Because he did.
Nicki revealed the cover on Instagram, an image of a fingerprint smeared into pink makeup. The caption: “This is actually the #Deluxe cover. I’ll post the standard cover at a later date. #ThePinkprintAlbumCover thank u to the Kanye West team.”
The “Kanye West team” likely refers to DONDA, his creative imprint (aka group of guys he works with) that’s so far designed artwork for Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz. (I wrote about them here.) They specialize in simple shit that’s meant to be provocative.
Does this Pinkprint cover symbolize the duality of beauty and personal identity? Is it a commentary on the makeup industry? Does it represent her return to rap basics? Who knows. One thing is for sure: it exists. And it’s cool, but I’m assuming the standard version will have Nicki’s face on it. I can’t imagine her not offering that option.
Nicki retweeted this zealous fan who pulls deeper meaning from it:
(H/T: Nah Right)
Image via Nicki Minaj/Instagram