An early Basquiat on the cover for The Weeknd’s next album

A drawing made by Jean-Michel Basquiat when he was a teenager has been chosen as the cover of the collector’s edition of The Weeknd’s album “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, released at the end of January 2025.
The first three singles from the album were released by the Canadian musician, real name Abel Tesfaye, who chose Basquiat’s work depicting many figures collectively referred to as “working class heroes”, gathered in front of a rudimentary cityscape with some buildings marked “unfinished building”. Above them hovers another figure holding a balloon, and the work is titled “Upon Leaving the ‘Norm'”.
The drawing comes from a sketchbook Basquiat created when the artist was 17. It was rarely seen until licensing company Artestar contacted Tesfaye. Unveiling the cover on Instagram, the musician mentioned the “privilege” of featuring the project. This edition follows the record’s other specials, featuring artwork by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama and comics legend Frank Miller.

Other music covers with works by Basquiat

It’s not the first time a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat has appeared on a record cover. In 1983, the artist created the cover for “Beat Bop”, composed by Rammellzee and K-Rob, on which Basquiat himself collaborated. Only 500 copies of the original record were produced, and a sealed copy sold for $126,000 at Sotheby’s in 2020.
In 1984, Basquiat designed the cover art for the first record by San Francisco punk band The Offs (the group’s only record). He was paid $500 for his work. Decades later, the artist’s “Bird on Money” (1981), his homage to Charlie Parker, which is currently housed at the Rubell Museum in Florida, was used on the cover of the Strokes’ 2020 album “The New Abnormal”.