Great albums with awful album covers?

[ShadyNarkoticz]

Relapse cover is amazing.

But yeah, Stillmatic cover is awful. In fact, every Nas cover except for God's Son is pretty lame. 2001 by Dre is horrible too.

Illmatic is a terrible cover? Um no.

[stillmatic]

Nas looks like a monkey. A monkey that stole his color-blind grandma's jumpsuit.

A monkey? And you sound like a fucking cracker from the KKK.

-I'm black
-I'd be perfectly fine with a white person saying he looked like a monkey, he does. It's not like I'm talking about his features, he's sitting like a damn orangutang. If Paris Hilton was sitting like that she'd look like a monkey...

No.

The album cover might be awful, but the monkey comment is just stupid as fuck.

[stillmatic]

Relapse cover is amazing.

But yeah, Stillmatic cover is awful. In fact, every Nas cover except for God's Son is pretty lame. 2001 by Dre is horrible too.

Seriously?

Illmatic's cover is iconic, and has been copied a million times since. It was written is a good follow up to it as well, it looks a bit goofy, but it's a sequel cover as if he's grown up. Hip hop is dead cover is pretty cool as well, fits the album theme and tone.

[mdemaz]

'Infinite' lolol.

[Hiphopdane]

[ThomasJ]

Again, nobody knows the story behind the Stillmatic cover...

Nas doesn't have a weak album cover.

[Willy]

Ah yes, the meaning behind Nas's cover, if we take a look back to....

still looks like a homo

[ThomasJ]

Am I supposed to be offended by that? 'cause I'm not. lol

[ThomasJ]

Simply put, the cover of Stillmatic showcases the downfall of man. It references Nas' artistic downfall, personal trepidations, and the injury done to man in the greater world. It's 9/11, hyper urbanization, crime, racism, poverty, drugs, death, and the rap game Nas plans to destroy and rebuild, "hate to cease y'all plan - it's the rap repo man."

In an interview around the time of Stillmatic's release, Nas reported that for the cover shot he wore just about every piece of jewelry he owned. We see his QB medallion, a host of platinum necklaces, some diamond rings, and an iced out watch. This is the folly of Nas (his Escobar flossing days), the excess of the rap game (The Big Willy / Jiggy / Bling era) and, more metaphorically, the indulgence of a capitalistic American society (think the inflated economy of the late 90s). The garish orange jump suit Nas wears is intentionally loud. The visually offensive display is a purposeful act of irony.

Behind all that platinum, the dark, lightning scorched skies above the NYC skyline represent the apocalyptic world prophesized on Nastradamus. The omission of the twin towers in the skyline is a direct reference to 9/11. The water is very important as well, but I'll get to that in a minute . . .

One of the most interesting aspects of this scene is the pigeon, the ghetto dove, the only presence on the same perspective level with Nas. This is where it gets biblical. (The link to the Judeo-Christian religion is established with the silver cross that hangs conspicuously below the rest of Nas' jewelry.) Taken as a whole, the entire album cover is an allusion to the Old Testament story of Noah. Y'all know it, but, if you don't, here's a recap. In ancient times, mankind had become very wicked. Murder and rape abounded, immorality everywhere. In response, God punished the wicked of the world with a flood. The Stillmatic cover is that moment before the flood. Nas is at once Noah and God, poised for what's ahead and ready to see it through. Stillmatic is Nas' ark, and just as Noah brought himself, his family, and two of every animal to repopulate the world, the 2001 LP, with his little girl even credited as executive producer, was Nas' vessel to carry his own musical family (Large Professor, DJ Premier, LES, The Trackmasters, AZ, QB associates) on to repopulate the rap world after it had been destroyed.

Back to the pigeon. In the Bible, Noah sent out a dove everyday during the flood. The dove would continually return with an empty beak, representing that there was no land and that God's punishment was still in effect. The pigeon stands as Nas' dove ready to be sent out pending the coming storm. Notice those rain clouds overhead are holding a lot of water, the lightning carries the promise of a storm.

[Hiphopdane]

Again, nobody knows the story behind the Stillmatic cover...

Nas doesn't have a weak album cover.

I am? I don't really consider it a great album but the cover was still quite weird.

[Hiphopdane]

Relapse cover is amazing.

Yeah, one of my favourite Em covers to be honest. Fits the atmosphere of the album perfectly. Not really a fan of the Refill-edition though.

2001 by Dre is horrible too.

Disagree. I love how Dre decided to just let the music speak for itself and not have any fancy cover that looks good on the shelf.

[stillmatic]

Me personally I don't think consider "MDTBF" as a classic album, but I know a lot of you guys do but I think the cover is garbage.

I mean, maybe someone will explain it to me and I might completely change my mind, but it's just so pretentious. Then with Kanye making up the story about Walmart banning it only for them to say they never banned and that Kanye faked the story just goes to show how much this guy thrives on people talking about him.

[ThomasJ]

Again, nobody knows the story behind the Stillmatic cover...

Nas doesn't have a weak album cover.

I am? I don't really consider it a great album but the cover was still quite weird.

I can see why you'd think it's weird, but if you take it into context, you'll see it does make sense.
It shows Nas' growth as a man and as an artist, from a boy to a man a king to a prophet.

http://escobartheory.blogspot.com/2006/07/deep-covers.html

Check that out if you're interested... Although it's "just" a theory, it makes perfect sense.

[Fa-Q]

A3k looks like a fuckin faggot

[dR3]