A well-designed album cover can give you an insight into the artist's style and the message they want to convey through their music. It's often the first thing you see before listening to the music, and it sets the tone for what's to come.

Whether it's an iconic image of the artist themselves, an eye-catching graphic design, or a striking photograph, the album cover can draw you in and make you want to listen to the music.

Here are the 14 illest.

1. good Kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar

The cover features a baby Kendrick Lamar, two of his uncles, and his grandfather, with the men’s eyes covered as if their identities have been redacted. From a design perspective, you get the sense you’re about to get the peak behind the proverbial curtain.

2. Take Care by Drake

The eye-catchinggraphic design of this album cover is simple yet incredibly effective. In what looks like a member’s only-type restaurant, Drake appears lonely and introspective as he drinks from a gold chalice. It’s on the list of best rap album covers because it captures the elegant, minimalist vibe that Champagne Papi is going for with the tracks on this record.

3. All Eyez On Me by 2Pac

Tupac’s iconic album cover is instantly recognizable to any rap music fan. Proudly showcasing his Death Row chain and the W for the West Side, it is unapologetically 2Pac.

4. Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy

The bold red and orange color scheme and the image of a target in the center perfectly capture the political and social commentary of Public Enemy's music.

5. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z

While Jay-Z certainly wasn’t the first MC to embody the mafioso persona, his album cover executed it naturally, unlike a person playing dress-up. Shot by iconic Hip-Hop photographer Jonathan Mannion, the cover documents Jay-Z ions before he became one of Hip-Hop’s first billionaires.

6. 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole

The album cover features a J. Cole sitting on the roof of his childhood home. This image perfectly captures the album's personal nature and the artist's journey from humble beginnings to rap music superstar.

7. The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem

The eerie and haunting image of Eminem's childhood home in Detroit perfectly sets the tone for the dark and introspective themes of the album. Purchased by Eminem’s mother, Deborah Nelson, in 1987 for $19,900, the house changed hands many times before ultimately burning down in 2013.

8. Illmatic by Nas

The cover artwork of Nas's debut album perfectly captures his music's gritty and raw sound. The image of Nas as a child in front of the Queensbridge Houses is a powerful representation of the artist's upbringing. If you can’t tell by now, we have an affinity for graphic design that takes us back to the genesis of an artist’s career.

9. Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg

The cartoon image of Snoop Dogg on the cover of his debut album perfectly captures the fun and carefree vibe of the album.

In the early ‘90s, Daryl Daniel couldn’t get out of his own way. As “Joe Cool,” he was addicted to crack cocaine, gang banged, loved smoking sherm (weed dipped in embalming fluid), and found himself perpetually incarcerated at California State Prison at Cochran, where he was resigned to more of the same destructive behavior when he finally got out.

When he crafted the art for Doggystyle, he credited artist/illustrator Overton Loyd as an overwhelming inspiration for the Doggystylecover. As the principal designer for George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, he established a visual language that was both humorous and sexual.

For the depiction of a shapely woman’s behind, Daniels had his girlfriend climb up on the couch on all fours as he put pen to paper. Each character in Daniels’ drawing was cut out individually and airbrushed by Chris Burch.

10. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan

In a September 7th, 2017, article for Remezcla, writer Matthew Ismael Ruiz wrote the following:

"The cover of the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut LP Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is one of the most recognizable images in hip-hop. For many, it was the first visual introduction to one of the culture’s most influential groups. And it almost didn’t happen.

"Two of them didn’t show up, and The RZA was about to cancel,” says Danny Hastings, the photographer assigned to shoot the cover for the group’s debut studio album. Thinking quickly on his feet, he recalled the first time he’d seen the Clan perform at a showcase during the 1993 Jack the Rapper conference in Atlanta. Clad in hoodies and masks, they bum-rushed the stage during another group’s set, tossing the MCs and DJ aside as they chanted “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit.” When the music dropped, Hastings says, “The place went bananas.” At once slightly terrifying, a little disrespectful, and wholly electrifying, the performance embodied the Clan’s raw grit and lawlessness — the perfect note to visually introduce them to the world.

Once he got the OK from The RZA, the Clan suited up, and in a moment, Hastings captured the unruly band of MCs in their most distilled form: rugged twentysomethings ready to rewrite the rules of the game."

11. The Chronic by Dr. Dre

Designed to look like a pack of Zig-Zags, Dr. Dre’s magnum opus is beautiful in its simplicity. We know exactly what recreational habit to take part in as we let the G-Funk carry us into another stratosphere.

12. Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood by DMX

Another Jonathan Mannion classic, DMX, is covered in blood to illustrate a physical manifestation of the album title. In an interview with Hip-HopDX, he stated, “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, I was given total free reign. I conceptualized the entire shoot, I spent days and days and days researching, looking at books about African voodoo and color theory, why red is an intense color and why white is a calming color. I had 60 gallons of blood in a bathtub and I was like, ‘Now my challenge is getting DMX in this blood and what am I gonna do to get him in there.’ He’s looking at the tub, and I’m looking at him, and he’s looking back at me, and he’s like, ‘You want me to get in it?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s how it’s gonna happen today.'”

13. Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version by Ol’ Dirty Bastard

On March 30, 1995, ODB took an MTV film crew with him — via limo — to pick up food stamps and a $375 welfare check. Two days prior, he had released his debut album, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, which featured his identification card for food coupons.

After the MTV segment aired, ODB's caseworker cut off his aid. In turn, ODB struck back at the system on the song "Diesel" from the Soul in the Hole soundtrack, rapping, "To the president, you say I'm a welfare fraud/You motherfucking right! Let's burn this dark house white!"

14. The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest

In 1990, A Tribe Called Quest released their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. When it came time to release the follow-up, Q-Tip worked closely with Zombart to bring his vision to life.

"Q-Tip, just a genius in many ways, and came to us with this idea," Zombart said. "He was very influenced by the Ohio Players, and wanted to create something like that. He knew he wanted this painted lady. So that's basically where that came from. Jean, vice president of artist development, Ann Carli, developed this idea and hired photographer. They did a photo shoot for the what we refer to as just, "the naked lady," with neon paint and black light. That's when I was brought in."

These rap album cover art are works of art that are more than just album covers – they are cultural touchstones that perfectly capture the essence of the music they represent. Whether you're listening to these albums on Soundcloud or Spotify, the cover artwork adds another layer to the overall experience.

Why Are Hip-Hop Album Covers Important?

Album artwork is a reflection of an artist's persona, their style, and their message. In the early days of Hip-Hop, the cover artwork was often straightforward, but as the genre grew, so did the artistry behind the studio album covers. 

Hip-Hop music album covers have become iconic pieces of art that represent the music and serve as cultural touchstones. Today, album and mixtape covers generate hype on social media and help get people interested in a project. But even without social media, famous CD covers from N.W.A. and the Notorious B.I.G had people pumped for new releases.

From the bold colors and typography of Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet to the gritty realism of Nas's Illmatic, Hip-Hop album covers are an essential element of the genre's visual language. The cover artwork sets the tone for the entire album and can become an iconic symbol of the artist's career.