Blues and greys – looks gritty, goes with tough Inner city look.
Red connotes violence and it is key that Jay Z’s name is in red as it contrasts from rest of the cover and stands out. Similarly in the booklet the title’s are red as well to contrast
Record labels are in crisp white to stand out and be noticeable to the buyer
Image of Jay-Z in longcoat over a dark suit. Connotations of ‘Gangster’ with links back to mafia films such as ‘The Godfather’. Fact he is silhouetted makes him even look like he is in some modern day western, especially by the fact he looks as if he is entering an open plan bar/saloon. Overall makes Jay-Z look dangerous and links to the title of the album. The cover also conveys how this is by no means Jay-Z’s first album, as otherwise this likening himself to a ‘godfather’ figure would seem to pretentious. Instead he gets away with this persona because of the success he has had and the number of years he has had in the business. This is not to mention his shady past.
Back cover with image of Jay-Z lighting up a cigar connotes riches and success and makes him appear as an aspirational figure. Simultaneously I links to the title of ‘American Gangster’ as matched with his dark tie and crisp white shirt he appears like a criminal from a film such as ‘Goodfellas’, where the anti-heroes are presented as being both dangerous and excessive in their lifestyles.
The booklet contains numerous images of wealth and success, as well as images of the city at night. Links to tracks such as ‘Hello Brooklyn2.0’ and ‘Party Life’.
The album appears very mainstream with the overall grandness of the cover. As well as this it looks like a lot of money has been spent on production of the artwork and so I would not expect an underground or unsuccessful artist to have made it.
Link to film, through title, very grainy look of artwork, as well as references in track titles such as ‘Blue Magic’ and of course ‘American Gangster’
