LogFAQs > #877796191

31. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly - Bane_Of_Despair
http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kendrick-lamar-album-artwork-to-pimp-a-butterfly-000.jpg


Originality: 5.75
Aesthetic: 5.25
Story: 6.25
Personal: 6
Average: 5.81

At first glance, this cover might not seem like anything special. And some guys holding a bunch of money seems like it was a cliche in rap music back in the 90s. But even if you know nothing about the album (and for purposes of this topic, only the cover is what matters), there's more going on here that warrants an above average Originality score. For one thing, the use of black and white photography is somewhat unusual, and seems intended here to highlight racial issues in America, particularly given the setting with the White House in the background. Also, that Judge with x’s for eyes lying on the ground is easy to miss at first, but is a striking image.

The cover scored the best in Story because there's a lot going on here. The Judge is likely symbolic of racism and corruption in the criminal justice system. There's also an interesting placement of a boy with a pixelated middle finger right over the Parental Advisory label, which conveys obvious messages about censorship. Altogether, it's a bold cover with plenty to say, although there's almost too much going on to get a single clear-cut story across, which prevents the Story factor from going even higher.

While it's an interesting cover to look at, I can't really go any higher for the Aesthetic score. The use of black and white is an effective design choice and the presentation is good, but it's still basically a bunch of guys standing around in a Photoshopped image of the White House.

Lastly, I might have given a slightly lower Personal score, but a certain user’s topic whining about Lamar and his new album (I'm sure Bane knows who I'm thinking of) just made me appreciate anything associated with the rapper more. So bonus points for this cover.