Die Antwoord

Yo-Landi Vi$$er and Ninja

Most people are surprised when they catch a glimpse of the music that is found on my laptop, phone, and iPod. Two summers ago, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I first heard of this South African rap-rave group, Die Antwoord "The Answer". From the first song I heard I realized that every video, every track, every appearance should be labeled with a warning label.
This South African group can be simply described as "Brilliant Weirdness", people have to be able to stomach the graphic images and very blunt and obscene language. Yet, Die Antwoord is not simply a very weird and strange rap group, it is a rap-rave group that borrows tales and values from the South African Zef culture, they borrow the trashy and disregarded cultural elements. They take the 'ugly' of a culture and turn it into a very interesting form of music. Die Antwoord breaks many Afrikaans stereotypes, borrowing from the recently oppressed black community. What captivates me most from their music is not the surreal imagery they use in their videos but how they manage to mix three languages into their music; Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English. I also love how they manage to bring up a cultural item into all of their songs, from Evil Boy which deals with tribal rituals. Die Antwoord is a refreshing thing, out of the ordinary but very interesting. Their very pronounced South African accent adds more to their style, and their hip-hop fusion with rave is very new and thrilling.
But like I said earlier on, listen to them with caution. You have to be very open minded to be able to really listen to them.

Die Antwoord- Baby's on Fire http://youtu.be/tpNvk4iE0V4
Die Antwoord- I fink U freeky http://youtu.be/QGIbDQpVqX4
Die Antwoord- Faty Boom Boom http://youtu.be/bWEJHg4Hgqc
Die Antwoord- Fok Julle naaiers http://youtu.be/ektsOP8yOQM