That’s right! Lil’ Kim’s timeless and seminal 1996 debut studio album, Hard Core, has topped Billboard’s list of best hip-hop album covers of all time.
Shot by Michael Lavine, Lil’ Kim was groundbreaking — showing what a female emcee in lingerie on top of a polar bear skin rug, in a room decorated with roses and champagne, could do.
As Billboard put it finely themselves: “Kim balances aggressive sexuality and reticent allure, grounding both in the power of the Divine Feminine.” They continued: “Kim simultaneously plays into the sex-stained gaze of the male-dominated hip-hop industry, while flipping that aesthetic on their head; she’s on top and the one in control.”
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Other album artworks in the top five rounded out are:
- Outkast’s Stankonia at number two
- DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood at number three
- Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy at number four
- The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die at number five
Hard Core dropped November 12, 1996 via Big Beat/Undeas, with production from Puff Daddy, Jermaine Dupri, and Ski Beatz. The cover instantly became iconic, cementing Kim’s role as a fearless trailblazer in hip-hop visuals.
Lil’ Kim’s Hard Core just got crowned the greatest hip-hop album cover ever. Drop your thoughts below — does it still reign supreme nearly 30 years later?
