Sensationalist or coward? ... Nas has backtracked over his ninth album title
For some time Nas's forthcoming ninth album has looked in danger of becoming a talking point for all the wrong reasons. First, he announced it was to be called "Nigger", raising accusations of sensationalism on the part of the 34-year-old rapper. Then he announced he had ditched the term, effectively leaving the title blank, which raised accusations of cowardice. Now, finally, the artwork for the album has been released; it features a close-up of the rapper's back with the letter N whipped into it.
Nas claims this image "says 'nigger' out loud" and, if so, it's not the first time an album cover has been designed with the deliberate intention to shock. Slayer opted for a nail-studded bible to drive home the message behind their 2001 album God Hates Us All. Aphex Twin caused twitches of shame and confusion in young men everywhere with his 1999 album Windowlicker and James' recent album Hey Ma featured a baby sitting next to a gun. And the list goes on, no doubt directly below this article.
The difference is that none of these artists had to make allowances to produce their supposedly controversial images, as Nas has had to do in abandoning his original choice of title. Despite his assertion in an official statement that "the people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it", Nas had already admitted defeat when, in a previous interview with MTV, he said that the potential damage the original name might wreak on album sales was enough to make him reconsider. "Everybody is trying to stop the title," he said. "Record stores are gonna have a problem in this day and time selling a record with that title."
So has Nas struck the right balance with this new sleeve? And which other album sleeves have caused you to spin around in the store and crash into a promotional stand of Celine Dion CDs?
