2 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 2 album covers documented under the "dramatic lighting" design theme, all from the 1980s. These covers sit within the r&b, pop, funk, hip-hop tradition and feature work by Prince, Eric B. & Rakim. 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.
Prince's purple-tinted double album cover features a stark, minimalist portrait that launched his iconic color association. Photographer Allen Beaulieu captured the brooding image in a single session, creating one of the most recognizable album covers of the 1980s.
The stark black and white portrait that launched a thousand hip-hop covers used the simplest possible concept: two artists, direct eye contact, no gimmicks. This minimalist approach became the template for serious rap album artwork.