From Run-D.M.C. in ’86 to Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Young Thug, Cardi B, and today’s other biggest stars
HIP-HOP WAS BORN IN THE Bronx in the summer of 1973. To celebrate the music’s 50th anniversary, “Rolling Stone” will be publishing a series of features, historical pieces, op-eds, and lists throughout this year.
Rolling Stone has covered the biggest and best artists in hip-hop for decades, tracing the evolution of a vital art form from Run-D.M.C. in the Eighties all the way up to Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Young Thug, Cardi B, and today’s other top stars. Here are 50 Rolling Stone covers that show how far hip-hop has come.
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Run-D.M.C.
Image Credit: Moshe Brakha for Rolling Stone Run-D.M.C. were the first rap artists to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, in the Dec. 4, 1986 issue.
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MC Hammer
Image Credit: Frank W. Ockenfels for Rolling Stone Stop! Hammer time. The chart-topping sensation hit the cover of RS in 1990.
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Ice T
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone Ice T was the subject of huge national controversy when he appeared on Rolling Stone‘s cover in 1992. No less than the president of the United States was bashing his heavy-metal song “Cop Killer” — and Ice T had a lot to say in response. This cover can be found in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
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Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone Dr. Dre and his new protégé Snoop Dogg — or Snoop Doggy Dogg, as he was known then — graced the cover in 1993.
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Beastie Boys
Image Credit: Mathew Rolston for Rolling Stone The Beastie Boys got their first RS cover in 1994, as they released Ill Communication and headlined Lollapalooza.
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Fugees
Image Credit: Mathew Rolston for Rolling Stone “Are the Fugees the future of rock & roll?” asked this cover in 1996, as The Score made Wyclef, Lauryn, and Pras into superstars.
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Tupac Shakur
Image Credit: Danny Clinch for Rolling Stone Tupac’s tragic death in the fall of 1996 was marked by this memorial cover of Rolling Stone.
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Puff Daddy
Image Credit: Mathew Rolston for Rolling Stone Diddy was anointed “the new king of hip-hop” on this August 1997 cover.
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RZA and Zack de la Rocha
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone A co-headline tour by Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan was the occasion for this dual cover in the fall of 1997, with two cover stories to match.
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Salt-N-Pepa
Image Credit: Peggy Sirota for Rolling Stone Salt-N-Pepa landed on the cover in 1997 for their album Brand New.
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Beastie Boys
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock pulled off another brilliant reinvention with 1998’s Hello Nasty, winning them their second cover.
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Lauryn Hill
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone At her peak as a solo artist after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she starred on this January 1999 cover.
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Eminem
Image Credit: David LaChappelle for Rolling Stone Slim Shady scored his first Rolling Stone cover in the spring of 1999.
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DMX
Image Credit: Albert Watson for Rolling Stone In the middle of an incredible run of hit albums — It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, Flesh of My Flesh…Blood of My Blood, …And Then There Was X — he sat down for a revealing interview about his often painful past.
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Eminem
Image Credit: Jeff Riedel for Rolling Stone In the summer of 2002, Eminem returned to the cover for an in-depth Rolling Stone Interview.
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50 Cent
Image Credit: Albert Watson for Rolling Stone Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was a phenomenon in 2003, when 50 Cent appeared on the cover for the first time.
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OutKast
Image Credit: Andrew MacPherson for Rolling Stone At the peak of their commercial success with “Hey Ya!,” and after years of wildly visionary music, the ATLiens graced the cover.
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Eminem
Image Credit: Norman Jean Roy for Rolling Stone A newly serious Eminem returned to the cover for another Rolling Stone Interview.
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Jay-Z
Image Credit: Albert Watson for Rolling Stone Jay-Z was in executive mode as the president of Def Jam when he appeared on the cover in 2005.
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Kanye West
Image Credit: David LaChapelle for Rolling Stone In February 2006, as Ye cleaned up at the Grammys with Late Registration, Rolling Stone told his story. The cover, shot by David LaChappelle, was controversial and iconic.
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Snoop Dogg
Image Credit: Matthew Rolston for Rolling Stone Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! Snoop Dogg sparked up a candy cane for a Christmas ’06 cover.
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50 Cent vs. Kanye West
Image Credit: Albert Watson for Rolling Stone When Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis were scheduled for the same release date — Sept. 11, 2007 — it was the event of the year. The two stars faced off on the cover of RS.
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Jay-Z
Image Credit: Matthew Rolston for Rolling Stone Jay-Z couldn’t leave rap alone. By 2007, after a brief retirement, he was back to making records like American Gangster, and he returned to the cover for an in-depth interview.
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Lil Wayne
Image Credit: Peter Yang for Rolling Stone In 2009, as Lil Wayne prepared to release his rock album, Rebirth, he put on a fedora and appeared on his first RS cover.
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Eminem
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone Eminem came clean about his battle with addiction and discussed his comeback album, Recovery, in 2011.
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Lil Wayne
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone After spending 242 days in New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail on a gun charge, Lil Wayne was free again — and Rolling Stone was there to document the moment he got out.
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Wiz Khalifa
Image Credit: Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone Wiz Khalifa, “hip-hop’s rookie of the year,” starred on a special back cover of Rolling Stone in 2011.
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Rick Ross
Image Credit: Terry Richardson for Rolling Stone “Meet the New Boss”: Rick Ross was on top of it all in 2012.
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Pitbull
Image Credit: Kenneth Cappello The Miami-born superstar partied in Brazil and detailed his strategy for global success in a back-cover story published in Spanish and English in 2012.
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The Notorious B.I.G.
Image Credit: Barron Claiborne Biggie Smalls appeared on one of four covers when Rolling Stone crowned the 50 greatest hip-hop songs of all time.
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Tupac Shakur
Image Credit: Chi Modu Tupac appeared on another of the special covers for the same issue.
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Macklemore
Image Credit: Peter Yang for Rolling Stone With “Thrift Shop” on top of the charts in 2013, Macklemore told his story, from stoned underground MC to sober superstar.
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Nicki Minaj
Image Credit: Terry Richardson for Rolling Stone Newly crowned queen Nicki Minaj starred on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2015.
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Kendrick Lamar
Image Credit: Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone Kendrick celebrated his triumph with To Pimp a Butterfly by appearing on his first Rolling Stone cover.
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Dr. Dre and Ice Cube
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone With Straight Outta Compton in theaters, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube reunited on the cover of RS.
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Future
Image Credit: Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone At the height of a remarkable creative streak — “five mixtapes, two full-fledged solo albums, plus What a Time to Be Alive, his smash collaborative album with Drake” — Future hit the cover in 2016.
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Kendrick Lamar
Image Credit: Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone Kendrick was back on the cover in 2017 for a deep, candid Rolling Stone Interview.
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Cardi B
Image Credit: Justice Apple for Rolling Stone Cardi B starred on the cover of Rolling Stone‘s Hot Issue in 2017, the year that “Bodak Yellow” made her a household name.
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Migos
Image Credit: Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone Offset, Quavo, and the late, great Takeoff lit up on Rolling Stone‘s cover in 2018.
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Cardi B and Offset
Image Credit: Ruvén Afanador for Rolling Stone Cardi and Offset returned to the cover — this time together — when Rolling Stone relaunched in a brand-new monthly format in 2018.
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Travis Scott
Image Credit: Dana Scruggs for Rolling Stone Travis Scott went full “Sicko Mode” with this cover story in 2018
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Lil Baby
Image Credit: Diwang Valdez for Rolling Stone In 2020, Lil Baby captured the attention of millions with his urgent song “The Bigger Picture” — and made it to the cover of RS.
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Future and Roddy Ricch
Image Credit: Mason Poole for Rolling Stone The two hitmakers teamed up for a Musicians on Musicians digital cover in 2020.
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Young Thug
Image Credit: Jackie Nickerson for Rolling Stone Young Thug’s generosity and artistic vision were on full display in this 2021 digital cover story.
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Polo G
Image Credit: Diwang Valdez for Rolling Stone The Chicago star and his young son starred on the cover of a special issue previewing the 2022 Grammy Awards.
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Doja Cat
Image Credit: Kany
