3 cover stories in our archive
Behind the Covers' archive includes 3 album covers documented under the "queer" design theme, spanning the 2010s, 2020s. These covers sit within the hip-hop, pop, r&b tradition and feature work by Lil Nas X, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean. 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.
Lil Nas X floats nude in this heavenly digital dreamscape shot by Charlotte Rutherford and designed by Pilar Zeta. The psychedelic cover transforms John Stephens' Genesis II artwork into a queer-coded Garden of Eden, sparking the rapper's bold artistic transformation and becoming one of 2021's most talked-about album covers.
Tyler in a platinum blonde wig, mint-green suit, and dark sunglasses against bright pink — introducing the lovesick alter ego 'Igor' and marking a dramatic departure from his earlier punk-rap visual identity toward retro-mod sophistication.
The blurred, green-tinted photograph with Ocean's hand partially covering his face reflects the album's core themes: memory, identity, sexual fluidity, and emotional opacity. The lo-fi, anti-commercial quality matched his decision to release independently.