SWOON ISSUE 15 // February 2018
Progressive urban culture
VISUAL
COVER STORY: SPHIWO HLATSHWAYOÂ PHOTOGRAPHY: SENSORY VISION VISUAL DESIGN: MOGAU KEKANA
FASHION UPPER ECHELON
MUSIC YESPLEASE RADIO PLAYLIST OSSAC CONRAD II
CULTURE MSFTS REPUBLIC PUTAS MAGAZINE
DAILY AWESOME
A PROGRESSIVE URBAN CULTURE
SAY HI!
+27780725955 RADIO The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the YESPLEASE MediaGroup. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world analytic products
C O V E R S T O R Y
C O V E R S T O R Y
In her own words Sphiwo hlatshwayo is a Young South African black female pioneer. who drive to constantly create and shape trends through the mastery of imagery that tell unique stories in a different and unexpected way, which will differentiates it from the rest.
Sphiwo Hlatshwayo
Today’s society dictates that everyone has a camera on their phone and uses social media as their own version of Photoshop. Making it very hard to find a good professional photographer, let alone the best of them all. For the past year, YESPLEASE Magazine has showcased the talents of elite photographers such as Allesio Albi, Lesego Legobane, Unam Ntantala, and many. This year, we raise the bar as we feature international award nominee Sphiwo Hlatshwayo
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sensory Vision Johannesburg, Pretoria is a photography agency founded by Open Window graduate and Sony World Photography Awards Nominee Sphiwo Hlatshwayo.  While relatively new the agency has garnered attention with its stunning works showcased at Democracy Festival hosted by Thuli Madonsela.
specialising in beauty, fashion and interior design photography. Its attitude is that of flexibility and accountability and has built solid ground working with the city's best talents brands and influencers. Contact: [click to view email] Website: sensoryvision.wixsite.com Portfolio: Sensoryvision.portfolio
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MOGAU KEKANA
Mogau Kekana is a digital artist, illustrator and character designer from Johannesburg South Africa whose work saw him being featured by Puma's Select artist spotlight Follow On Instagram
UPPER ECHELON
Upper Echelon is a street couture label aimed at enlightening individuals through designs that tell a story, while simultaneously opening individuals minds to what is relevant and most times overlooked in today’s society. The name Upper Echelon basically speaks to those who have influence and power within society ‘the enlightened individuals’, this relates to our hometown Cape Town, a city filled with creative talent and untapped musical ability as majestic as table mountain itself, it is our hope that our brand will give these individuals a platform to follow their dreams and realise their potential within this great city and beyond. We feel that our brand resonates with many people who understand this concept and see themselves as part of the movement. Our vision is for our clothing to represent a sense of higher understanding portrayed by the individual who wears it, in the hope that it transcends on a deeper level just as music or a piece of art from their favourite artist does.
Nike Air Max 270 QS 'Hot Punch'
Sportswear giant Nike has just revealed a brand new silhouette – the Air Max 270. Inspired by iconic Nike silhouettes from the early 1990s, the new shoe is named after its 270-degrees of visible air within the Air Max unit and boasts key elements of both the Air Max 180 and the Air Max 93. First unveiled at Nike’s Investor Day held in the brand’s Oregon headquarters back in October, the Nike Air Max 270 is the next chapter to the legendary Air Max line up.
ADIDAS CONSORTIUM X NICE KICKS – CRAZY 1 ADV & CRAZY 8 ADV
This month, adidas Originals teams up with American sneaker retailer Nice Kicks on a new collaborative release, presenting premium takes on the brand’s modern-retro Crazy 1 ADV and Crazy 8 ADV. Channeling Venice Beach Basketball as an inspiration source highlights a distinctive colour palette of classic ‘90s sportswear, the collaboration is distinguished by flashes of pink, purple and aqua against a clean backdrop of whites, bringing the nostalgia of adidas’ groundbreaking Crazy series to the forefront of each shoe’s modern design.
RADIO PLAYLIST
00:00 01:55 03:15 04: 51 06:00 07:25 08:50 10:30 12:45
Static - Never Catchin' Zeez Febuary-Tianna Interlude Bass - Throwbacks Ossac - Styla I Don't Shop At The Mall Kayben XX - Inna Whi Solve The Problem - Ode 2 The City VegasXcesar - Playing VegasxCesar-Do It In The Back
All music and intellectual property herein belongs to its respective copyright holder.
Click&Listen 01 AWKN XP
The big Hash Jimmy Chooss
Ossac Mosiac
Luna Florentino Florentino Mariachi
Mapped Out Squad Ralph Lauren
Lilow i'Fengwana
OSSAC OSSAC, formerly known as OSSACÂ TRILLS is a notable South African rapper/producer who can no longer be slept on. Christened Kgothatso Moleko at birth OSSAC adapted his alias in 2015 when transitioning from his first love of painting to his then newly found passion for music and insinuating the arrival of the rap Picasso. Today OSSAC is poised as one of the Eastrands most promising exports, his notoriety came as a result of a consistent release schedule which garnered the ambitious emerging artist a solid and loyal following. With an extensive catalogue that speaks volumes for itself, the Eastrand rapper returns with yet another slam dunk single titled Warlord. The song, which features on the artist's new project is a sing-along certified banger in which the artist flexes his elite selftaught music production and songwriting skills.
Conrad II GABORONE MOKGOHLOA
Warrenton, Virginia based artist Connor Burnett, famously known as MSFTS REPUBLIC'S Conrad II is done laying low.His debut album titled 'Insecure and Vulnerable Green Eyes' is a melancholic body of work filled with broad tempo sounds accentuated by pleasant singing as the young singer/songwriter takes you through the all too relatable tale of a young love and its devastating bitter end.
Conrad II Insecure and Vulnerable Green Eyes Any good album tells a story. It has a beginning, middle and end – a story arc, with a resolution and conclusion. And while we have seen Conrad II tell his story before, it's never been expressed quite so well. Insecure and vulnerable is his second album, following 2017's Fall Flux. Insecure and Vulnerable Blue Eyes draws us in immediately with "Eye Contact." Like much of the opening of this album, it is a theatrical score where we see Conrad II expresses his talent in production in a way that sets the mood for the music to follow. "Eye contact" progresses into “Lovesick Tears” the first scene alternative pop album, with a lack of restraint that is immediately grabbing. The album follows a beautifully written and performed narrative of a melancholic Conrad II desperately suffering the symptoms of a tumultuous break up.
The project features some introspective stand out songs like “Dig Dug” and the Stranger Things inspired “Upside Down” (Suburban Girl). The conclusion? well we will just let you listen to it yourself listen here
MSFTSrep – short for MSFTS republic – could be looked at, in simplest terms, as a creative work force dedicated to supporting and waking up the population of planet earth, through attaining knowledge and personal growth. But even that puts it into a box. Anything that could be put into words puts it in a box, because MSFTSrep is more of an expression rather than an explanation. So please keep in mind, there has never been anything like MSFTSrep before, because there are very few collectives willing to sacrifice the safe, cliché, and popular for something entirely new which has never been seen before. Because it is simply impossible to predict the unknown, and MSFTSrep is in fact, unknown. This republic truly started with the feelings and emotions of wanting to transform the conditioned mind sets of the masses into a more creative freely flowing environment —an environment in which one is free to experiment & is not judged for expressing oneself and the way one feels at any given moment…
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CONTRIBUTORS KGOTHATSO MOLEKO SPHIWO HLATSHWAYO LEANOR DASILVA PALESA WILLIAMS MOGAU KEKANA UPPER ECHELON AWKN LUNA FLORENTINO MA60MUSICGROUP CONNOR BURNET INANETWAV MAPPED OUT SQUAD MSFTS REPUBLIC PUTAS MAGAZINE GABORONE MOKGOHLOA
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