NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : misha b - here's to everything

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : cassie - all gold, all girls (remix) (ft. trina & lola monroe)

The next single from her up coming 'Rock-A-Bye Baby' mixtape, Cassie keeps it golded out errythang...

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : iggy azalea - whatchu lookin at

Loving how 90s the song title is, hating how generic the cover is.

! updated ! NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : cassie - balcony (ft. young jeezy)

So, Ms. Ventura has decided to update the artwork for latest release 'Balcony' - from this to the just-as-buzz-single-looking cover below - this time the design has separated the "NY" of "Balcony", in a way of linking in the song's theme...sex on a balcony in the middle of New York. Well done everyone involved, graphic design at it's best...

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : t-pain - don't you quit

Pain takes it back to the days of 8-bit with his artwork for first single 'Don't You Quit', off up coming mixtape 'Stoic'.

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : cassie - balcony (ft. young jeezy)

Cass is readying the release of mixtape 'Rock-a-Bye' and the first promo single is the Drake-esque (and Rico Love penned) 'Balcony'. The artwork doesn't give too much of an indication of the mixtape's visual direction - but with a song sounding this good, I'm not too worried :)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : shanell - these hoes is winnin' (ft. too short)

Amazing title, awful artwork. The type looks like an overhead sign for a cheap nightclub, placed on top of the Olympics-related image makes me feel queasy...trying to cram the song's message into a poorly executed design :/

CHECK OUT : christina lu designs for azealia banks

As you know, I have been posting all the illustrated artworks from Azealia Banks' release 'Fantasea' - covers for all the awesome singles 'Jumanji', 'Aquababe', 'Nathan' and 'Neptune', as well as the housing mixtape. After a little digging I discovered that the talented illustrator/designer behind the visuals is a New York-based artist named Christina Lu. On her Behance page there is an extensive portfolio of her work (including everything she has done for Ms. Banks and more), but choosing to not simply post the final images, Lu has put together .GIFs of the process her designs have gone through from initial sketches to final artwork. Check out one for the 'Fantasea' mixtape cover:

Fudging awesome, right?! Looking deeper into her other designs, you can see what the single artworks were originally going to look like too. Such as 'Jumanji' - which ended up having a fancily-dressed Azealia dancing with an Elephant - but initially the design was more abstract. Check it out:

Also, this early drawing for the layout of the 'Neptune' cover shows that a sort of mermaid kingdom was going to be included, but was taken out in the final artwork.

Loving all the early layouts for type as well, showing the consideration that went into these pieces even though they are all for online distribution (the mixtape hasn't been physically released) and - in some people's eyes - are "just" illustrations. It definitely shows the creativity and design that is needed to create something interesting and pleasing for the eye. Make sure you go over to Christina's page (click here) to see all of the .GIFs and her other pieces, this is definitely someone to watch and simonsez will be keeping his eyes peeled for sure :)

(Source: www.behance.net/cplu)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : iggy azalea - flash (ft. mike posner)

So Iggs has released the first single artwork from her 'Glory' mixtape era and it is eerily fierce! In the original artwork (check it out here), she appeared to be getting sexy with some lace and a wind machine - but the shot used for the single shows that the shoot was actually taken underwater and you can never go wrong with getting wet'n'wild on a cover! Snaps iggy...so many snaps that I'll let the ugly type used for "feat. Mike Posner" pass...

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : shanell - just for the night

The underrated diva from the Young Money fam is about to release her next mixtape 'Nobody's Bitch' - starting off the campaign with single 'Just For The Night' and she is taking it into a completely new direction! It is amazing (surriously, check it).

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : azealia banks - neptune (ft. shystie)

Another delightful Christina Lu-illustrated cover has emerged for another song from the 'Fantasea' mixtape. Yum, yes and yum again!

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : azealia banks - nathan (ft. styles p)

The next illustrated artwork for Azzy's latest single (from up coming mixtape 'The Fantasea').

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : azealia banks - aquababe

This will be the second single from her upcoming 'Fantasea' mixtape - Ms. Banks is keeping up the cartoon artwork (just like the cover for first single 'Jumanji') theme and I'm loving the "black Ariel" thing going on (move over "black Barbie"...)

NEW SINGLE ARTWORK : azealia banks - jumanji

azzy be serving us spoonfuls of babar the elephant realness with the first leak from her forthcoming 'fantastic' mixtape. i can't put my finger on this girl's visuals...do i like them? are the ironic like m.i.a's? i want to see what her eventual '1991' album looks like...maybe that will answer some questions...