Digipaks are a cardboard format type of packaging for CDs and DVDs which open up like a book. Inside, a digipak has one or more plastic trays to hold the CD/DVD. Before digipaks came around, there was the jewel case format (standard, plastic) which is most commonly used today mainly due to its durability.
It took me a very long time to look for examples of a digipak in specific of any genre let alone hip-hop/rap ones. After looking on the internet for a while I started looking on second hand such as vinted and eBay but still couldn't find any images of digipaks from the inside. After a while on these sites, I moved to YouTube where I specifically found a channel that unboxed many hip-hop/rap CDs from the 90s. In the end I couldn't find specifically any cardboard digipaks to analyse that would be relevant to my project but apart from the plastic packaging these are basically the same.
The importance of a digipak is immense as it is the first thing a buyer sees and what really attracts them when deciding to buy a CD. If a cover is good and eye-catching it is bound to sell a lot better. It also helps create an identity/persona for the artist which is another factor that helps increase sales. If the artist has a recognisable style people will be much more inclined to buy the CD. A recognisable cover indicates popularity which suggests it's a good/quality product.
Here are a few analyses of the album covers that I found:
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