The 10 Worst Mixtape Covers of 2012 (So Far)

Image via Complex Original

Mixtapes have been around almost as long as hip-hop has, but the formerly known "party tapes" were not always what they are now. Instead, popular DJs would make and sell recordings of their live performances. Take Grandmaster Flash for example: he could charge a dollar a minute for tapes that lasted between thirty minutes and two hours. Now, just about anyone can make a mixtape (and perhaps too many do).

While the quantity of mixtapes has grown, inversely, the quality of music has decreased, and so has the cover art. We're not saying the quality of the artwork reflects the quality of the music, because in many cases, it doesn't. We're just here to show how some of this year's most talked about mixtapes, and other lesser known ones, may have received the highest ratings based on music, but their aesthetic appeal is, well, not appealing. Music quality aside, here are The 10 Worst Mixtape Covers Of 2012 (So Far).

Written by Lauren Nostro (@laurencynthia)

Lil B, White Flame

Release Date: 1/31/2012

There’s a beauty behind the artwork of Lil B’s mixtapes, but at the speed that he drops mixtapes, he may want to take a quick tutorial in Photoshop for his cover art, too. On the cover of White Flame, Based God pays homage to 1990s Pen & Pixel collages and Soulja Slim's Give 2 Em Raw, but falls flat in properly copying their glittering, humorous articlulations.

Ace Hood, Starvation

Release Date: 3/30/2012

We get the play on "hunger," but the cover of Ace Hood's Starvation mixtape is kind of terrifying, with his deteriorating skin and the close-up of his face. With that said, if he played up the whole "Day of the Dead" look he started on his lips, it would get our attention.

Chief Keef, Back From The Dead

Release Date: 3/12/2012

Chief Keef is only 16, and for his first mixtape (and the viral success of "Bang" and "I Don’t Like"), we commend him. But similar to his age, the cover art for his Back From The Dead mixtape is juvenile (and sadly conventional). Blood dripping? A roach hanging out of his mouth? That’s that shit we don’t like.

Akon, The Koncrete Mixtape

Release Date: 4/14/2012

While his following Konkrete Jungle cover art was not so shabby, Akon’s The Konkrete Mixtape seems to lack any and all creativity whatsoever. The chalk font script? We’d rather see Comic Sans.

Tito Lopez, The Hunger Game

Release Date: 6/14/2012

When The Hunger Game was released, reviews referred to Tito as the "underdog." We always want to see the underdog win, but his play on this year’s blockbuster movie for the cover art mixes messages. We’d rather see Jennifer Lawrence peering out from the darkness. For your next cover art Tito, may the odds be ever in your favor.

Troy Ave, Bricks In My Backpack 3: The Harry Powder Trilogy

Release Date: 6/12/2012

As the third mixtape in The Harry Powder Trilogy, Troy Ave changed up the cover art quite a bit. On his first two mixtapes, he uses a clean profile of himself against a brick wall — simple and to the point. On Bricks In My Backpack 3, Troy put all the focus on his Nikes, a studded backpack, and his Mercedes with a customized license plate, and the result is a tour-de-force of mediocrity.

Roscoe Dash and Hoven X, Cleaning Out My Closet

Release Date: 3/4/2012

Roscoe Dash sure knows how to make a garbage can look attractive. The fresh kicks, folded jeans, and crisp XXL mag in the corner make us wonder why he’s cleaning his closet in the first place. But again, the gleaming tin takes all the attention and not in a good way.

Gunplay, Bogota Rich

Release Date: 3/9/2012

On the prequel to another mixtape before an album drop (confusing, yes), Gunplay’s use of cocaine to spell out Bogota, besides the heaping pile of it in the background, takes artistic liberty. The point is made, but we can't help but believe a better concept was avialble.

Mack Maine, Don't Let It Go To Waste

Release Date: 1/4/2012

This mixtape cover is an example of inspiring concept and poor execution. Mack Maine puts feelings on a soda bottle, dreams on a bat, money on a garbage bag, and family on a milk carton (sort of). 

Soulja Boy and Vinny Cha$e, Double Cup City

Release Date: 6/11/2012

Soulja Boy has released four mixtapes this year, and his collab with Vinny Cha$e takes the cake for the worst mixtape cover art we’ve seen in 2012. Why? Because we get it, a double cup of codeine and promethazine gets you fucked up, but did it have to be the main focus of the cover? Purple drank aside, the cartoon sketchings and juxtaposition of 500 Euro and a $100 bill make for a cluttered situation. Sorry Soulja, maybe next time.