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The album cover art is just as important as the music when it comes to attracting listeners. Some of your favorite artists took advantage of creating unique artwork to go along with their music in 2014. Now you can decide who should be crowned the winner of Album Cover of the Year in the 2nd annual Boombox Fan Choice Awards.
The Roots went the abstract route with their cover art for ‘…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.’ Hip-dop duo PRhyme — DJ Premier and Royce da 5’9″ — followed suit for their self-titled debut album, with a creative image of their faces cracking. Finally, FKA twigs presented herself as an intriguing doll with captivating eyes.
Other artists decided to have colorful illustrations for their covers. The most notable is Run the Jewels. The two mummy-like hands depicting the jacking of a gold rope is a favorite. R&B crooner Luke James went for a bold pictorial for his album cover.
Meanwhile, majestic cover art was used on Jhene Aiko’s ‘Souled Out’ as we see the songbird being lifted into the sun in between the clouds. The Wu-Tang Clan has an almost similar theme with their cover for ‘A Better Tomorrow.’
Finally, a few rappers delivered gritty artwork to go along with their music. For his album ‘Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf,’ Game held a contest for fans to submit their best designs for the cover art. In the end, the Compton rapper chose a design of his daughter showing no fear of the “Big Bad Wolf” — the MC feels that’s how the world sees him.
Fellow rapper YG went with a mugshot of himself for his album cover of ‘My Krazy Life.’ If you look closely, the placard includes the date (03192009) on which his life changed. In 2009, he was signed to Def Jam and four years later, he’s one of the top rhymers in the game.
Finally, Ab-Soul probably released one of the most controversial covers in 2014. For his third LP, ‘These Days…,’ the TDE rhymer decided to go with a religious theme. He’s depicted as Jesus Christ sitting by the cross, complete with a barbed-wired crown and crucified hands. The religious imagery may be considered blasphemy but Ab-Soul likes to go deep with his music.
Ten candidates, but only one can win. Vote for the rapper or singer you think should win The Boombox Fan Choice Award for Album Cover Art of the Year below. Remember you can vote once per hour until the poll closes on Feb. 16, at 10AM EST. If you need to look at the artworks, take a look here.
