Today we reported footage of Lil Wayne dissing his successor Young Thug at a Jackson, Miss., tour stop, telling his concert crowd to "stop listening to songs of niggas who pose naked on their motherfucking album covers" in reference to the cover art for Thugger's Carter 6. While Weezy's got plenty of legit reasons to resent Young Thug's ascendant trolling, it's hardly fair for Wayne to discount the rich legacies of male rappers, singers, and rockers who've posed nude for albums that are, in fact, excellent records that everyone should hear. In tribute to these artists—and in their defense—here are 5 Great Albums With Men Posing Naked on the Covers.
Prince, Lovesexy
Released: May 10, 1988
Mind you, Prince posed nude for the cover of his eponymous 1979 album, too, but Lovesexy is the superior, more revealing photo shoot, with Prince looking like he bathes in pollen and April showers. I get delirious.
Nirvana, Nevermind
Seal, Seal
Released: May 23, 1994
"Kiss From a Rose" sounds like a love song composed by Game Of Thrones characters, but the '80s ladies love it, so Weezy better reconsider any implicit dissing of the ebony gawd Seal's banner record and the album whence it came.
Trey Songz, Ready
Released: Aug. 31, 2009
One of the best R&B albums of the century so far. Fuck Channel Orange. A playful lover's tantric playlist featuring Drake, Gucci Mane, and Soulja Boy. Is Wayne gonna front like he hasn't fucked to Ready?
Mac Miller, Watching Movies With the Sound Off
Released: June 14, 2013
I imagine that Mac Miller told the photographer, "Draw me like one of your French girls," and here's what we got—nudity as art to rival any given Donda cover. Watching Movies With the Sound Off was a creative milestone for Mac, and you should enjoy it regardless of Lil Wayne's concerns about the music of naked men.
