Classic album covers recreated for ESPN Music Issue

ESPN have outdone themselves, as they gathered together 14 athletes to recreate some of the most iconic album covers, for their annual Music Issue.

Olympic Gold Medal Sprinter Allyson Felix as “Dangerously In Love” Beyonce.

Sports and music mixed together

Who said that sports and music have nothing in common? What may seem like two completely different worlds, music and sports have always had a connection. Whether it’s about artists being invited to perform at games, or players doing dance moves on certain songs (like Ray Lewis and his squirrel dance on Nelly’s “Hot in Here” ), these two go together better than one might think. And ESPN definitely knew how to put this into perspective.

For the Music Issue of their magazine, ESPN co-opted entertainment photographer Matthias Clamer to revive some of the most iconic album covers, with the participation of 14 successful athletes. Known for creating a strong relationship with his subjects and for giving it all in his photographs, Clamer managed to create spectacularly accurate versions of the famous record covers.

The artist within each athlete

This is how some of today’s most appreciated sportsmen appeared in the photo series for ESPN: out of their sports equipments and into their music icon suits. Except for swimmer Ryan Lochte, who had to hold on to his Speedo in recreating Nirvana’s 1991 album cover Nevermind, the famous image featuring a baby reaching for a dollar bill while being underwater.

Swimmer Ryan Lochte as the baby on Nirvana’s 1991 record cover, “Nevermind”

Out of the 14 athletes, Lochte was probably the least out of his comfort zone, given that he spends at least four hours a day underwater. Having to lose the goggles for this shoot, he did, however, have some trouble with keeping his eyes wide open, in order to remain faithful to the original image.

Other participants to the artistic action were NFL Players Trent Richardson, Marshawn Lynch and LaMarr Woodley, who teamed up to become Run-D.M.C. on the 2002 album “Run DMC’s Greatest Hits”, Allyson Felix, who was “Dangerously in love” for a day, or Soccer player Alex Morgan, who was “One Of The Boys” as Katy Perry. The King of Pop was, of course, included in the project, with Josh Freeman as Michael Jackson for the 1982 album, “Thriller” and also for the 1979 record entitled “Off The Wall”.

Although a less ordinary photo shoot for the sport stars, the ESPN collection was a success, as will be seen in the magazine’s February 18 Music Issue.