BME photgrapher discusses "atomic" EP cover

[22muse]

When bad meets evil, there's sure to be a catastrophe, at least that's what photographer/filmmaker Danny Hastings envisioned when he was tapped to shoot the album cover for Eminem and Royce Da 5'9"'s new collabo EP, Hell: The Sequel.


"I interpreted hell not being a satanic place, I interpreted hell as, 'OK, this is what I've been through — you're coming in next.' In the sense like, 'Prepare for the sequel,' " said Hastings, who famously shot the cover for Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), as well as albums for Big Pun, Gang Starr and Nas.

Hastings also lent his lens to the inside art for Em's 1998 debut, The Slim Shady LP. During a meeting with Shady Records, the photog was able to listen to the new Bad Meets Evil material and was "blown away."

"The [Bad Meets Evil] project is really special because I was a part of [Eminem's] first album. I shot the entire inside of The Slim Shady LP, which was the first record that put him where he is at today," Hastings told MTV News. "So everything came full circle. Em, with this record, was in a very special time in his life when he said, 'I'm gonna go back and I'm gonna work with Royce.' "

Hastings was most inspired by the duo's lyrical superiority and used the EP's rhymes as inspiration for the shoot, which took place in Detroit in April.

"The album is phenomenal lyrically. When I was done, when they played me those 10, 11 tracks, I felt like it's a wrap for everybody. It's over, nuclear explosion; it's over," Hastings said. "But I didn't want to do the obvious nuclear explosion. I wanted to do the after-effect of these two brothers meeting, and creatively bring that atomic energy."

Sounds like a hell of a look.

source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/166431 ... evil.jhtml
not sure because of the dude's accent but i think there's a track called "welcome to hell" (that's be dope)

[HereHere]

Welcome to Hell would be an awesome intro track.

[OMEGA]

That sounds sounds fucking incredible. I did got a sense that the album cover is trying to represent how the town became a graveyard of artists that got murdered by Royce and Em.

[zedzero27]

shit yeah. mother fuckin' EP's gonna be 2dope,

[BigBoss]

So now we know how many songs they have on the EP. 10 or 11

[EminemBase]

So now we know how many songs they have on the EP. 10 or 11

The EP has 9.

Royce said it was 11 with "Echo" and "Living Proof" but they got cut since they needed to cut some and since they leaked anyway.

But, as good as those tracks and "Fast Lane" are in spots, it's still just aimless. I'm excited at having 8 new Bad Meets Evil tracks to look forward to but, I'm definitely lowering my expectations. I'm expecting 6 punchline tracks, 1 concept (if we're lucky) and 1 introspective thing. I dunno, maybe just 8 aimless ones though.

[OMEGA]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if all of them are battle tracks as long as the lyricism is there. But if they can come up with great concepts and good themes/content, even better.

[ShadyVsEminem]

Where the hell is the tracklist?

[BigBoss]

Where the hell is the tracklist?

[slimsoxshady]

10 to 11 huh?

[flyingmonkey10]

That sounds sounds fucking incredible. I did got a sense that the album cover is trying to represent how the town became a graveyard of artists that got murdered by Royce and Em.

[BigBangBazinga]

I just want the intro to have footsteps sounds...You know, to continue from where they left.

[Devil'sAdvocate]

DAMN!!

[HereHere]

Where the hell is the tracklist?

Going by when they released the Recovery tracklist, the EP one should be out in a few days. It'll need to be out soon or the EP will end up leaking before the tracklist is out.

[venomous_volatile]

Good times people, good times