MARVEL Recreates Iconic HIP HOP Album Covers

Comic: Invincible Iron Man #1 by Brian Stelfreeze Album: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent

In lieu of Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack and movie releasing in theaters this week around the world, let’s take a look back at this fantastic Marvel creation. The comic book giants took iconic hip-hop albums that were released over the past 30 years and gave them a twist changing the album title and art to reflect various Marvel characters from X-Men to Captain Marvel.

Marvel Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso said in a press release “For years, Marvel Comics and Hip-Hop culture have been engaged in an ongoing dialog. Beginning this October [2015], we will shine a spotlight on the seamless relationship between those two unique forces.”

Here’s a few of the covers that can be seen in the book series.:

Comic: Sam Wilson, Captain America #1 by Mahmud Asrar Album: Long. Live. A$AP by A$AP Rocky

Comic: Ms. Marvel # 1 by Jenny Frison Album: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill

Comic: Howard the Duck #1 by Juan Doe Album: Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version by Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Comic: Extraordinary X-Men #1 by Sanford Green Album: 3 Feet High And Rising by De La Soul

Comic: The Astonishing Ant-Man #1 by Mark Brooks Album: Ready To Die by The Notorious B.I.G.

Comic: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 by Phil Noto Album: Wolf by Tyler, The Creator

Comic: Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Mike Del Mundo Album: Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest

Comic: Squadron Supreme #1 by Mike Del Mundo Album: Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang Clan

From Book 1 – Watch creative worlds collide like never before in the ultimate fusion of hip-hop and the House of Ideas! With an introduction by award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates – a National Book Award winner, a recent MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and the writer of Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER – this stunning volume showcases 70 comic-book covers inspired by some of the most iconic albums in music history. Experience page after page of incredible artwork featuring the heroes of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe – from A-Force to the X-Men – by an unbelievable roster of talent including Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Jim Cheung, Mike Del Mundo, Sanford Greene, Jenny Frison, Phil Noto, Mahmud Asrar, Damion Scott, Tim Bradstreet, Keron Grant, Ed Piskor and more! Their finished covers sit side-by-side with behind-the-scenes sketches, showing the process of rendering some of the most famous images in hip-hop, Marvel style. Straight outta comics – and onto your bookshelf!

Marvel: The Hip-Hop Covers Book Series (Volumes 1 & 2) can be purchased on Amazon.com

(Question: Why do these comics end in #1? Answer: Because in 2015, Marvel was in the middle of a battle called Secret Wars which ended the reboot of the entire universe.)

Black Panther hits theaters Friday, February 16. Revisit the official trailer and movie poster here.