Die Antwoord
Hot South African wind that gives answers to the most bizarre questions of all – Die Antwoord. The band was formed in Cape Town back in 2008. It features rappers Ninja and Yolandi Vi$$er and DJ Hi Tek. They attract fans by their exaggerated theatrical behavior, bold lyrics and distinctive image. What’s behind this, though?
04. March 2015
They posted their debut $O$ from 2009 online for free download. They became famous worldwide after shooting a video for song “Enter the Ninja” and, basically, took over the social networks overnight. Paradoxically, band’s flying start and enormous success in the past few years is not an example of another one-day wonder. Ninja – Watkin Tudor Jones – has been a member of several hip-hop acts since the middle of the 90s.
The basis of band’s approach to music-making and its visual aspect stems from the “pseudo-movement” ZEF. It can be described as “clapped-out Ford Cortinas with fur on the dashboard, tight mom jeans pulled up too high, synth-heavy ringtone rave.” The deal with Die Antwoord is that they aim to satirize South African youth from poor neighborhoods that look up to American performers and their lifestyle. To sum it up in one sentence, “the less you have, the more pompously show the opposite.”
Looks like District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp got intrigued by Die Antwoord video clips. He cast Ninja and Yolandi in the roles of criminals in his latest sci-fi Chappie, featuring Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman. In the movie, Ninja and Yolandi kidnap high-tech police robots and plan to reconfigure them so that they can help them with illegal activities. Chappie is in the theaters since March 5th.
After they conquered social networks, people most probably asked themselves: Are Die Antwoord and their decadence for real? Ninja explains it in an interview for South Africa’ Times as follows: “I’m just engaging my inner zef, which everybody has. It’s not a persona, it’s an extension of myself, an exaggerated version of myself.” What Die Antwoord look answers for this whole time, that’s what Ninja reveals at the end of quasi-documentary “Zef Side”...