“Free Your Mind…And Your Ass Will Follow” by Funkadelic 

“Free Your Mind…And Your Ass Will Follow” by Funkadelic was released in the summer of 1970 and was filled with psychedelic and groovy music tones. The album is compared to the course of an LSD trip in the way that it has a slow onset, psychedelic peak and leaves you with a feeling of excitement, encouraging the body to move. The album has a mainly rock and funks-based influence and was considered one of the top 10 rock albums of 1970. 

              The artist claimed that most of the influence of the album came from their personal experiences with the drug LSD and the ways that it changed their perception of their surroundings and music in general. In it’s peak, the album reached #11 on the Black Albums chart and #92 on the Pop Albums chart, becoming a hallmark album for the genre. 

              The front of the album cover features a black woman with her head facing towards the sky with arms reaching upward and solid teal background. Upon first glance it almost seems as though she is swimming through water, however when the cover is opened fully, the back side reveals her bare behind completing the visual of her full nude body from head to toe. From the full angle it looks more like the woman is in a standing position nearly in a gymnast like pose with the photo taken from a downward angle as if coming from above the woman. 

              Nudity on album covers is not unheard of but historically and even in modern times, the concept is still seen as controversial and makes a statement about the artist even if they are not the model themselves. Additionally, the hyper sexualization of black women’s bodies has been another controversial concept especially when referring to media. Funkadelic’s bold use of imagery on album covers has helped to make strides in the history of album covers.