10 African Records That Could Have Been Contenders for the Grammys’ New ‘Best Album Cover’ Category

Visual coherence is an important element of any project, more so in music. It’s always been essential for music projects to have compelling visuals that go alongside them. From how artists dress to their music videos and stage designs, everything is intended to tie back to the quality of the music, boosting its merit as an artistic work.

Across the different eras of music, apart from the songs themselves, album covers have transcended into popular culture the most. The reasons for this are plenty, but primarily it is the accessibility of covers — it’s the first thing a person sees when they look at a physical music product like vinyl records and CDs. Even as consumption patterns have evolved into streaming, album art has been no less important, a fact the Recording Academy recently affirmed.

The organizers of The Grammys have announced some new categories, of which one will be for Best Album Cover of the year. Sparked by that announcement, in an act of imagination and preservation, OkayAfrica is presenting several African album artworks that we think would have won such an award, if it had existed back then.

The continent has a rich supply of artistic traditions, and these have influenced many album artworks in one way or the other. Here are 10 covers that combine these homegrown traditions with aligning ideas from elsewhere, creating a rich tapestry of influences that, along with the music, have contributed greatly to the overall trajectory of global Black art and expression.

Fela Kuti – ‘Original Suffer Head’ (1981)

Photo by Fela Kuti

Fela Kuti’s ‘Original Suffer Head’ album cover, painted by Lemi Ghariowku.

The coversLemi Ghariokwudesigned forFela Kuti visualized the spiritual essence of Kuti’s music. On the cover of Original Suffer Head, the musician’s critical stance gets a riveting series of images that propels it into the sphere of the mystical. An imposing masquerade with the Benin brass head holds a pulley on which the society’s problems are balanced, while a crowd of people suffer underneath with zombie-like complicity, rendered in the brilliant, chaotic style of Ghariokwu. It’s a vivid demonstration of Fela’s ability to singularize the many, and it speaks to both their genius that, in their time, this wasn’t even considered one of their best artworks.

A-Reece – ‘Today’s Tragedy, Tomorrow’s Memory’ (2021)

Photo by A-Reece

The cover artwork for South African rapper A-Reece’s ‘Today’s Tragedy, Tomorrow’s Memory. ‘

Every word A-Reece raps has the resonant quality of a Basquiat artwork. Incisive, far-ranging, and with masterful execution that doesn’t distill its humanity, the South African MC has built his steely reputation off his traits. On Today’s Tragedy, Reece’s preference for album art evolves beyond his early tapes, which mostly depicted his face. Rather, this cover has three faces, and although they’re inhuman, there’s a vast terrain of emotions they share between them. Relating excitement, despair, and the in-betweens, it is impressively colored and vividly expressed.

Thandiswa – ‘Ibokwe’ (2009)

Photo by Thandiswa

Thandiswa’s sci-fi influenced cover artwork for Ibokwe.

In the 2000s, few African musicians were making music as experimental as Thandiswa. She blended perspective and performance, making her a heralded name in the South African music scene and beyond. The succinct offering that was Ibokwe had a great cover going for it as well, which is always the case when the art rises up to the quality of the music. Here we have a sci-fi influenced work, which depicts Thandiswa as a woman leader, rising with the force of crowd activity but not limited by it. With bright, impressive colors swirling from her hair and around her presence, the depictions of people under her bring a balancing effect.

The Cavemen – ‘ROOTS’ (2020)

Photo by The Cavemen

The highlife sound of Nigerian duo The Cavemen gets the perfect representation with the green-hued cover artwork of ROOTS.’

The green hue covering the entire artwork of The Cavemen’s ROOTS reveals the project’s nature-driven philosophy. Now considered a classic, the album’s aesthetic richness is primarily derived from the cover, which sort of instructs the listener on the world they’re about to enter, set in an Igbo settlement, and boasting Nigeria’s most vegetative lands. That greenery represents the geographical fact, but also rises as a metaphor for life, with the dancing community reflecting that ethos. It’s a simple premise but deeply riveting, especially when one cues in the social reality of the Nigeria-Biafra war, an event that influenced the rise of Igbo highlife.

Angélique Kidjo – ‘EVE’ (2014)

Photo by Angélique Kidjo

Beninese icon Angélique Kidjo’s bold cover design for ‘EVE.’

If we’re talking about Angélique Kidjo’s most iconic cover, that belongs arguably to the zebra-designed jumpsuit she wore on Logozo (1991), a work that ostensibly broadened the possibilities for African artists, showing they could be anything they wanted. But EVE has a peculiar achievement to its composition — it captures Kidjo in complete exhilaration, emboldened by the women’s stories she expressed on the project. One sees that feeling in the bold outline of the singer against the white background, arms outstretched, face tilted to the sky. The red and black font gives a Broadway effect to the artwork, suggesting that this woman would become a star in any world, any era.

Seyi Vibez – ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ (2023)

Photo by Seyi Vibez

There’s a stellar use of light in Seyi Vibez’ cover for ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’

The manipulation of light is one of the most important exercises in visual production. Whether it’s drawing or photography, the artist must intentionally curate light and darkness, and that’s a winning element of the cover of Thy Kingdom Come. During his early career arc, Seyi Vibez’s lyricism reflected a street poet’s wisdom, but his presentation was ostensibly high art, revealing the shared sensibilities between different levels of perception. His frame pensive and silhouetted against the insides of a church, with baroque windows and pews subtly revealed, there’s a strong sense of suggestion that moves the viewer of the artwork.

The Lijadu Sisters – ‘Horizon Unlimited’ (1979)

Photo by Lijadu Sisters

Lijadu Sisters’ cover artwork for 1979’s ‘Horizon Unlimited.’

The road is a recurring motif in African expression. From myths to contemporary tales, to novels like Ben Okri’s The Famished Road, there’s been no shortage of artists who’ve turned the road into the scene of exploration. But few have done it as poignantly as the pioneering twin group, Lijadu Sisters. On the cover of Horizon Unlimited, their faces are placed above a road, giving them the omniscient perspective of narrators and, somewhat mystically, road spirits. Evoking the thrill and danger of road trips, the cover carries a rich vein of the Nigerian experience, with the music amplifying those qualities.

Hugh Masekela – ‘Trumpet Africaine’ (1962)

Photo by Hugh Masekela

Hugh Masekela’s striking cover for ‘Trumpet Africaine.’

On his debut album, Hugh Masekela centralized the trumpet, an instrument he’d arguably become one of its best-ever players. In contrast to the masterful exuberance of his notes, the cover of Trumpet Africaine has a relatively simple premise: the artist playing the trumpet. But in true arthouse style, the image is reflected in four other frames, placed on the artwork’s left side. With their unique colors, ranging from purple to green, the cover becomes an implicit showcase of the instrument’s ability to mean different things, but even with that range, the most powerful detail is the upward gaze of the trumpeter, a stirring image of soul.

Lady Donli – ‘Enjoy Your Life’ (2019)

Photo by Lady Donli

The cover of Lady Donli’s ‘Enjoy Your Life’ sees the singer-songwriter reflected in a colorful retro setting

The brilliance of this cover comes from its minimalist composition. Along with the centrally placed Lady Donli, there’s only a retro television and a calabash, with both items reflecting the vintage ideals of Enjoy Your Life. The alté scene was influential for its usage of old Nollywood’s Y2K era, although Donli had a peculiar touch to her application. That touch is mostly feminist, but also humanist, with everything from the pink-hued set design to the dove she holds in her hands demonstrating a deep love for life. The rustic feel of the music only amplifies the aesthetics.

Sauti Sol – ‘Afrikan Sauce’ (2019)

Photo by Sauti Sol

The cover of Sauti Sol’s ‘Afrikan Sauce’ showcases a techno-inspired side of Kenyan motifs and expression

The first thing one notices about the cover of Sauti Sol’s Afrikan Sauce is its undeniable Kenyan quality. From the sunset-coated hues to the desert behind, we’re placed in the humid conditions of East Africa. That alignment manifests in the aura of the sole figure on the cover, whose outfit is a flowing boubou complete with several glittering ornaments, and a guitar in both hands. The entire head region is replaced by a gold radio, an unmistakable metaphor for music and connectivity. With the album’s seminal reputation coming from its collaborative range, the choices on its cover are its first step towards connecting the world to Africa.