Hip Hop and hype and have long gone hand in hand. The genre exudes a confidence and braggadocio that ensures it’s artists and the music they produce are never far from the general public’s attention, be it through pure talent and skill, through industry and hard work, or through some form of controversy – sometimes it’s a fusion of all of these things. As such, it’s easy to see why Hip-hop artists have been involved in some of the most memorable magazine covers of recent memory. Check the list below for a collection of innovative, iconic, and provocative front pages from the Hip-Hop vault:
Kanye West – Rolling Stone Febuary 2006
Photography – Dave LaChapelle
Lauryn Hill – Rap Pages December 1995
Photographer – Brian Cross
MF Doom – The Wire March 2005
Photographer – Jo Ann Toy
Eminem – Stress 1998
Photographer – Jus Ske
Tupac Shakur – Rolling Stone October 1996
Photographer – Danny Clinch
Ol Dirty Bastard – Rap Pages June 1995
Photographer – Brian Cross