Kanye West Yeezus James Franco Artwork PHOTO: Actor Designed Album Cover Inspired by Short Film Rapper Wanted Him In
As part of Kanye West's promotion of his new LP Yeezus, the rapper requested that artists "please add graffiti" to the album's cover art and GQ magazine adhered to the rapper's wishes by enlisting James Franco.
The posters for Yeezus were posted in U.S. cities back in mid-June with the "please add graffiti" request. The men's lifestyle magazine mailed the poster to several of its favorite artists -- ESPO, Curtis Kulig, Wil Fry, Mister Cartoon and the aforementioned James Franco --and asked that they add their own artistic flare to Yeezus' cover art. They posted the artists' designs on their website on Wednesday.
Franco is regarded as somewhat of a renaissance man for his interests outside of Hollywood, including writing, teaching and painting. The actor showed off his sketching prowess by adding an American Psycho-themed collage to the Yeezus cover. The design featured West sporting goggles with a picture of his girlfriend Kim Kardashian next to him as well as the actor Christian Bale, who starred in the 2000 adaptation of the film.
See Franco's design here.
Franco told the magazine that he choose the American Psycho theme because West approached the actor about starring in the rapper's short film version of the psychological thriller. Franco wasn't able to oblige at the time and West cast Scott Disick instead.
"I was asked to get axed in an American Psycho-themed commercial for Kanye, but instead of getting cut up, I made a cut-up American Psycho piece for him," Franco said about the idea behind his artwork.
The two-minute short film was projected on the wall outside Los Angeles' Milk Studios during a listening session for Yeezus back in mid-June. The horror flick featured an ax-wielding Disick in the role of the deranged Patrick Bateman. Kim Kardashian's friend, Jonathan Cheban, also made an appearance as a victim who Disick hacks to death with an axe.
