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Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly - Including King Kunta

Often now, album cover art is simplified and less complex.

Conveying a musicians ideas.

“Provides an image of sound”. To Pimp A Butterfly, in particular, is a personification of “the message echoed in the music”. A clear depiction of race, self-love/hate, and what it means to be Black in America”

As shown above, it depicts a collective of predominately black males and children standing “in a celebratory display” outside the White House. At their feet, is a white judge. 

Its arrival occurred within a time of “civil unrest in America” therefore acknowledging the social issue at hand. 

Album cover art defines the "core demographic for the album”. This includes age, gender, race, genre and personalities. 

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The significance of Album Cover Art

Emotion and tone is provoked by the cover, whilst enabling the audience to get an idea of what they may be listening to.

Roots is connected to the Civil Rights Movement, due to the photo being taken within the time period, reflecting the fear of the police force.

Sole purpose - reflection of the music. - significant to the evolution of the genre.

A depiction of the artist’s “vision�� highlighting both the “theme [and] message”. 

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Album Cover Art and Music Video Comparison

A visual representation of the socioeconomic disadvantages and it's implications within the community; specifically on children. Children “don't stand a chance” when they're “trapped in their own community”. 

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2Pac Trapped Music Video

How music videos were deemed the bluepoint for upcoming artists today. 

What is the evolution of music videos? Which elements have been incorporated within releases today? How has the genre and culture been impacted by the digital age?

A depiction of the hostility between the black community and law enforcement. Intro of video highlights how despite the fact they haven’t explicitly done anything wrong, they scarper at the presence of the police. Throughout: A showcase of mass incarceration with 2pac in a prison cell. Video predominately shows officers watching intently over cells. Flickers between the outside world: “the streets” and prison. Highlights relationships: shows couples, specifically black females, that are separated by a glass pane. Conversations appear to be aggressive. 

Demonstrates the brutality by officers. Shows audiences the aggression and implications of. Storytelling of how the cop who assaulted 2Pac was shot during the altercation, but because the individual in uniform was hurt, it was considered “brutality”. 

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Official Album Cover Art Comparison - Top Two images Follow The Leader promotion and single cover art. Bottom Image, Paid in Full, album cover release.

- Virtual Representation of the artist’s image.

- A promotion of the artists street credibility. 

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Comparison Between The Music Video and Album Cover Art

Compromise a multitude of media formats and “sensorial modes”- videography has become a staple, within the production of the songs released, not only furthering the distribution of records but the reception it receives from audiences.

With Rap/Hip-Hop being predominately a performance based upon “verbal text alone” this additional component enables releases to rely on both “visual and verbal semiotics”. 

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Rodney King Documentary - Police Brutality.

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- Referencing to Police Brutality and Hip-Hop. Protest album, demanding for an uprising.

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Afrocentric Rap

Is described as a lyrical genre that celebrates, proudly, the accomplishments of the Black community. This includes both past and present by voicing complaints, concerns, addressing social observations regarding first hand experiences of racial inequality. 

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M.A.R.S. - Clones (1996)

Reference to Slavery and Mass Incarceration -

“*iggas run up on you with guns, snatchin' papers Outlined body chalk, is how they would scrape ya From off the pavement, I hate gettin' locked up, ‘Cause that upstate bus reminds me of the slave ships”

Reference to the dependency on the streets - 

“I try to tell ya, don't let these streets fuckin' fail ya The way *iggas be gettin' clapped, the shit'll fuckin' scare ya”