An impressive new example of how Canadian R&B musician the Weeknd is using film, the subculture of vinyl and the legacy of American graphic artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to promote himself
Art journal reports that Basquiat’s early graphic work will grace the cover of the upcoming collector’s edition of the Hurry Up Tomorrow album. Like all of the Weeknd’s projects, the Canadian alternative R&B singer’s upcoming album promises a full immersion in a new aesthetic, according to ArtNet’s Arts & Pop Culture Editor Min Chen.
The album’s first three singles showcase continued genre experimentation, and its release comes in support of the movie Hurry Up Tomorrow. Now musician The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) has also revealed a special collector’s edition of the album, which features artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat on the cover.
And this is no ordinary Basquiat, this is an early graphic created when the artist was still a teenager. We see a group of faceless people, collectively referred to as “Working Class Heroes,” gathered in front of a simple cityscape, with conventional structures labeled “unfinished building.” Above them hovers another figure clutching a balloon, with the replica “Ho-Hum”. The entire work is hand-titled “Upon Leaving the ‘Norm'”.
The drawing is borrowed from the 17-year-old Basquiat’s sketchbook. It was rarely exhibited until Artestar arranged for Tesfaye to use the artist’s work. Revealing the cover on Instagram, the musician pointed out the privileged right to publish his graphics.
The Weeknd in Hollywood, California, in 2022. Photo: Shutterstock.
Aesthetically, the artwork subtly references House of Balloons (2011) by The Weeknd, his debut mixtape, which featured balloons on the cover. More broadly, it echoes an admiration for Basquiat – recall that the musician created his recognizable hairstyle inspired by Basquiat’s unique curls.
The limited edition of Weeknd Hurry Up Tomorrow will include vinyl and CD covers with Basquiat’s image, as well as merchandise. This will continue the practice of special editions of previous albums that included designs by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama and comic book legend Frank Miller.
The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow (2024) special collector’s edition. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. License Artestar, New York.
This is certainly not Basquiat’s first appearance on an album cover. The most famous example dates back to 1983, when he created the cover for “Beat Bop”, a track by Rammellzee and K-Rob, in the recording of which Basquiat himself reportedly participated as a musician. Only 500 copies of this release were made, and in 2020, a sealed copy of it went under the hammer for $126,000 at a Sotheby’s auction.
In 1984, Basquiat designed the cover artwork for the first and only record by San Francisco punk band The Offs. He received $500 for the work, characterized by his abstract minimalist style. Decades later, his Bird on Money (1981), a striking tribute to Charlie Parker now in the Rubell Museum in Florida, was featured on the cover of the 2020 album The New Abnormal by the American indie rock band Strokes.
Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo: Rose Hartman/Getty Images.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an American artist who had a significant influence on modern art. In particular, he was largely responsible for making street graffiti a full-fledged (and commercially successful) genre. His patron and mentor was a famous American artist of Ukrainian origin, the creator of pop art Andy Worgol. In 2023, his work El Gran Espectaculo (Neil) was auctioned by Christie’s for 67.1 million dollars, and Sotheby’s sold his workSelf-Portrait as a Heel (Part Two) for 42 million dollars.
More about Jean-Michel Basquiat and his role in the world’s fine arts by Oleg-Bogdan Gorobchuk, author of the Youtube channel “Kulturtrigger”.