The towers on the cover of Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U are the Absolute World towers in Mississauga, Ontario. Often called the Marilyn Monroe buildings, their curved silhouettes make the setting recognisable beyond a generic city skyline.
The album is no longer an unreleased project awaiting a date. Drake’s official website records its release on 14 February 2025. That date is the reference point for understanding the cover and the promotional material surrounding it.
What appears on the cover?
The front artwork places two figures in large coats in a snowy foreground, with the towers behind them. The Absolute World condominium’s own news page identifies the setting and describes the figures and snow.
That matters because a description of the cover as “just two buildings” misses part of the composition. The human figures, winter ground and architecture work together to establish scale and place. Readers can compare the artwork on the official album page with photographs of the actual development.
Why do the buildings twist?
MAD Architects’ project description explains that the floorplates rotate around a central axis at different angles on different levels. Continuous balconies contribute to the curved outline. The resulting form changes as the buildings rise, rather than following a straight rectangular profile.
The City of Mississauga identifies the two towers as 56 and 50 storeys and records their completion in 2012 after an international design competition. It links the Marilyn nickname to the taller tower’s hourglass-like form.
These are architectural facts about the buildings. They do not, by themselves, explain the album’s creative decisions or prove that the artists intended a particular metaphor.
How to interpret the image
One possible reading is that the winter setting and relatively small figures make the buildings feel imposing. Another is that a recognisable local landmark gives the album a more specific location than an anonymous backdrop would. These are visual interpretations, rather than claims about what the artists privately meant.
For wider context on how composition and imagery communicate an idea, see our introduction to graphic design. The same questions apply here: what draws the eye, how is scale established, and which details distinguish the image?
Artwork, credits and release information
Use the artist’s or label’s album page to identify the release and official artwork. Photographer and art-direction credits are separate information and should come from an attributable credit listing. An image appearing on an artist’s page does not automatically mean that the artist took the photograph or designed the cover.
The verified takeaway is specific: this 2025 collaboration uses Mississauga’s Absolute World towers as part of its front-cover setting. Claims about secret symbolism, the precise production of the photograph or future projects need additional evidence.
Sources: official album page, MAD’s design account, the city’s landmark guide and the condominium’s cover report.
