Genre Album CoversAlbum covers are used to attract audiences into buying an

artists music, but each genre of music attracts a different kind of audience, therefore the album cover is used to entice its target audience according to that genre. This means that there are particular characteristics, conventions and features of a Hip Hop album cover that will be different to those of a Pop genre. It is important when my group and I are creating our album cover that we are appealing to our target audience and include some of the stereotypical characteristics of a Hip Hop album cover.

Notorious B.I.G

This album cover automatically has attraction that will cause potential audiences to notice the album cover and that is through the use of the baby. The baby projects innocence and life which are not ideas usually associated with the genre however I think this is why the image is clever. The use of the baby may not be used to represent the artist but used in order to showcase the meaning behind the music. The baby could also represent a natural state which could imply that the music on this album is also in a natural raw state, which would appeal to hardcore Hip Hop Fans.

I think the idea of life is a continuous theme that runs throughout this album cover and I also think that it is subliminally illustrated in its font. The fact that the words ‘BIG’ and ‘die’ are written in red could relate to the idea that red represents blood and blood is what gives us life. Also the ‘BIG’ is written in capitals whilst ‘die’ is written in lowercase, to me this suggest that the artist will live through his music even he does not die. However I there are a variety of messages and it is based on audience interpretation.

The simplicity of this album cover suggest to me that the music will speak for itself as there are no distraction, it is just an image which could relate to the artist or the music and the artist and album name, this simplicity is what causes this album cover to be so attractive as the audience want to know more.

Ja Rule

It is very typical for all artists to use close up shots of themselves as album covers. In this case however the artist is looking away which suggests there is something more to the audience and adds an element of mystery this causes them to want to know what the album is about. The facial expression is something that is commonly associated with the Hip Hop genre as it shows the artist with a ‘hard’ and ‘intrigued’ expression, this has been done so it prevents the artist from looking angry and unfriendly but stops them from looking happy as well, which is an expression not associated with Hip Hop.

The fact that the artist is wearing a do rag, automatically makes an association with the Hip Hop genre as at that time period a do rag was a common item of clothing worn by Hip Hop fans and artists. Also the fact that the artist is wearing no clothes showing a strong masculine body means that the artist is reaching out to a variety of audiences and this will appeal to the women as well as the men.

The font of the artist name suggest an element of wealth about the artist as the style of writing is commonly associated with rich people and the idea of money. Also the size is used so it can stand out to audiences and they will instantly pick it up because the artist is well established.

Tattoos are very much linked with the Hip Hop genre and the fact that the artist has used a tattoo as the way to showcase the album name makes a direct link with the genre.

Jay Z

This album cover is one of the best Hip Hop album covers as it doesn't feature the artist. However it uses simplicity through the colours to hide the complexity of music which is hidden behind. The idea of using all musical instruments all the same colour suggest that they all play an equal role are all necessary in creating a great song. This gives an indication to the audience the standard of the songs that will be on the album. Also the fact that they are stacked on top of one another also suggest that there is a form of build up of music within the songs.

The fact that the font of the artist and the album name is in such small letters would suggest to audiences that the album is all about the music and it is not about who the artist is. This also could suggest the music contained on the will be real and truthful as there is a sense of honesty that is shown through this cover through the simplicity of the writing and the colour .

I also feel when looking at this album that it is targeted at the artist audience and fans and it not used to entice new fans. This is because of the 3 stripes, the album is the third part to the trilogy ‘Blueprint’ however to know that you would have to follow Jay Z’s music. I also think that is aimed at its previous fans because of the lack of the artist image.

When creating my own album cover my group and I will have to think of alternative ways of enticing audiences and projecting a message.