Kanye West's Cover Art: A Look Back

A retrospective of Yeezy's thought-provoking visuals.

Kanye West's Cover Art: A Look Back - We don't know what the recently revealed cover art to Kanye's new album, Yeezus, means. Is that a broken CD jewel case? A melted CD? A piece of duct tape? It's every bit as interesting and bizarre as his recent performance on SNL. Then again, that's nothing new for Yeezy. The artwork for his albums and mixtapes have always been fascinating, conversation-sparking and thought-provoking. But before we even try to dissect the imagery of Yeezus, let's take a look back at the covers of Kanye's albums and mixtapes. We hope you're sitting down. —Alex Gale (Photo: Roc-a-Fella Records, GOOD Music, Def Jam, Roc Nation)
Get Well Soon - Kanye's debut mixtape, 2003's Get Well Soon, is covered by a simple picture of him holding a Roc-A-Fella chain and standing in front of a brick wall featuring a mural of his hometown, Chicago. It's obvious from the graphic, and his simple wardrobe—baggy jeans, black tee—that he's hasn't yet become the bold visual genius that later releases (and tours) have show him to be. (Photo: Roc-a-Fella Records)
Kanye West, The College Dropout - Kanye West has played an integral part in creating and popularizing an array of styles and images. Among those is the College Dropout bear, a mascot suit that Yeezy wore on his debut album cover. In different forms, a bear would later appear on the covers of his next two albums, Late Registration and Graduation. (Photo: Roc-a-Fella Records, Def Jam)The Evolution of Kanye West - Kanye went big on his sophomore album, the 2005 classic Late Registration. Working with acclaimed pop-rock producer Jon Brion, Kanye expanded past his chipmunk soul signature sound with lusher live instrumentation and epic bridges, crescendos and breakdowns. Behind hits like "Gold Digger" and "Touch the Sky," the album was Kanye's first to hit No. 1.    (Photo: Courtesy Def Jam Records)

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Kanye West's Cover Art: A Look Back - We don't know what the recently revealed cover art to Kanye's new album, Yeezus, means. Is that a broken CD jewel case? A melted CD? A piece of duct tape? It's every bit as interesting and bizarre as his recent performance on SNL. Then again, that's nothing new for Yeezy. The artwork for his albums and mixtapes have always been fascinating, conversation-sparking and thought-provoking. But before we even try to dissect the imagery of Yeezus, let's take a look back at the covers of Kanye's albums and mixtapes. We hope you're sitting down. —Alex Gale (Photo: Roc-a-Fella Records, GOOD Music, Def Jam, Roc Nation)

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