6. Nas, Illmatic
From the gate, Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones wanted you to know that he was an extraordinary mind with influences that far extended the 26 buildings of Queensbridge projects. That, his level of quiet genius, might have been what attracted the young emcee to Q-Tip and Large Professor from the gate. And we get a glimpse of that on the cover of his debut classic album, Illmatic. On the cover, the fan gets to see Nas’ 7-year-old face superimposed in front of his projects. This layout is a tribute to a jazz act called Howard Hanger Trio’s 1974 joint A Child Is Born, where a young girl is phased in front of her version of the hood. He might have been exposed to them by his father, who was a notable jazz artist.
Nas says that for him, the inspiration also came from the King of Pop. “I’m a big Michael Jackson fan,” Nas said once. “I’ll tell you something I never said. On my album cover, you see me with the afro, that was kind of inspired by Michael Jackson – the little kid picture.”
A classic image for a classic album that gave the world a classic artist.