Artist services company Platoon continues their exciting collaboration with GQ South Africa to celebrate Africa Month and Youth Month in South Africa. Previous cover stars from the Platoon family have been Sun-El Musician, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Da Capo, Simphiwe Dana and Mandisi Dyantyis.
For this 2024 edition, multi-award winning pioneer Samthing Soweto and Nigerian music and style icon Aṣa were both selected as the cover stars. Readers can experience a unique and authentic side to both of these culture-blazing artists who embody style and grace.
Within the pages of this packed music edition, Platoon and GQ highlight DJ Lag, Tolibian, Zee Nxumalo, Derek Gripper and Ballaké Sissoko, Khaid, Azana and Teni, as well as twelve Africa albums which they believe played a role in shaping the African culture. They also share their exciting collaborations and development programmes for inclusivity and education, she Runs the Boards.
Within this edition, readers can also find a uniquely created playlist on Apple Music to share some recent music from the artists featured in the magazine.
“The Music Issue is one of my favourite issues of the year, and this year, as we turn 25, I am excited to bring the issue to the GQ family again in collaboration with Platoon. We have been on this journey together for three years, bringing the best of South African and African music together, and each year it gets more elevated,” explains GQ South Africa Editor-in-Chief Molife Kumona.
To celebrate the edition’s release on Africa Day, Platoon collaborated with GQ for an event in Johannesburg, which featured stellar performances from Mandisi Dynatyis, as well as Afro-Pop vocal star Aymos, Amapaino star on the rise Zee Nxumalo, and DJ and producer Ntokzin.
Platoon SA Music Lead, Hagar Graiser, and Africa and Global Head of Music, Linda Ayoola, share their comments on the collaboration.
“Music services company Platoon is excited to co-curate GQ’s third music edition and host a special showcase in Johannesburg. This issue kicks off both Africa Month and Youth Month on the continent, helping to shine a light on local artists from across all genres and highlighting some of the most beloved releases from the past. We are excited to see our artists’ unique style, music, and journeys come to life through this exciting and valuable partnership.”
GQ and Platoon also hosted a round-table discussion for Youth Month with Platoon talent: Azana, Ntokzin, Zee Nxumalo and Moonga K with South Africa Editor-in-Chief Molife Kumona to talk about music, inspiration and being a young artist in the SA music industry, which will be released on June 16th.
The GQ edition will be available on shelves nationwide from May 24th until August 8th 2024.
