Earlier this week, I told a friend parts of the story behind Wu-Tang’s “Iron Flag” cover, which made me want to dig up the files and share more here. Dave Bett, the original Art Director on the project, and Michael Levine did a shoot inspired by Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” photo. I don’t remember how the project fell into my hands, but ultimately it did, and I was able to contribute to the Wu legacy.

To pull the cover off a few fixes had to be made. The W logo was inverted on the flag and had to be fixed digitally. My next move was to add creases to the photo to make it feel like a valued relic. The stenciled type was chosen to carry on the military theme. Lastly, Cappadonna wasn’t on the final album and had to be removed from the cover (look between Raekwon and RZA on both versions).