This was the perfect artwork for the Man in Black’s fade to black. This black-and-white cover is made all the more heartbreaking given that this was Cash’s final album before he died less than a year after its release. Johnny Cash, ‘American IV: The Man Comes Around’ (2002) The color-font combo became a classic and found its way to shirts, mugs and memes the world over. Not just because anything the ***Flawless female does becomes instantly iconic, but because the simple pink knockout typeface over a plain black background is what contemporary design dreams are made of. The lasting significance of the cover art for Beyoncé’s 2013 surprise release Beyoncé should come as no surprise at all. The cover echoes its content: there’s the pretty - lead singer Gwen Stefani channels ‘50s pinup poster girl imagery - and the ugly, a wilting tree with rotting oranges and flies circling the bruised fruit. In the wake of Seattle grunge and rise of rap, No Doubt arrived in the mainstream crosshairs with the ska-inflected Tragic Kingdom, an album equal parts sheen and punk-lite ferocity. But for The Pinkprint, the Harajuku Barbie tapped Kanye’s Donda for an image that borders on high art without shedding her identity, showing a fingerprint crushed into pink powder. Nicki Minaj has always embraced her inner weirdo, extending her limbs on the cover of her debut album Pink Friday and splashing her face with paint for its sequel. The album was designed by Desmond Strobel, while Worthington conceived the cover concept with the band. Only the band’s Stevie Nicks (caught mid-swirl with a shawl flowing behind her) and Mick Fleetwood (with a pair of toilet-chain balls dangling between his legs) are pictured, photographed by Herbert W. Oddly enough, only 40 percent of Fleetwood Mac’s then-lineup is featured on the cover to their biggest selling album, Rumours. Wearing a simple, timeless toga with pearls, she announced herself to the world as a class act whose elegant ferocity went beyond any fashion trend. Whitney Houston, ‘Whitney Houston’ (1985)Īlthough he’s best (worst?) remembered for taking nude photos of a very underage Brooke Shields, Garry Gross’ cover photo for Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut stands out as a beautifully less-is-more image in the visually explosive MTV era. Captured by photographer Jora Frantzis, Cardi sneers in cat-eyes sunglasses, mustard-blonde hair and a checkered long-sleeve coat - dazzling and unignorable, just as the accompanying album would soon prove to be on the Billboard charts. Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy (2018)īrash, bold, badass and whatever other “B” words generally applied to Cardi B’s rise to prominence in 2017 also worked for the cover of her 2018 debut LP, Invasion of Privacy. Buried up to her neck, the real twist comes when you turn the album over - where her head is on the front, there’s a skull on the back. This cover photo perfectly complements the increased social consciousness of the album, and it would go on to become her most recognizable album art.Ī screaming Barbara Cheeseborough (who was Essence’s first cover model) possesses the “maggot brain” in question on the cover of Parliament’s classic 1971 album of the same name. With Janet’s face only partially emerging from the shadows and her body clad in a nondescript soldier’s uniform, the artwork made label execs uneasy, but in the end, she was right. Janet Jackson, ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ (1989)Įschewing a friendly, fun image more conducive to ’80s pop chart success, Janet Jackson adopted a militaristic tone for her instantly iconic black-and-white Rhythm Nation 1814 cover art. For the re-release of her debut The Fame, Mother Monster - framed by a white wig - went black and white, rocking a shiny, angular coat that shrouded the lower half of her face. Portrait shots can be iconic when done just right, and if there’s one artist who knows about iconic imagery, it’s Lady Gaga. So no surprise that his best-remembered album cover was this Garfield Lamond-photographed shot of a face-covered Thug in a long, flowing dress designed by Alessandro Trincone for his Jeffery project - an image that would’ve been unthinkable in hip-hop decades earlier, and unforgettable for decades after. The cover was instantly replicated all over the Internet, with thousands of fans putting their own spin on various homages to what will likely become one of the most identifiable works of her career.įew rappers played more convincingly or compellingly with either identity or gender over the course of the 2010s as Young Thug. Shaped as a Polaroid photo from the era, Swift’s face is cut off, highlighting an ’80s sweatshirt while evoking memories of a different time. Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album 1989 was a departure for the singer, so it only makes sense that the cover broke with tradition as well.
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