Golden Era Hip-Hop Covers | Show #249

[Show Notes] Golden Era Hip-Hop Covers: N.W.A., Ice-T & Queen Latifah

Ice-T by Stefan Bollmann, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

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Show Notes

Editor's note: These show notes were developed using AI assistance and were subsequently reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by the Queue Points team to ensure accuracy and voice.

The Big Picture

DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray each pick three hip-hop album covers from 1988 to 1991, a time when, as Sir Daniel puts it, a cover "could make or break the sales of your record." Their picks run from N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton and Ice-T's Power in Los Angeles to Masta Ace, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest and Finesse & Synquis on the East Coast. Along the way, they talk about the photographers, art directors, and stylists behind the shots, the CD longbox, Afrocentric style, and Dapper Dan. They close the Latifah segment by remembering DJ Mark the 45 King.

Guns on the cover: N.W.A and Ice-T

Jay Ray opens with N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton (Ruthless/Priority). Photographer Eric Poppleton, a CalArts graduate, followed the group around Los Angeles with art director Kevin Hosmann. In an alley, Poppleton lay on the ground and shot up at the group while Eazy-E pointed a real gun at the camera; Poppleton has said he couldn't say whether it was ready to fire. He was paid less than $2,000 and went on to shoot four more N.W.A covers. Sir Daniel answers with Ice-T's Power (Sire, 1988), photographed by Glen E. Friedman. Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T's girlfriend at the time, holds the shotgun in a swimsuit, and the budget was tight: Ortiz and DJ Evil E shared one gold bracelet, and Ice-T and Evil E wore the same Rolex. Jay Ray points out that the full-length shot of Ortiz suited the tall CD longbox.

Coney Island and Curtis Mayfield: Masta Ace

Jay Ray's second pick is Masta Ace's debut, Take a Look Around (Cold Chillin'/Reprise, 1990), credited then as Master Ace. George DuBose, who shot many Cold Chillin' covers, took the photo on the beach in Coney Island, not in the Brownsville projects, as some fans assumed. Ace modeled it on Curtis Mayfield's Curtis (1970), a record from his mother's collection, and Warner Bros. turned the cover down until he explained the homage. Sir Daniel asks listeners to settle whether Ace is wearing Wallabees or Travel Fox.

Queen Latifah and the 45 King

Sir Daniel's second pick is Queen Latifah's All Hail the Queen (Tommy Boy, 1989), photographed by Bart Everly and Jane Wexler. Against a white background, Dana Elaine Owens stands in black with her head wrapped, a clenched fist held to her chest. Sir Daniel reads it as regal Afrocentricity at a time when other women in rap were known for their hairstyles. He ties Latifah to New Jersey's place in the business, where Sylvia Robinson ran Sugar Hill Records from Englewood. The album reached No. 6 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and includes "Ladies First" with Monie Love, "Wrath of My Madness," "The Pros" with Daddy-O and the hip house single "Come Into My House." Its main producer was DJ Mark the 45 King, who died on October 19, 2023, at 62; the hosts recorded close to the anniversary.

A painted figure and Uptown style: Tribe and Finesse & Synquis

Jay Ray closes with A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory (Jive, 1991), chosen over Midnight Marauders because, he says, there would be no Midnight Marauders without it. The cover is not a painting: it's a photo by Joe Grant of a model painted in red, black and green. Q-Tip first wanted Naomi Campbell, painted nude with the group's name on her body. Jive art director Nick Gamma calls Q-Tip "the mastermind behind the visuals of all of the Quest albums," and the figure returned on Midnight Marauders (1993). Sir Daniel's last pick is Finesse & Synquis' Soul Sisters (Uptown/MCA, 1988), for the matching outfits he credits to Dapper Dan, one in green and one in yellow, with no DJ on the cover. He also tells how Uptown's Groove B. Chill were director Reginald Hudlin's first idea for the House Party (1990) leads before New Line asked for bigger names.

FAQ

Who shot the Straight Outta Compton cover? Eric Poppleton, a CalArts graduate, with art director Kevin Hosmann. He shot it lying on the ground in a Los Angeles alley and was paid less than $2,000.

Who is the woman on the cover of Ice-T's Power? Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T's girlfriend at the time. Glen E. Friedman took the photo.

Where was Masta Ace's Take a Look Around cover shot? On the beach at Coney Island, photographed by George DuBose, as a homage to Curtis Mayfield's Curtis.

Is The Low End Theory cover a painting? No. It's a photograph by Joe Grant of a model painted in red, black and green.

Who produced Queen Latifah's All Hail the Queen? Mainly DJ Mark the 45 King, with KRS-One, Daddy-O, Prince Paul and Latifah herself.

The Ultimate Takeaway

"There was a time when album covers were just as, if not more, important than the music on the record." – DJ Sir Daniel

Bibliography & References

[Show Notes] Golden Era Hip-Hop Covers: N.W.A., Ice-T & Queen Latifah