The spoof rapper from Staines will appear on the front cover of the magazine and Esquire's real editor Peter Howarth will write an appreciation of Ali, which will be annotated by Ali G.
A spokeswoman for Esquire said that publisher NatMags believes this is the first time a men's magazine has had a guest editor.
She added that Esquire readers are huge fans of Ali G, and that Esquire fits in with the audience he attracts.
The use of famous men on the front cover is still something of a rarity, even for Esquire. It will be only the third Esquire front cover to be adorned by a male in the last year. The others include Kevin Spacey -- on the current issue -- and Pulp Fiction star Samuel L Jackson, in an issue which was one of Esquire's best sellers.
Esquire has, like other men's mags, generally used women on its front cover although they tend to be closely cropped headshots. More recently it has moved away from this, but tried to maintain a tasteful approach compared to the acres of naked female flesh common to FHM and Loaded.
Howarth has long made it clear that he believes men's magazines should not be afraid to put men on their front covers.
Ali G has a single -- 'Julie' -- released with US rap star Shaggy and his debut movie, 'Ali G in Da House', is due out in March.
He recently came under fire for using bad language during an interview with Sara Cox on Radio 1, however this coverage has only served to draw attention to his current activity, including the movie, the single and the Esquire editorship.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand
Republic, join the debate in the .
.jpg)
.jpg)