10. Set the Bar for Album Cover Art - Complex. The Illmatic cover is Nas's head as a child superimposed over project buildings. His cover idea has been copied multiple times. Take album covers from Ready to Die, Tha Carter III, Good Kid, and M.AA.d City to name a few. Part of the reason the album cover has received high praise is for the visual nuance and meaning that matches the mood and tone of Ilmatic's introspective nature.
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