Nicki minaj autobiography cd cover 2014

Inspiration can be found anywhere; for Joe Perez, the Los Angeles-based graphic artist who also serves as art director for Kanye West's creative agency DONDA, the creative lightning bolt most recently struck in the cosmetics aisle. "Makeup is commercial—it's materialism," he stated during a phone conversation earlier this week, while discussing his work that adorns the deluxe edition of Nicki Minaj's heavily anticipated new album, The Pinkprint.

"It's a product that has great texture and is great to play around with." After Minaj's team approached Perez's studio to draw up a few ideas for The Pinkprint's cover, he and his team hit the department store, gripped varying shades of lipstick and eye makeup, and forged the Sephora-fingerprinted dark pink smudge that impressionistically sits at the image's center.

"Each brand gives off different textures, like they had magical little potions inside—you never know what you're gonna get."

When FADER spoke with Pusha T last year abou The Inside Story Behind Nicki Minaj’s Album Art | The FADER JAP