Die Antwoord

[hawke000]

I know I'm the only person here that actually think these two are amazing, so regardless I'm going to be posting anyway.

[greginchains]

Damn, that was a wild video. Don't know whether I liked it or not, but I couldn't stop watching. Might even view it again.

[orangeshoeskid]

I've liked them for a couple years now. Not something I listen to everyday but I do keep it in my mix of usual listening.

[HappyDad]

I think I really need to listen more carefully to them. I only listen to some singles (Enter The Ninja, I Fink U Freeky ...). The videos can be disturbing but you can't stop watching/listening to them.

[rival]

If anyone was going to start a Die Antwoord thread, it'd be Hawke.

Thanks man.

[hawke000]

I'm actually pretty surprised after posting originally, I've had a few people tell me they were pretty interested in these guys. This is the chronology off the top of my head. If you do like what you see, feel free to explore yourself, there's a lot out there.

I recommend if you do take this little journey hunker down, it's a LOT of material

"Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek."

I can't find a lot of sources I've read over the years but this is basically how it went. Ninja and Yo-Landi were in a LOT of art projects together probably working for about 10 years straight when finally all of their styles and experiments came together that made the most sense to them, hence the name "The Answer." (Ninja actually has lyrics / images tattooed onto him from die antwoords past present and future creations.) They worked for about a year doing photo's with pro bono photographers, did a few videos and put it online. In November of 2009, a couple of months passed and nothing happened. Depressed, they were about to give up until a website hosted their video as a "meme," something funny to pass the day. This actually hit America's "Attack of the show." In February the internet went NUTS to the point their South African server for their website hit their limit within a few hours. 10,000 hits per minute. They had to buy, from their own pocket (poor enough as it was) a new American server to keep up the demand. After a week and a half or so, they got a million offers from every record company they could think of until they decided interscope was right for them.

Zef Side is one of those videos that introduced the band. It pretty much has everything you need as an introduction about where they are coming from, geographically and stylistically:



Happy Dad posted this already but I might as well since I'm on a little historical journey. This was the video that went viral fast. It's called "Enter the Ninja."




You will see they use the word "ZEF." A LOT. In Afrikaans, there is a lot of slang terms especially among the lower class.

"It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style."

They started with a few lower viral stints with local bloggers:



They also did a stint of mini interviews to explain to people what was actually going on because like most getting into them, they don't really know what they are looking at or experiencing:



It wasn't long until their next video came out sponsored by Interscope of course, hence the production value. The first reaction to most people is "What the fuck am I watching?" Well there's a little story behind it that dives into some of stupid south African culture they protest against.

EVIL BOY:





The explanation of Evil Boy:

this song is about the transition from 'boy' to 'man'. There is a common practice in S. Africa where to become a man, you must to have a circumcision. The ceremony is held a few years after a boy hits puberty. These are done out in the bush where many of these 'boys' die from infection or AIDS from the tools used. 'Boys' who refuse to have their penis circumcised are said to be 'evil' or 'gay' and banished. If they come back, it's been said that they kill the 'boys'.

We're not talking about the same thing as what happens in Western countries, with babies in a sterile hospital environment... we're talking about boys in their late teens going off into the bush with an unsterilized knife and a blanket, no anesthesia, etc. The ritual apparently results in some number of casualties, infections, and permanent (unintended) injury to the teen males who go through the tradition, and some of the kids who are now more urbanized, with access to other ways of thinking, want to opt out. That's what Wanga's lyrics are about.

He struggled with all of this in real life: with what it meant for his personal and cultural identity. And he came to a point where he was like, you know what? Fuck you all. The fact that I won't consent to having my penis sliced with an unsterilized knife, out in the bush, and risk infection or worse-- that doesn't mean "I'm gay," as you say. I reject this tradition. If that's what being a man is, fuck it, I don't want to be a man. I'll be an "evil boy for life," even if it means I am ostracized from my community.

If you need more detailed explanation someone did an article with pictures (Extremely NSFW).

http://www.buzzfeed.com/nikoguy1/die-an ... versio-5xy


It was at this point for Die Antwoord that people still didn't know what was going on so they released an official video to explain some of the questions they have been getting.

Straight from the Horse's Piel:



An interview that "went wrong." They got a lot of this kind of attitude in the press but they definitely flesh out exactly where they stand (as if they needed to explain more.)



Die Antwoord did a LOT of touring in the first year, with interviews etc. Kept out of the "media" for a bit and concentrated on work. Here is the next Music Video:

RICH BITCH:




After Rich Bitch they settled down, you can tell at this point they were either relaxing or working. Turns out they did a little bit of both. They have been working behind the Scenes with David Lynch and Neill Blomkamp on some possible films about their life or possibly doing some kind of art project. They have posted many "hints," online with no REAL evidence of anything but based on what I know of them something big will happen.

They didn't take too much of a break as they starred in Harmony Korine’s "Umshini Wam" (Bring me my machine gun). It's a 15 minute short film that I will let do the talking. This actually is one of my favorite short films of all time.

UMSHINI WAM:



After this they jumped off the radar for a little while until their next video for the album "tension" came out of no where.



There was a lot of hate for this video at the start especially toward the end of the video with DJ Hi-TEK's verses and the fact Ninja drops the "N Bomb." This was HI TEK coming out of the closet and breaking down the door while he did it. Ninja's explanation to the video.



The last verse was actually a rampage Mike Tyson went about when someone yelled out that he should be in a straight jacket. Die Antwoord just put it to a beat:



This was BIG turning point for Die Antwoord, as interscope hated the video and what Ninja and Yo-landi were trying to accomplish (Die Antwoord have about 5 albums ready to go as of now, they had a master plan from the start and are just acting out their project as we speak with some detours on the way.) Interscope wanted them to be themselves but more marketable, they also wanted them to sound more like Lady Gaga because she sells. It was at that point they said fuck that, called the lawyer, killed the contract (a lot of money too...) and started ZEF RECORDZ where they are currently selling and creating on their own.

You have all seen " I FINK YOU FREEKY." Here they are on Letterman recently:




AND FINALLY After all of this if you are still on the fence and made it this far in my ramblings, I urge you to try and see them live. It is a non stop party with people having a lot of fun. Those two know how to put on one hell of a show. Worth the price of admission 10 fold, there's nothing better than that. I only was able to see them once due to work circumstances but someone shot a small video of the show I went to (I was at the very front left).




I will post more as they keep going, if you have anything to share feel free.

I'm enjoying the ride so far.

[HappyDad]

Thanks a lot for that post! I listenned to Ten$ion yesterday, it's really good. I will now watch all the vids from your post! I think I'll try to buy their stuff on wax. Their website says the Ten$ion vinyl was released february 7th (last year? can't find it).

[hawke000]

Thanks a lot for that post! I listenned to Ten$ion yesterday, it's really good. I will now watch all the vids from your post! I think I'll try to buy their stuff on wax. Their website says the Ten$ion vinyl was released february 7th (last year? can't find it).

$0$ was never released on vinyl but you can buy the tension LP on their website on feb 28 I think.

[orangeshoeskid]

That was a good comprehensive write up on them. I had seen most of the videos but was glad to watch them all again. I think they might have come through nashville a couple years ago but I missed them. Looked at the their 2012 tour a few weeks ago and it doesn't look like they are coming this way.

[7th_son]

This group is haunting me, literally. There is something really interesting going on here, but it's hard to put my finger on it.
Great info D, thanks!

They were on Kimmel last night too.

[hawke000]

This group is haunting me, literally. There is something really interesting going on here, but it's hard to put my finger on it.
Great info D, thanks!

They were on Kimmel last night too.

Welcome to the begginning Adam. I'm serious it will get into your blood stream if you've gone this far. There's no way around it.



To Everyone Else:

From Jimmy Kimmel Fatty Boom Boom. You can watch the whole show at Jimmy's website:

[7th_son]

This may not go over well with everyone here, and let me say for the record I am not generally a fan of this genre, but I have been on a Die Antwoord mission and have reached ground zero as it were, and I must say, I could draw significant comparisons between Die Antwood and The White Stripes. Not in terms of musical style obviously, but in terms of the presentation, commitment, and talent that perpetuated their "brand". Only to the extreme. I'm not sure I should elaborate per se, I would just encourage people to follow this rabbit hole if you are interested in some serious next level shit. This "group" is extremely talented, interesting, artistic, and very much avant guard in my opinion. Happy to support them.

[hawke000]

This may not go over well with everyone here, and let me say for the record I am not generally a fan of this genre, but I have been on a Die Antwoord mission and have reached ground zero as it were, and I must say, I could draw significant comparisons between Die Antwood and The White Stripes. Not in terms of musical style obviously, but in terms of the presentation, commitment, and talent that perpetuated their "brand". Only to the extreme. I'm not sure I should elaborate per se, I would just encourage people to follow this rabbit hole if you are interested in some serious next level shit. This "group" is extremely talented, interesting, artistic, and very much avant guard in my opinion. Happy to support them.

Yeah, I was afraid to say that on here

[7th_son]

This may not go over well with everyone here, and let me say for the record I am not generally a fan of this genre, but I have been on a Die Antwoord mission and have reached ground zero as it were, and I must say, I could draw significant comparisons between Die Antwood and The White Stripes. Not in terms of musical style obviously, but in terms of the presentation, commitment, and talent that perpetuated their "brand". Only to the extreme. I'm not sure I should elaborate per se, I would just encourage people to follow this rabbit hole if you are interested in some serious next level shit. This "group" is extremely talented, interesting, artistic, and very much avant guard in my opinion. Happy to support them.

Yeah, I was afraid to say that on here

You officially have carte blanche authority on recommendations for me. I know you will abuse it, but I don't care.

[hawke000]

This may not go over well with everyone here, and let me say for the record I am not generally a fan of this genre, but I have been on a Die Antwoord mission and have reached ground zero as it were, and I must say, I could draw significant comparisons between Die Antwood and The White Stripes. Not in terms of musical style obviously, but in terms of the presentation, commitment, and talent that perpetuated their "brand". Only to the extreme. I'm not sure I should elaborate per se, I would just encourage people to follow this rabbit hole if you are interested in some serious next level shit. This "group" is extremely talented, interesting, artistic, and very much avant guard in my opinion. Happy to support them.

Yeah, I was afraid to say that on here

You officially have carte blanche authority on recommendations for me. I know you will abuse it, but I don't care.

I'll be careful