flipped into something so ill. I remember reading the sample clearance before hearing the song and wondering what the fuck they could've possibly used from that song, but they killed it. Good concept, too.

Artist: House Of Pain

Label: Tommy Boy, 1992

They were really on the Irish pride thing. Like Lordz of Brooklyn, I respected the fact that they came into a game dominated by blacks and Latinos and flew their flag and did their own thing. It's better to earn props that way than being a wanna-be. I always hated that. Tony D had the Italian flag colors on his joint, too. R.I.P. Tony D. Very underrated producer.

Artist: Raekwon featuring Ghostface

Label: Loud, 1995

Raekwon "Incarcerated Scarfaces" was a huge record in New York back then, but I'll admit I never liked it. Always thought it was boring. I'm more of a "Criminology" dude. You ever try to blend the end of "Criminology?" Oh, what fun. RZA purposely let the drums run off-beat. I'm not even sure how he did it. With the exception of "Incarcerated Scarfaces," (no, I actually hated that song) RZA could do no wrong around this time on the beats. It's just crazy how in the midst of all the Bad Boy jiggy shit, Wu and Mobb Deep topped the charts with grimy street shit with weird samples that somehow had mass appeal. That's amazing. "Glaciers of Ice" was my joint too. It sounds like we're all on the Titanic and the shit is sinking and there's a carnival rolling by on another boat, laughing at us. The first time I ever got high, that song was playing and that's all I could think of.

What the cover lacks in wild originality (would have been a great opportunity to roll out an ice cream truck), it makes up for by really introducing this iconic duo and their unique style. An exercise in when artistic restraint makes sense for the long view goal.

Artist: Lyrics Born

Label: Solesides, 1996

That's one hell of a gonhorrhea case! This cover was always pretty ill to me, because on the flip side ("Balcony Beach," click the thumb) it's the same image but he's not on fire. I always liked albums where the front and back were identical designs. The first Earth, Wind & Fire album was like that.

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Label: Zomba, 1990

This cover has a bohemian look to it. This is the stuff I used to show and play my moms to prove to her that all rap wasn't ignorant. Then when she let her guard down, I'd go buy Poison Clan tapes. There is a photo on the back of the group by Robert Lewis, but I don't know anything about the illustration beyond it being listed as by "ZombaArt DMS."

Artist: Public Enemy

Label: Motown, 1989

Whew! Arguably the greatest movie theme song ever as far as hip-hop goes. It's just so indicative of that era in NYC. The cover is just the movie promo shot, but even that says so much. You've got black and white, then the little kid in the middle who's totally unaware of the turmoil that existed between them. They're grilling the camera and she's just oblivious to it all, in her own world like most kids would be. That probably wasn't intentional, but I always saw that as an underlying message in that image.

Artist: De La Soul ft. Q-Tip

Label: Tommy Boy, 1991

I love this song, but later with all that roller skating shit. Plus the broad in the picture has some hammer time feet. Can't be 'round here holdin' hands with a hammer time hoe, man. The point is, however, that the cover stood out (still does) at stores and in the crates, which makes it undeniable.

Artist: Craig Mack

Label: Bad Boy, 1994

Anything with the World's Fair Unisphere in it is undissable, period. Craig Mack had his own style, I just think he fell victim to bad timing (B.I.G. got all the attention from the label) and he tried to remake this song throughout his album. "Get Down" had a similar beat—it was like "Flava In Ya Ear" Part 2 after being inundated with Part 1 and the remix. This was Bad Boy's first and last project with zero R&B appeal.

Artist: Black Moon

Label: Nervous/Wreck, 1994

I'm the only guy who liked the album version of this song better. I didn't like the remix. But Black Moon was a muthafucka when it came to b-sides. Yes! Evil Dee is a DJ and Walt worked at the Music Factory record store in Jamaica, Queens, so they knew what the vinyl-buying audience would appreciate. The previously unreleased b-side was the incentive and they kept the 12"s selling for Black Moon, along with the remixes. Enta Da Stage had a fuckin' two year run! Think about that. "Who Got Da Props?" came out in October '92, Enta Da Stage came out a year later, and "Buck 'Em Down," the last single from the album, came out late '94. Albums could never buzz that long today. All four 12" only b-sides were incredible: "Fuck It Up," "Act Like Ya Want It," "Reality," and "Murder MCs." "Don'tcha hate niggas who make records for bitches? It's all about the blunts...fuck them stunts!" That line is so fuckin' hard and so early '90s. You'll never hear a rapper say that today.

This cover flips the Nervous/Wreck Records character with aplomb, making it one of the most memorable label driven covers.

Artist: Run DMC

Label: Profile, 1986

Just by looking at this cover, you can tell how crazy their stage show was—they rock stadiums and they mean it. Insane as it sounds, I always thought Tougher Than Leather was their best album. I love that album; the production is incredible and so underrated. I liked Back From Hell, too, even though it was uneven. Raising Hell was cool, but I couldn't get into King of Rock at all. Rap-rock collabos—I hated them with a passion and still do. God I hated "Walk This Way." But they're by far the most important rap group ever, regardless, and put Southeast Queens on the map. JMJ RIP.

Artist: Big L

Label: Rawkus, 1998

All indie records had low budget, Quark Express-style artwork back then and this is one of the best of the era. I actually thought "Size 'Em Up" was the better song. "Ebonics" was more clever, but I used to quote lines from "Size 'Em Up" in regular conversation. Man, that song was so arrogant - it was incredible. Big L blew my mind the first time I heard him on Show & AG's "Represent." I was floored. And the other dude, DeShawn, was just as dope, but he never did anything else.

Artist: Pete Rock & CL Smooth.

Label: Elektra, 1991

I used to wonder where this photo was taken. The graffiti on the wall notes that it's possibly the back of a record store or something. I grew up back and forth between Queens and Westchester County, so I knew Mount Vernon and the north Bronx fairly well and always assumed this was near the Bronx border, like over by 241st or something. These cats helped put Westchester County on the map. They repped Mt. Vernon real well after Heavy D. set it off (R.I.P. Hev). The YGz repped Mt. Vernon, too. Those dudes used to scare the shit outta me, man. You didn't wanna fuck with the YGz. I engineered a recording session for them once. Went well, but I was as nervous as OJ in the Bronco chase the whole time. And they were talking about "seeing" whoever gave them a 2.5 mic rating in The Source.

Artist: Mos Def

Label: Rawkus, 1996

I met Mos in a bodega on 14th Street back in the day. He had a loosie behind his ear, straight 1994 style. I gave him a nod and he said what up. He seemed cool, which is what this cover suggests. He simply rocks in a confident b-boy stance.

Side thought, didn't he just change his name? What up with that? The only rap name changes I liked were ODB to Big Baby Jesus and Bushwick Bill to Dr. Wolfgang Von Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar Billstir. NOBODY is fuckin' with that name, cousin.

Artist: Redman

Label: Def Jam, 1992

This cover was incredible. It's like when Grand Daddy I.U. had the lead pipe in his hand. Rappers brandishing weapons other than guns is a lost art. Mobb Deep had sickles, Treach had the machete — I was gonna do an album cover holding a bayonet but my content was too goofy for that.

Artist: Three Times Dope

Label: Arista, 1989

I can admit I wasn't really into this group, but they damn sure were stylin'. I remember seeing EST with the half-fro and buggin' out. I started gettin' Gumbys, step fades, and designs and shit right after I saw his hairstyle. They were slept on in terms of fashion. Kid-N-Play and Kwame got more fame for it, but these cats had a twist to their shit. That's Philly. Their contributions to rap as a city are mad underrated.

Artist: Notorious B.I.G.

Label: Bad Boy, 1995

This is a solid flip on the Ready To Die album cover. We see the baby, made famous on that cover, but here we give respect to the full grown MC.

B.I.G was a monster on the mic, but his greatest achievement was when Primo and Jeru caught him butt naked eating a bucket of fried chicken in his hotel room. Primo told this story before in interviews and then he told it to me again earlier this year, so it's true. Jeru was telling B.I.G. to chill because of the unhealthiness of fried chicken, and B.I.G. was like "My name is Biggie, not Barkim." That statement is the hardest shit ever. He had some incredible rhymes and some decent album covers, but B.I.G. telling Jeru that was the greatest thing he's ever done.

Artist: LL Cool J

Label: Def Jam, 1990

L.L. is the G.O.A.T right after Kool G Rap in my book. See? He can do songs for the ladies, then turn around and obliterate three rappers on one song on the same album. Then, he can break a burglar's jaw, nose and ribs 22 years later. L.L. is a rap renaissance man. Farmers Blvd., stand up! The styling of this cover is spot on. And, nobody can disprove that ladies love James.

Artist: Too $hort

Label: Jive, 1995

$hort is in my Top 10 and I don't give a fuck what anyone says. Aesthetically, he embodied what I always admired in a rap artist: a unique personality that can be imitated, but never duplicated. A lot of my fellow native New Yorkers fronted on $hort for being so rudimentary, but they can suck my dick. All them lyrical-ass lyrical miracle, spiritual metaphysical real-hip-hop MCs can win battles and freestyle for nine hours, but can't put together entertaining albums or make good songs for shit. I still say his best record cover is You Nasty, though. This single cover showcases the same cold pimp stare, classic $hort, and he's with some girls (again, classic $hort).

Artist: Del The Funky Homosapien

Label: Elektra, 1991

I love that '60s psychedelic flavor. All of the artwork related to Del's first album was ill. Each single from I Wish My Brother George Was Here... had a really distinct look.

Artist: Mos Def, Tash, Q-Tip

Label: Rawkus, 1997

The drawing, by Ge Ology, is from the era when Rawkus was trying to beat you over the head with the 'real hip-hop' imagery. Like "yeah, arms folded, real hip-hop, Kangol, we're anti-Bad Boy Records, this is how we did it in the park back in the day, look mom, I'm a B-Boy!" That was the vibe of indie rap then and even I embraced that aesthetic a bit from a musical standpoint. Visually, I always felt it looked pretty milquetoast. That said, it embodies an important period in rap history.

Artist: Real Roxanne

Label: Select, 1986

I wasn't the biggest Real Roxanne fan, but this 12" cover was dope. It always stood out at the record store, but I never bought it. The basic cartoon-style shit used to reel me in when I was buying things based on covers. That's how I discovered the first Chubb Rock album, the Schoolly D shit, and the MC Sergio album.

Artist: Dr. Dooom

Label: Funky Ass, 1999

Kool Keith, no matter in which incarnation, cannot be dissed. Regardless of what the artwork is (here it is the sign of a mad genius) or how the music sounds. "Goodbye Rap" cemented his status as someone you just can't say anything bad about. I've heard Kool Keith diss things that I do in my music and I'll find myself saying, "You know what? I really do do that and it really is kinda wack."

Artist: Luke

Label: Luke Records, 1992

Luke is an icon. He's a player and this cover proves it — dude is kicking it with a bunch of women in a hot tube wearing a crown. "I Wanna Rock" is popular; the album it's on (I Got Shit On My Mind) is not. But it has one of the greatest album covers of all time, if not the greatest. Luke was the first to sit on the toilet for an album cover. Plus the album had "Pussy Ass Kid and Hoe Ass Play," the Kid-N-Play diss song. That song's a Top 5 all-time diss record.

Artist: RA The Rugged Man featuring 8-off

Label: Rawkus, 1998

I'll be completely honest - I got got with this. I copped this when I first started hitting up Fat Beats and Bobbito's Footwork for records. The cover was really ill, with its horror b-movie vibe, and RA had a rep for being dope, so I bought it based on that, but I didn't like this record at all. I'll commit the cardinal hip-hop sin and say that in most cases, I hate classical music samples with a fuckin' passion and I dislike most piano samples. "Drop A Gem On 'Em," 'MCs Act Like They Don't Know" - rap was inundated with piano samples at the time, so I didn't like most of the beats from 1997-'98. I traded this in to Kim's music for store credit like a week later, but everything RA's done since I love! I wound up working with him a whole bunch later on and still work with him on the regular, so I laugh whenever I see this. RA is a cool and talented dude - he's mad real. 8-Off's never-released solo album was hard as fuck, too. I think it was called Wrap Your Lips Around This.

Artist: Public Enemy

Label: Def Jam, 1987

What happened to the rap group? Chuck D himself asked that on Twitter awhile back. Everyone played a part. The S1Ws didn't say much (except for Griff), if anything, but their presence on stage was the most captivating part of the stage show. This cover showcases the full group, which makes it hot.

It's all solo acts now. Everyone's a megalomaniac - people are too narcissistic to be in groups now. And with social media, a group wouldn't last. Group members beefing on Twitter and shit — the Mobb Deep thing symbolized how much of a problem that would be while trying to keep a group together. Public Enemy and EPMD are my favorite rap groups ever, because they have a yin and yang that compliment each other.

Artist: Souls Of Mischief

Label: Jive, 1993

I bought this! So simple, yet so effective. That Hiero logo is my favorite hip-hop logo after the Public Enemy one. My copy was blue vinyl if I remember correctly. I remember the beats on this 12" inspired me. I turned my SP-1200 on right after I heard it and tried to get the same sound. All the Hiero dudes are good people, too. Tajai, Casual, A+, Del, Domino, Opio, ID, Toure...much respect for that crew and how they approach music and the business.

Artist: Beastie Boys

Label: Def Jam, 1985

I did an album cover shoot on a beach, too. Shit is underrated. Back then it was probably looked at as soft, but now it'd work without need to call it pioneering. The film strip side bar works well... and reminds that this single comes off the Krush Groove soundtrack.

Artist: Slick Rick

Label: Def Jam, 1988

Ha! My mentor, Vance Wright, was trying to keep Kane and Rick from fighting on the train in the video. The cover would be considered retro for the time - it looks like some early '80s shit. "Treat Em Like A Prostitute" was the b-side and I think it was done on purpose, like a 'before and after' thing. I guess that's the attitude you get after you outgrow teenage love and realize at age 20 that nice guys end up jerkin' off a whole fuckin' lot during adulthood. Peter Scanlan did the illustration, with Tony Sellari handling the art direction.

Artist: Lordz of Brooklyn

Label: American Recordings, 1995

The pizza box shit was ill. I was in Bensonhurst yesterday picking up a 4-track cassette recorder from Craigslist. I think the Lordz were from Bensonhurst. And they repped that shit, despite all the anti-Bensonhurst shit in rap music at the time.

Artist: 3rd Bass

Label: Def Jam, 1990

Ah, old New York. Serch talked about the wildness of Far Rockaway, Queens on this one (and the art is straight urban New York). I never thought gentrification would hit Far Rock. You have the wild ass Edgemere Projects and some waterfront condos separated by an elevated A train and a Stop & Shop. There's all these modernizations and hipster-y types of upgrades going on in a blighted, isolated, forgotten area of Queens and it's surreal to watch. I guess that's a common thing nationwide, but it still fucks me up nonetheless because I used to go out there a lot years ago. My uncle played basketball for Pete Nice's dad, who was the coach at Bishop Ford HS in Brooklyn, in the '60s. He held the school's scoring record for a long ass time. And that was before the three-point line!

Artist: Mantronix

Label: Sleeping Bag, 1985

This and those 45 King beat albums on Tuff City with the graffiti art on 'em are memorable. They capture the block party vibe of the mid-80s perfectly. Studio Zed served as the art director.

Artist: Cyprus Hill

Label: Ruffhouse, 1991

Ah, I love this 12". It looks how it sounds: Raw and grimy as fuck. This album really got me open on sampling. Samples are supposed to sound dirty and nasty and "Phuncky Feel One" was just so disgusting. I'm probably the only one who actually liked that song better than "...Kill A Man."

Artist: Slick Rick

Label: Def Jam, 1989

The cover shows the ruler juxtaposed against some simple, kid's book illustration. Seems innocent, as it sweetly turns tables on the lyrical content, and is instantly memorable. Projects like this had a big impact on me.

DJ Vance Wright was my mentor. He told me they played the drum machines and keyboards live by hand straight to two-inch tape on this. They didn't sequence anything. I believe it, too. I always thought limitations made a producer work harder and get craftier. The best-produced rap songs were done on SP-1200s with 10 seconds of memory and dudes using SMPTE codes and shit. (Yeah, SMPTE, now go get on Wikipedia.) Technology is a gift and a curse - it should expand a producer's options, but cats buy all the new shit and make stuff you could make on a Commodore 64. I wanted an analog tape plug-in to dirty up some live drums last week, but the plug-ins require certain operating systems and software upgrades. I have an old Mac, an old OS, and an old version of ProTools - an upgrade that would enable me to use the plug-ins would cost like three grand. Fuck that. You think I didn't go on Craigslist and get an old Tascam 4-track cassette from the '80s when I really did? Fuck an analog tape plug-in; I just bought an analog tape machine and plugged it in. For $150. Job done. Apple can suck my dick and so can ProTools.

Artist: N.W.A.

Label: Ruthless, 1988

Another great group, a la Public Enemy and EPMD. The team spirit of the group is apparent in the photograph employed here, bleachers and all. In the end, you saw what egos did though. Then Tim Dog came after 'em. Penicillin on Wax is the greatest rap album ever made, but you already knew that if you look at who's writing this.

Artist: De La Soul

Label: Tommy Boy, 1993

This cover was always a favorite of mine. This and the Son of Bazerk album cover. They both have that mid-'60s look to them, that James Brown "Startime!" look. Prince Paul is a good dude; he's got a cameo on my upcoming 45.

Artist: Tim Dog

Label: Ruffhouse, 1991

Yes! This cover was featured in magazine ads with the phrase "Dis" - "Respect" next to it and the Raider hat is burning. Man, I remember when I first heard this shit. It was blasting out some dude's jeep in Harlem. The imagery of the cover, video, and attitude of the song embody how wild NYC was in the very early '90s. Eighteen years later, New York's anthem was "Empire State of Mind," aka the Bloomberg-Giuliani remix with a touch of rural Montana. Penicillin on Wax = Greatest rap album of all time, period. And now he's taxing broads on OK Cupid to finance CD box sets. I give the guy a lot of credit. Can't depend on rap to keep up on the car note forever.

Artist: Company Flow

Label: Rawkus, 1998

Co-Flow was a big influence on me when I was trying to set up my label in college. They really embodied the D.I.Y. ethos out the gate, and these are real b-boy visuals with that idea front and center. I think my 12" on Eastern Conference was the last 12" Rawkus ever put out. Either mine or the Kool Keith one, I can't remember. It felt good to cash a Rawkus check and I wish I could've cashed some mo'.

Artist: Ice T

Label: Sire/Warner Bros. Records, 1988

Ice's girlfriend, Darlene (the one on the cover), was responsible for my first wet dream. I was in 7th grade. Man what a load I shot that morning. I give all the details in my book, Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit and a Celebration of Failure. But it was the "High Rollers" 12" cover, shot by the acclaimed photographer Glen E. Friedman, that made me splack for the first time. Man, that cover changed my life. And Darlene was the finest woman to ever be associated with hip-hop - that woman is flawless. She could take all my money and sit on my face - then I'd sit back and just smile, but it's all good because I don't have any money anyway. Now Ice is with Coco. Coco looks like something you pull out of a tub drain. Her ass is a work of art, but it ends there.

Artist: Artifacts

Label: Big Beat, 1994

I had this on cassette single. One of the greatest examples of bang for your buck I can recall. They gave you three songs and all three were hard as fuck. Around this time, there'd always be something gimmicky on one side of a single, like a bootleg dancehall track (I loathed hip-hop and dancehall collaborations with an unwavering passion) or a remix with some singing or some shit. This was just three hard joints and you can tell by the cover it was some no-frills shit. Big Beat records was good for that. Big up to Tame and El, two cool brothers.

Artist: Biz Markie

Label: Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros., 1989

Classic and timeless cover. I feel Biz's pain, man. The "friend zone" will definitely make you wanna cry; it's a deplorable place to find yourself in. I've had more fun while constipated at the DMV in Yonkers.

Artist: Del The Funkee Homosapien

Label: Elektra, 1991

This cover is so ill! I have the same hairstyle Del has on this cover — I don't want to grow up and get a Caesar like everyone else. I remember buggin' when I realized Del was Cube's cousin and he wrote some of that loc-ed out shit for him. Then he came out on a more of a Native Tongue vibe. I still think the album this song is on (I Wish My Brother George Was Here) is his best work. It had its quirks, but it was also some normal young-black-male-who-wasn't-tryin-to-be-a-tough-guy shit in the early '90s, which was kinda cool and relatable.

Artist: Main Source

Label: Wild Pitch, 1991

The 12" single covers from the Breaking Atoms LP were dope. "Looking At The Front Door," with the keyhole, was the best. But God was the Breaking Atoms cover itself an abomination. The colored atoms exploding, standing on a floor with the periodic table of elements printed on it - the shit was almost as bad as the 45 King Presents...The Flavor Unit LP cover with the fuckin' fruit and baked goods flying through the sky. Man, that shit was an eyesore. I did a post on Ego Trip about great albums with bad artwork. I forgot Breaking Atoms - it deserved to be on that list. But damn was the album a smoker. Top 10 all-time hip-hop album for production by a long shot and Large Pro is so underrated as an MC when it comes to great concept songs.

Artist: De La Soul

Label: Tommy Boy, 1991

De La was a group that gave you value for your dollar. Every time they did a 12", there was always bonus shit and skits that weren't on the albums. When the 12" stopped being creative and experimental, it became solely a DJ tool. I was buying 12"s before I even had a DJ set up because back then the remixes and goodies gave you an incentive. There'd always be shit on there that wasn't on the albums. I still say their best 12" cover is "Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa." Conceptually, it's something that NOBODY else would've thought of. Except maybe Kool Keith. I like how they used a black Santa. Fuck assimilation.

Artist: KMD

Label: Electra, 1994

This group was so ahead of its time and it kills me that so many DOOM fans don't know shit about them. They used the pickaninny imagery for "Who Me?" in '91, but when they came back with more race-related imagery in '93, they got dropped from Elektra. The Black Bastards album cover was the drawing of the Hangman game with the dude being lynched. That "Cop Killer" shit in '92 basically obliterated radical imagery from major label album covers. On another note, the shit that's been goin' on with the DOOM impostor is hilarious! Promoters and ticket-buyers wanna keep being sheep, then get mad when they get led to a hustle that's been well-documented for years? It's just proof that when you're famous, you can do whatever the fuck you want for as long as the people let you and when you're not, promoters won't even cover your airfare for a show, no matter how good of an artist/performer you are or how good a person you are. The game is played both ways and everything is fair if you choose to play it - DOOM is a genius. Get that money, cousin!

Artist: Marly Marl ft. Craig G

Label: Cold Chillin', 1988

I got this 12" for free with my first set of turntables. I loved this record. Plus it made me wanna do better in science class - I had like a 79 average at the time. See how kids say Chief Keef makes them want to run around Chicago and be a fuckin' asshole? Craig and Marley made me want to pull bitches with my knowledge of Bunsen burners and the inertness of Xenon. That's the power of an ill, creative cover design.

Artist: N.W.A.

Label: Ruthless, 1988

The little girl sitting there is priceless. I doubt she was allowed to even listen to the song. Had to be the daughter of someone at Priority or something. I'd be curious to know who she grew up to be. Let me fuck around and find out that's the Kreayshawn broad!

Artist: K-Rob vs. Rammelzee

Label: Tartown, 1983

Something tells me that this is supposed to be the best cover on the list, but I'll be damned if I know why. Some illuminati predictions in this code, perhaps? Jokes aside, the cover was produced by Jean-Michel Basquiat, which makes it a significant document of the Downtown fine art/hip-hop mix of the era.

Artist: MC Shan

Label: Cold Chillin', 1986

Shan is channeling the spirit of Joe Clark here. Like "Ya smoke crack don'tcha?! Look at me, boy! If you wanna kill yourself, don't fuck around with it. Go on and do it expeditiously!" He's like the anti-drug superhero here, but the rumors that came out about him later make this thing ironic.