Music Stars' Game Changing Magazine Covers
Beyoncé, Janet, Dr. Dre and more shocking and iconic images.
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Photo Bombs - Beyoncé made history this week after it was revealed that she'd be on the cover of Vogue magazine's famed September issue. Read on as we take a look at Bey, Janet, Dr. Dre and more artists who shook up the print world with their groundbreaking and sometimes shocking headlining cover flicks. -Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA), BET Staff
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Run The World - Vogue understands. Amid a heated debate about racism in America, the "fashion bible" placed a Black woman on the cover of its most coveted issue, the September Issue (there's even a documentary about it).Beyoncé scored the frontpage of the mag twice before, but this one was a moment of clarity for all: her presence is necessary.(Photo: Vogue, September 2015)
Photo By Vogue, September 2015
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Natural Born Killaz - The Source and Dr. Dre tested the censorship parameters in November 1992 with this shot of the boardsman pointing a pistol to his head, and caused a stir among the mag's advertisers.Dre had broken off from N.W.A the year before, and was now solo battling the group's lingering, menacing reputation, as well as his own controversy with reporter Dee Barnes. "Moving Target" was the headline.(Photo: The Source, November 1992)
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Any Time, Any Place - Full view of Janet Jackson's cover art for her janet. album came into focus with this Rolling Stone cover for the September 1993 issue, one of the most recognizable magazine photos worldwide. The cover line read, "The Joy of Sex" and the feature was explicit: this was about Ms. Jackson taking control of her sex symbol status.(Photo: Rolling Stone, September 1993)
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California Love? - Vibe captured the most controversial power figures of the time at once with this Death Row dynasty cover for February 1996. Tupac was fresh out of jail, newly signed to the label, and beefing with all of New York via songs like "Bomb First;" Snoop Dogg was still engaged in legal battles from a murder charge; and Suge Knight, as usual, was doing his best to keep his reputation up.(Photo: Vibe Magazine)
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Who We Be - Easing the music world's shock over the deaths of Tupac and Biggie, Jay Z united with former rap foe DMX and Ja Rule for the cover of XXL's June 1999 issue. They were known briefly as the supergroup Murder Inc, and though they only released two songs, the cover was especially genius ever as the back cover was a shot of them from behind.(Photo: XXL Magazine, June 1999)
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Blow Your Mind - With criticism of hip hop at its height –– battling even C. Delores Tucker –– The Source got all "Hannibal Lecter" with Redman for this May 2001 issue, proving rap's place among literary and cinematic works.(Photo: the Source MAgazine)
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Hate Me Now - Not long after Nas gave the airwaves "Ether," he and XXL let it be known that hip hop battles happen on every level, even among magazines. For their September 2003 issue, the 6th anniversary cover, he posed holding a copy of The Source magazine, their main rival, burning in flames.(Photo: XXL Magazine)
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I Am A God - Two years after "Jesus Walks" and one year after his criticism of President Bush's reaction to Hurricane Katrina, Kanye West was portrayed as Christ for the February 2006 issue of Rolling Stone. Yeezus got a lot flack for the controversial cover, as Christians balked about him being a cultural appropriator. (Photo: Rolling Stone, February 2006)
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I'm A Business...Man - Forbes confirmed Hov's arrival into the paper stacking club when he and billionaire investor Warren Buffett took the throne in October 2010 to discuss their successes and the importance of giving back. Within three years, he and wife Beyoncé became music's first billionaire couple.(Photo: Forbes, October 2010)
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