Dreams of a Bruised Soul
Designing a hiphop album connecting two songs that relate thematically.
2023 - Album Cover, Insert, and Record Labels
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The two songs chosen were “It was a Good Day” by Icecube and “Mind Playin’ Tricks on Me” by the Geto Boys. Both songs cover the trauma around gang violence but present them in polar opposite ways. Icecube raps about a perfect day that ends up being a daydream. The Geto Boys rap about a nightmare fueled by trauma. I decided to illustrate imagery discussed in the songs and pair them with the lyrics. I chose colors that I felt best represented the differences.
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I began by listening to the songs and writing down any symbolic imagery. I illustrated the covers and insert with an almost comic book art style. I wanted to stray away from literal imagery to make it stand out from other hiphop albums. The colors were chosen to represent the opposite tones of the music. This album is designed to be interacted with. As one listens to the music they can spot all of the imagery represented in the illustration.
