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T.I. Wins for Awesome Album Cover
The whole notion of album cover art seems sort of silly these days, what with so few people actually buying albums. (Though I'm very interested in seeing what kind of numbers Drake puts up this week-half a million is projected, and 20,000 people is a lot of people to draw to South Street Seaport.) This makes me all the more pleased that Atlanta rapper T.I. put the effort he did into the picture which will adorn his new King Uncaged when it hits stores come August.
As he explained to hip-hop photography magazine Respect:
I went and told them, "Get me as close as you can to a lion." He had a trainer holding him on a chain. They took the chain out [in post-work]. It really went down. I wanted to pet him. I said, "Let me get hands on." They were like, "No. We could only let you do but so much." So I did as much as they would allow me to do… I wanted it to be a a busy city street. My original idea was to lock down Times Square and let me and the lion do the same thing right there, but we couldn't quite pull that off; they said it had to be in controlled environment. They tried to do a artsy kind of drawing. It looked good, but it didn't serve my purpose-it was just a painting. I figured, if it got to be a controlled environment, we may as well just keep it all the way simple make it black and white, white background, me, him, cool chair.
And here's a video trailer for the album that features more of the lion and a suitably exciting song snippet:
It should be an exciting time for album covers, now that they don't matter! People can literally do anything.
I agree. Most rap album covers these days look like club flyers. And before that they were just a picture of the artist (see: Every Jay-Z album cover ever).
The Times Square version of this cover would've been pretty awesome.
Ummm…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gn2ChBubX8
Your point is invalid.
Damn. I knew I forgot one. Still, we should just forget BP3 ever happened.
This album cover is rad, but it will never top the early 90s Rap-A-Lot covers. See: "We Can't Be Stopped" and "Mr. Scarface is Back".
If only they'd let him ride it, it would be perfect.
That is a pretty cool chair.
Lions are the Turkish of the jungle. I have no respect for lions.
You want a deadly animal to stand next to for an album cover?
Go gibbon or go home.
Hell you don't even have "only" use a chain. Roll that little fucker out in a hockey mask and hand dolly with his "handlers."
SHOW ME WHAT A BIG FUCKING MAN YOU ARE T "BAG MAN" KING
STAND NEXT TO IL GIBBONE (Italian for "he who eats your face like pancetta") FOR YOUR LITTLE ALBUM
Mandrills are pretty badass, too.
should've posed with a dolphin
David LaChappelle meets minimalism = meh.
Pffffft. The mandrill is the Bulgarian of the monkey world. Slow-witted and ugly enough for your sister to date. Gibbons don't truck with no sissy mandrills. A mandrill ain't nothin but lemur turned inside out.
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/04/bc/28ea228348a09cc06b948110.L.jpg
My God…it's full of stars.
Kehinde Wiley much?
Not quite gay enough.
The moment I learned he wasn't naming himself after a graphing calculator was the moment he became dead to me. (the moment he was eaten by a lion was the moment he became dead to everyone else)
Bah. When I was three I had my picture taken with the MGM lion at the MGM Hotel and Casino in Reno. I'm standing right next to the lion, who is sitting completely unrestrained on a platform. He was probably arthritic, missing his teeth and declawed, but it's still an awesome picture.
It reminds me of this
Ooh. Nice connection. And what a great picture that is, too!
I wish that lion was in a space suit.
I'd say my favorite album art is the vinyl LP cover of the Chambers Brothers "New Generation".
http://i43.tinypic.com/2r2c5tu.jpg
How about y'all?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wb8bAl1P-N0/SA35BeK4YfI/AAAAAAAACEM/i3MB0yp8Cp8/s400/ll+cool+j+panther.jpg
Right! Nice. I'd only thought of the Biggie video.
I've probably spent the equivalent of two work weeks updating, sorting, error checking, and importing album cover art into my iTunes so my iPhone can do that cool scrolly cover album flow thing on demand. Single covers preferred; greatest hits compilations rejected.
Album art is sehr Wichtig for the 21st century OCD hipster.
I'm a little in love with this comment.
Ha! White background makes it look shopped. Silly rapper.
Also: There's a hip-hop photography magazine?
I miss the "golden age" of 1980s Asia and Journey album covers, on which mystical, futuristic sea serpents and trippy scarabs tantalized us with the promise of the sweet, sweet jams that lay within.