When you first see an album, note: SEE an album, what do you notice first? The artwork. Even when it’s a CD, or a tape (omfg what’s that?), you notice the artwork. The first version I saw of Jay-Z’s newest work The Blueprint 3? Vinyl. Glorious, 12″ by 12″ of pure amazing fantastic artwork. And The Blueprint III does not disappoint. It has a scrumtrilescent arrangement of instruments that Z says “reminds the the audience that it all comes down to the basics of music, the instruments, which have very recently been forgotten.”

I looked for the artist of this work for weeks, and I found him. Here he is.

Dan

Tobin

Smith

That’s the man. Look below for the unbelievable set of white and red tools of the trade he constructed to make a new classic album cover. A legend in an instant. (Did you know that Jay-Z now has more platinum records than Elvis? Awesome! Elvis was racist and didn’t write his own songs, I’ll tell him where he can stick that blue suede shoe.) So. One time construction. Not sure if it’s still standing now, used for the album cover. Excitement.

Jay Z Blueprint 3.
Constructed July 2009, released September 2009 via Blueprint 3.
Set Design: Nicola Yeoman
Art Direction: Greg Burke
Retouching: Martin Pryor
Photography: Dan Tobin Smith

A bunch more of Smith’s works have been hand-picked and placed below also, so that you might have an excellent view of his fantasticism. Hire him, too! I want him to stay in business for a long time.

BONUS here’s a new video of the construction!