3 album covers in our archive
Behind the Covers currently documents 3 Jay-Z album covers from 1996 to 2003. Read together, the entries show how the artwork changed from release to release, with each story identifying the designers, photographers, source material, and design decisions behind the sleeve.
Cover evolution
The photograph hiding behind Jay-Z's iconic Black Album cover was actually taken two years earlier for The Blueprint, showing the rapper in a New York Jets jersey before being heavily edited into the ghostly, fading-to-black image that became one of hip-hop's most recognizable covers.
Jay-Z's Blueprint cover features a minimalist architectural drawing that became one of hip-hop's most iconic designs. The stark blue-on-white technical diagram perfectly matched the album's title while establishing a new standard for sophisticated rap album artwork.
Jonathan Mannion and art director Adrien Vargas built Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt cover around a timeless New York mob-boss image: black and white, white suit, wide-brimmed hat, cigar and controlled anonymity. The album had originally been called Heir to the Throne before Jay-Z changed the title and let listeners decide whether he deserved the crown.
