best album covers of 2016

The Ten Best Hip Hop Album Covers of 2016

Chance the Rapper — Coloring Book

Why We Chose It:

Zee: Chance the Rapper's third album Coloring Book, otherwise known as "Chance 3," was widely re g arded as one of last year's best albums. Everything from the album roll out, to the album itself was perfectly crafted to place Chance among rap's elite. The cover of his album is no exception; featuring a radiant orange-red background of the sky and clouds. It is as if Chance is looking down at all of us from a heavenly plane. This fits in well with the album's spiritual themes. Mac Miller commented that he loved Chance's album because it gave him hope. Chance's face captures that emotion as a soft blue light glows onto his face, accentuating the smile he makes while looking away from our gaze or down at some unseen joy. The illuminating blue light, and his blue clothes stand in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly warm background. And of course, the now iconic "Chance 3" hat sits atop his head. Though, I must say, that none of the coloring books that I grew up with allowed us to depict a scene with such richness and specificity. Most rappers have not been able to combine the gospel and hip hop this well either.

Kanye West — The Life of Pablo

Dee News — On his eighth studio album The Life of Pablo, Ye gave his fans a bit of everything we love about Kanye. There were soul samples, witty- humor, introspection, beautiful melodies, bravado, vulnerability, and the grotesque. The roll-out of the album could be characterized as chaotic to the very end. Kanye engaged in a lengthy Twitter battle with Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose, Kid Cudi, and anyone else who questioned his creative decisions. The album cover reinforces what Kanye fans already knew — he's impulsive. The album cover itself has a picture of Ye's family members dressed in their Sunday's best and a picture of a woman dressed scantily clad. This dichotomy has defined Kanye's career. Moreover, "Which/one" is written on the cover as to suggest which Kanye will appear or better yet, which Pablo will appear? Is it Pablo Escobar, Pablo Picasso, or Pablo Neruda? That decision is left up to the listeners to decide. The Vibes are back.

De La Soul — and the Anonymous Nobody

Dee, Zee: De La Soul is one of the most iconic hip hop groups to ever bless the microphone. L-R, Maseo, Posdnuos are the embodiment of the old adage, "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts." Their impeccable career spans over two decades. But as the years have come and gone, the group's popularity has taken a hit. They are now a "Nobody" that is lost in a star-obsessed world. But there used to be a time where a master of ceremonies could truly control a crowd; the type of individual who could enter a venue as a mere description (male: slim, approximately 6 ½ feet tall, light brown eyes) and leave as a fully developed character to everyone in attendance. The figure standing on the album's stage is anonymous, irrelevant, and unknown. And yet, "Nobody" still believes that he can rock the crowd. That sort of confidence is what it used to take to be a great emcee, and to be hip hop — De La Soul reminds us of that.

Isaiah Rashad — The Sun's Tirade

Zee: "The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow. There'll be sun." Annie was wrong, of course. There's no guarantee that the sun will come out tomorrow. Some places are so obscured by smog and skyscrapers that the sun's rays are little more than the glow of an oversized night lamp in the distance. It hovers over the city symbolically; a reminder that sunlight is rare, and happiness is inconsistent. The provocative cover of Isaiah Rashad's latest album The Sun's Tirade, captures the entirety of that feeling. Rashad hovers above his car as if he's being taken into the smog-filled clouds. A purple sky and grayish-blue skyscrapers sit in the background. It's as if he is one with the uninspiring backdrop. The sun is nowhere to be found. It is as if it's gone on strike, and nothing good ever comes from a society without sunlight. But it's hard to tell if Isaiah cares.

J. Cole — 4 Your Eyez Only

Dee News: Honestly, 4 Your Eyez Only is the epitome of gray — both in scale and subject matter. The first thing the viewer sees is a J. Cole's back turned to him while a young child stares up at him. The questions abound. What is J. Cole doing? And what's the purpose of this young boy? The picture is cut and looks worn out. Time has a funny way of revealing certain information. The album title suggests something intimate.

Drake — Views

Zee:

'Nuff said.

2Chainz — Daniel Son; Necklace Don

Zee: "Nas is like the afrocentric-asian, half-man, half-amazin." 2Chainz' album cover definitely lives up to that. Not since Afro Samurai have Asian-inspired animation and hip hop been merged so well together. While the name, themes, and attire are unquestionably inspired by Chinese culture — the unmistakable gold chains are quintessentially Atlanta. The mixtape's lead single "Big Amount" plays up the eastern angle, and 2Chainz displays the versatility that an album of this sort demands. He needed a Wu feature on this though.

Vic Mensa — There's A Lot Going On

Dee News: Shots fired is friendly banter in the cafeteria with your friends. It means you're getting joked on. Literal shots fired by those sworn to protect us is completely different. Are black people just target practice for the police? Vic Mensa thinks so. And he's somewhat right, when he says, "there's a lot going on." There is a lot going on in African-American communities, except justice. Shots fired.

Kodak Black — lil big pac

Zee: Every single stereotype of Black America can be found on this cover. I was initially against its inclusion. The toddler's feet are ash white, he has tattoos, a bandana, gold teeth, money behind him on his right, and a bottle on his left where juice (or some other substance) is leaking out. I understand that this is supposed to embody the "project baby," but it plays up to the idea of the pathology of African-Americans and represents how many white Americans see every black child. From a young age, black men are perceived to be a threat. Every supremacist site on the internet has some sort of comic of a black infant thug. I'm not a fan of playing that up even though I like some of Kodak's music. There's a thin line between authenticity and the promotion of negative imagery. I feel that this does the latter because there's nothing here to contrast the image with or to contextualize it in a way that lessens the idea that it promotes.