2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "childhood" design theme, all from the 1990s. These covers sit within the hip-hop tradition and feature work by The Notorious B.I.G., Nas. Each entry below includes the cover artwork, the designers and photographers behind it, and a short story about the visual choices that defined the release.
A simple photograph of an infant against a white background creates extraordinary tension with the album's title — the child represents the starting point of a harrowing autobiographical narrative tracking life from birth through street violence and depression.
A childhood photograph of seven-year-old Nas superimposed via double exposure over a nighttime shot of the Queensbridge Houses — the ghostly overlay captures the collision between childhood innocence and adult reality that defines the album.