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[Lambtron]

The GOAT.

 

[Strangelove77]

I like the ones where their name and the name of their album are sparkly.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Lupe did a whole podcast breakdown what every item on the cover represented and just the album in general

https://soundcloud.com/lupefiasco/ten-yurrs-layda

 

[MrS]

 

[Double D]

 

[Omegasquash]

You really need to change that fact. In my opinion one of the (if not the) best hip hop albums I ever listened to.

Gonna go ahead and second this. You've head tracks off it for sure, but hearing this changed shit for me. Grew up liking Method, ODB was hot too. But this album got me to go back and re-listen to Wu-Tang's old stuff.

Gza shines.

Memories. Man...

 

[SoundLad]

My faves

 

[zerotol]

What do you all particularly like about these album covers? No one has said why these are great in their opinion.

They're probably considered iconic by the people that like the music they represent. That would be my guess.

 

[psyfi]

First thing I thought of was Black on Both Sides and ATCQ, but I think I'm gonna have to give it to this one.

 

[Txαi]

I really like the photography work in this one:

Seeing these toys makes me nostalgic.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

I have this album framed on my wall. I've always found it to be one of the most visually striking album covers.

For the longest time I thought it was a painting but if you look closely you can see that it's actually a photo of a person who's been painted.

 

[RMI]

came to post this. I love this cover so much.

 

[norm9]

And my favorite album cover of all time-

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

They're probably considered iconic by the people that like the music they represent. That would be my guess.

But what particularly makes it that for them. I'm trying to have a conversation here.

 

[Creamium]

One of my favorite covers full stop:

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

 

[parrotbeak]

I don't like this album, but I listened to it, but this cover caught my eye and it's damn good. firstly, I just appreciate how poppin the colors are and the image quality. Too many of these rap covers just look dull and ashy to me like those Tribe Called Quest covers. I'm not sure why y'all like those. With this Semi Hendrix album cover there's a lot going on visually. There's two people sitting behind a food counter, some child sitting underneath playing the drums, and some giant dude sitting underneath the thingy there. You have the weird cabbages and red plants. The counter and background is straight black. The weird ghostly smoke and the creatures floating above have a Asian feel to it. There's definitely some Asian influence here and it makes it feel like it's taking place in some kind of magical void. The only bad thing about it in my opinion is that it's hard to read the artist's name on it. The artist went a little too crazy with the fire.

I love both the cover and the album, but I really like Ras Kass.

A lot of the other picks here I'm assuming people just like the album and have good associations with the image or are joking. ATCQ's Low End Theory is a cool cover.

 

[NotSelf]

I hope you guys don't mind me posting again.

 

[Man with Knife]

Some of my favorites that haven't been mentioned yet

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

[IMG]https://i.scdn.co/image/4035ff7f93bd190e6bdce2ab5088ab374b8d3e2a[/IMG]

This is Anquette's single cover for Ghetto Style/Shake It (Do the 61st). Most images of the net look dull as fuck and faded. I got this one from Spotify and I assume they touched it up. I admit it does look kind of weird. The lighting on Ray Ray on the right almost makes her look like she's from another photo, but I love environment in this cover. Anquette are from Miami and I assume this a boat from the docks they're on. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the ship wheel and Anquette Allen and then to, the rope on the pole, Ray Ray on the right, then it works to the rest of the ship. I do wonder if the random white lady working in the back was intended to be in the shot.
The 80s text in the top right is visually popping too. When I look at this I start to smell sea air and imagine seagulls flying over. I'm really looking at this shit so I noticed the three little cracks on the bottom right. If Spotify did touch up the cover then that makes me wonder why they didn't remove those three cracks right there. They're small and they can easily be covered with the color picker and the pencil tool. The cracks don't really bother me though, in fact I think it adds to it since they're not that noticeable.

[IMG]https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54d825ade4b0b474c08598ec/57a95307d1758eb27ea6db2a/57a95311bebafbbe8b520896/1470714805302/akua-naru-the-miners-canary-lp-stream-715x715.jpg[/IMG]

This was one of my favorite album covers of 2015. Akua Naru's The Miner's Canary was designed by the talented Tamara Natalie Madden. She's a fine painter and did an amazing job on this album cover. My admiration for this one is in the skill of this portrait, the colors once again and the mix of mediums. The torso has a collage/picasso look to it. I forget what you call it. I'm out of touch with my art terms, but it is interesting how she goes with something flat for the body, but has the head and hands in 3D. It's just a remarkable cover.

 

[mortal]

Some amazing music and artwork have been posted in this thread. I'll try not post what's already been posted. Here are some of my favorites...

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Pusha T - King Push ~ Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude

MF DOOM - Mm..Food

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Blu & Exile - Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them

Blu - York (Each image/letter is an alternate cover)

Mndsgn- Yawn Zen

Emay - Ilah

Roc Marciano - Marci Beaucoup

Freddie Gibbs - Shadow of a Doubt

Kanye West - Yeezus (alternate cover by Richie Pope)

Bones - Useless

 

[Takuan]

 

[apieceofstrange]

Cunninlynguists and their affiliates usually have cool covers. Here are some I didn't see posted yet:

 

[zerotol]

But what particularly makes it that for them. I'm trying to have a conversation here.

Who knows. Art is subjective. Someone posted the ODB album art. I think that perfectly represents that album and I'd consider it iconic. Others might not.

 

[Livingskeletons]

Yeah that's my pick. One of my favorite Hip Hop albums as well.

 

[King Tubby]

Breaking Atoms is one of my favorite album covers generally.

 

[zerotol]

Fast forward to 25:45

https://youtu.be/LJcVn08HbuM

.

 

[BeatnikGunsoo]

I'm indifferent to future but I really like this cover

there's whole a lot more that I can't remember right now lol

plus a lot of the ones already posted I like as well and I didn't want to do a repost

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

I love both the cover and the album, but I really like Ras Kass.

A lot of the other picks here I'm assuming people just like the album and have good associations with the image or are joking. ATCQ's Low End Theory is a cool cover.

I do fuck with Kass. I liked Blasphemy and Understandable Smooth might be my favorite instrumental, but then he's rapper. I shouldn't give him credit for that beat. For Tribe, someone else posted a higher quality version of it. I can see it now. Majority of the time when I see it on the net it looks bland as fuck.