As the bag was pulled off my head, I looked around the dark room. Trash was strewn across the apartment, old food was sitting on the counter, and it looked as though no one had cleaned since they moved in. I knew immediately where I was – Steve’s place. My wrists and ankles were duct taped to an old wooden chair in front of a computer.
“I need you to write me an article for Frogs on a Log in a Bog Musicpad Blog,” I heard Steve say from somewhere behind me.
“Write an article for what?” I responded, not sure why Steve needed to kidnap me to ask me to write something for his blog.
A gangly hand tapped me on the face. “You know exactly what Frogs on a Log in a Bog Musicpad Blog is,” Steve said with false bravado.
“Did…did you just slap me?” I said, thoroughly confused by both the situation and the attack.
“Yes. I wanted to show you how serious I am about this. Don’t make me do it again.”
Not wanting Steve to hurt himself by “slapping” me again, I agreed to write an article. Mark, who was in the corner with tear stains down his cheeks, agreed to help edit my article, in order to make sure it was up to “Steve, the Awesome and Benevolent Editor-in-Chief’s” standards.
Steve freed my hands, but left my legs taped to the chair in order to “write faster”. With a quick look around the room, I knew exactly what to write about.
Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for The Answer) is a South African rave-rap outfit created by Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek. They’ve recently gained some national attention with a recent appearance on Letterman and a show at Coachella, and have toured with M.I.A. They even were signed by Interscope Records (they left over a dispute about their newest record’s “originality”). However, their music videos have reached millions of people, with “Enter the Ninja” and “Evil Boy” having been viewed by 8.3 million and 6.4 million respectively.
Their music and visual style is Zef. For those who aren’t from Cape Town, its slang for what we Americans would call “ghetto fabulous”. Take some outdated pieces of culture, mix it with some gold chains and custom cars, add in some sex, and you’re a part of the Zef culture. If that description leaves you wanting, just watch any of Die Antwoord’s videos; it’s something that you need to see and experience to truly understand.
Much like Turquoise Jeep, there’s no reason to like Die Antwoord. Ninja has a stunted flow that feels amateurish and gangsta lyrics that would make a “regular” rapper laugh, Yo-Landi’s high-pitch voice makes it hard to understand her when she raps or sings (that’s on top of the accent and frequent use of the Afrikaans language), and DJ Hi-Tek’s beats seem uninspired and banal compared to what many producers are creating today. But there’s something so lovable about them and the songs they create.
For starters, they have amazing chemistry. Ninja’s and Yo-Landi’s lyrics and voices play off each other so well, something that is surprisingly hard to find in the hip-hop or dance arena. And DJ Hi-Tek knows exactly what kinds of beats and samples would go well with the vocals, and perfectly crafts dark and mysterious but hard-hitting music to back-up the violent and sexual vocals. And together, they develop a high-energy, dark, and aggressive sound that just gets you in a mood to get up and not care about breaking something.
Furthermore, they mix a variety of styles together to get this unique and fun creation. They incorporate elements of rave, house, rap, hip-hop, eurodance, and African rhythm to create their alien sound. This fusion of so many different genres is the foundation of their hostile, sinister, and sexual tone that is totally original, and sounds like no one else in the music industry.
They also have a song called "Evil Boy", which is about how awesome it is to be uncircumcised. That really doesn’t have to do with why you should listen to them, but it was produced by Diplo, and the fact that they actually made a song like that with him is hilarious.
Die Antwoord is original and unique. No one looks or sounds like them, and their style is infectiously dirty and fun. They are clearly more than the sum of their parts, and you should definitely at least give them a try.
Im nice enough to let you write on my blog, and here on your first post you make fun of my weak slaps, you insult my favorite hip-hop collective Turquoise Jeep, and you tell everyone about how I tied you and Mark up in my apartment.Well done!
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