God Bless South Africa. Who would’ve thought the southern-most tip of Africa would be a bed-rock of cultural influence. Generally African countries are void of artistic magnification from the rest of the world but South Africa now remains a sore thumb. For the past couple of years the most racially diverse African country has seen a surge in national representation via entertainment. And surprisingly the reception has been more than welcoming.
The most intriguing piece of South African booty to shake up the globe wasn’t when the country’s cat-food eating, “alien” problem was documented in the 2009 film “District 9” (directed by South African Neill Blomkamp) nor was it when the South African national rugby team won the cup in the 2009 Clint Eastwood biographical drama “Invictus.” Not even when South Africa was the first African nation to proudly host the World Cup, the largest sporting event on earth, this past summer.
The greatest shockwave has come from an unlikely host. It has come from a self-proclaimed martial arts master, his petite partner who substitutes her S’s for $’s and not mention their disc jockey. Die Antwoord is their name and internet sensation is their game.
Die Antwoord, which translates to “The Answer” in Afrikaans, is a group who define themselves as a “mĂ©lange of several diverse cultures all mixed into one.” It’s easy to see just how different they are when evaluating its members: led by Ninja (born Watkin Tudor Jones) a tall, lanky, ultra-violent regular of the South African hip-hop scene and co-anchored by Yo-Landi Vi$$er his high-pitched female counterpart who sports the funkiest blonde mullet since David Bowie.
The “Zef-side hip rave” group as Ninja has described Antwoord, have thrust into the limelight after their website crashed when it absorbed millions upon millions of hits in February 2009 and the light hasn’t stopped shining yet. They recently signed with Interscope Records for a five-album deal and international distribution and they have recruited Blomkamp to direct their next video. They performed at the HARD festival in New York City and are expected to be a top name at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2011. They even have a Thriller-esque documentary film in the works that dissects the making of one of its music videos before premiering it.
The high points of their viral invasion so far seem to be the songs “Enter The Ninja” and “Zef Side.” Both songs exhibit Ninja spitting speedy flows in both Afrikaans and English breaking only for Vi$$er’s chorus’s. All on top of fast-paced, jumpy rave pop beats. If the music doesn’t attract, then the videos surely do. ETN shows a seductive Vi$$er on a bed praising Ninja as disfigured creature-like-thing chimes in and out of focus. “Zef Side” comes directly from South Africa and begins and ends with small interviews. Ninja bounces up and down in slow motion as Vi$$er focuses on his flopping bulge.
Although Antwoord has faced some criticism from some South Africa’s conservative groups for representing and incorporating the Zef elements in their music, they continue to press forward, in fact their debut album “$O$” is set to release on Oct. 12. Zef is a slang word used to describe an upcoming South African counter culture movement that invokes “trashy”, “out-of-date, abandoned cultures and style
The ultimate question remains. What is it about Die Antwoord? Are we so fed up with the direction of American and European music that we have finally began to look south? Or is it the age old human instinct of odd acts capturing the most attention. One can only guess. But what is obvious is that Antwoord is here to stay. And even though it looks like Ninja is the type of character whose breath smells, nonetheless it is a breath of fresh air. So God bless South Africa for giving us Antwoord!
Here is a link to the video of “Enter The Ninja”
Here is a link to the video of “Zef Side”
