Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1977 painting will adorn the cover of a special collector’s edition of The Weeknd’s upcoming album, Hurry up tomorrow.
The cover artwork, taken from Basquiat’s teenage sketchbooks, depicts a group of figures standing in front of a simple cityscape. The figures, complete with the text “Working Class Hero,” stand beneath another figure floating with balloons and bubbles that read “Ho-Hum.” the title of the work, After leaving “normal” (1977), written in the upper right corner of the page.
The album cover subtly pays homage to The Weeknd’s debut mixtape. balloon housewhich also uses the image of a balloon, a symbol of his mainstream recognition. The pairing highlights The Weeknd’s long-standing admiration for Basquiat, who has influenced his music and style, particularly the musician’s hair.
The limited edition will include a series of vinyl and CD covers featuring Basquiat’s artwork. Hurry up tomorrow It’s set to be released in January 2025, along with a movie starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. In November, The Weeknd released two additional limited editions of his upcoming album, with covers created by comic book artist Frank Miller and Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama.
Basquiat created cover art for several musicians. Perhaps most notable was his work on the 1983 single beat pop music Author: Rammellzee and K-Rob. In 2020, one of the 500 records sold at Sotheby’s for $126,000. Basquiat also appeared on the cover of San Francisco punk band The Offs’ only 1984 album. Most recently, The Strokes included works by Basquiat bird on money (1981) – the original currently on display at the Rubell Museum in Miami – their 2020 album New exception.
Basquiat, who died in 1988, has works that appear in a variety of creative fields. In June, for example, H&M launched a new clothing line in partnership with the artist’s legacy and luxury streetwear brand Who Decides War. The collaboration was inspired by the 2022 exhibition “King Pleasure” at the Basquiat Estate in Los Angeles, which featured 200 rare works by the artist.
