Tha Carter II

Lil Wayne sits shirtless on the front of a luxury car on the cover of Tha Carter II, in a crisp black-and-white photograph, his tattoos on show, with the title written in elegant script at the top.

Released in December 2005, a few months after Hurricane Katrina devastated his home city of New Orleans, Tha Carter II marked the start of Wayne's claim to be "the best rapper alive." Songs like "Fireman" and "Hustler Musik" showed a sharper, more inventive rapper, and his run of mixtapes in the years that followed made him the most influential voice in rap.

The relaxed, regal pose fits the album's swagger. The black-and-white photo gave a classic look to a rapper who had grown up on Cash Money as a teenager, and the cover marked his move from child star to king of the label.