Back in Feburary a massive music wave hit the world that just hasn’t stopped. The South African Tsunami dubbed Zef-Rap already has its champions; a couple of scruffy, buzz-cut superstars of Die Antwoord. In the shrill buttery concoction that is the Afrikaans language, rappers Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ HI-TEK are reinvigorating social commentary in the rap game, and what better cradle than Apartheid scarred S. Africa. HI-TEK’s rave-infused beats and Vi$$er’s ghostly crooning are the extra umph on top of Ninja’s expert rap style that give Die Antwoord a wholly unique and addictively new sound. The catch is though, that the whole thing is a joke. A parody on the music industry at large, Die Antwoord is one of many incarnations created by Ninja, formerly Waddy Jones. From far-out Constructus Corporation to anti-hero Max Normal.tv, these kids have been crackin’ jokes that sound better than the real thing for a long time. And they look better doing it too. The group’s visual candy store of music videos have been setting off a viral storm Enter the Ninja took the world tour in a little less than a couple week’s when the group featured haunting imagery of Leon Botha, an ill S. African artist and survivor of the deforming childhood disease, Progeria. It’s caught the eye of District 9 director, Neill Blomkamp, who has agreed to make their next music video. Check the group’s website for tour dates near you, and New Yorker’s prepare for a game of Hide & Seek as a secret show has been planned for later this month!
Read early coverage from CandyRain Magazine!
