1998's breakthrough smash Follow the Leader sling-shotted Korn out of the underground mosh pits and onto the TRL soundstage. Everything about the album is iconic: the songs, the music videos and, of course, the cover art. Created by Todd McFarlane Entertainment, with McFarlane and fellow Image Comics artists Greg Capullo (penciller) and Brian Haberlin (colorist), the cover brings the album title to life by depicting a young girl hopscotching toward the edge of a cliff while a group of kids ready to follow. Capullo recently shared his original concept sketches for the artwork on Instagram — which show the scene from alternate angles but adheres remarkably closely to the final product. Underlining this, the artist noted in the caption: "My entire career, my first idea is usually the one that sticks the landing."
Interestingly, it was Korn bassist Fieldy who named the album, and though the cover art suggests otherwise, the title was not a reference to the children's game, but a taunt to the many bands in the scene that were influenced by Korn. "He was being an arrogant prick like only he could be at that time," singer Jonathan Davis told Shane Told's Lead Singer Syndrome podcast. "He's a sweetheart now, but back then he was out of his mind. And that was just a dig, 'Yeah, c'mon fools, follow the leader.' It was a dig at all those people trying to be us and, lo and behold, that album goes on to sell a kajillion records and be our biggest record. That's some funny shit."
