Cover textual analysis

Denotation – From this front cover we can see Kendrick Lamar in the foreground and Dr.Dre standing tall behind him.

Connotation – In more detail, we can see Kendrick in the spotlight of the cover, with Dr.Dre standing behind him as his shadow so to say. Both artists have a strict serious facial expression indicating they are professionals in the industry. Dre is wearing what appears to be black pants and a black long sleeve t-shirt while Kendrick seems to be a wearing a silk jacket with polka-dot sleeves and a throne like pattern on the main part with a hood on his head. 

There seems to be only one font on the cover, seeing as this is the 15^th anniversary of XXL keeping one font would make this magazine more special and unique to itself. The cover lines are all related to hip-hop/rap in some way or another, the two artists on the front are both rap artists which connote all the cover lines surrounding, this helps to attract a more specific audience. ‘KENDRICK LAMAR’ is in a large, red, bold font headlined by a short sentence above it in the black text, the build up to Kendrick’s name is effective as it establishes the main feature in the magazine, and Dr.Dre is also in a larger font to gain attention to both artists on the page. The ‘Special Collector’s Edition’ above the 15 year anniversary headline is effective because it establishes this is a coveted magazine and should be treated as such.