This project was a complete redesign of the album cover for the Barter 6 by rapper Young Thug. The original artwork is dark and scary looking, which matches the mood of the album really well. I wanted to capture that same feeling while giving it more character and adding elements that told a story and gave it more depth..

​

This was Young Thug's debut commercial album and he came out big. You could tell that although his career was just beginning to take off, there was a special talent growing here. The shadow behind him is meant to represent this talent, like a dark force that came alive in his music.

 

At the same time I saw it as almost like an alter ego. It personifies the theme that although there are a lot of great things that come with being a famous rap star, there are inherently some pretty negative things that come with it as well. As Young Thug grows in popularity as an artist, the shadow that he casts grows to the point that it is too powerful and starts to consume him, as fame does for a lot of artists. The way the shadow's arm wraps around him is so devious, and you can tell by Thug's reaction and expression that he's not comfortable with the path its taking him.

​

For my Gorillaz fans, I'll compare it to Russel and Del Tha Ghost Rapper. Del lives inside Russel and comes out to rap on tracks like Clint Eastwood. "Finally, someone let me out of my cage!"