Poor guy thinks he’s all that and is gonna take on the world and he’s really about to help selling guns and sugared soft drinks.

But that‘s what brings in my demographic.

Gene Simmons/KISS
Ozzy Osbourne
Beck
Ziggy Stardust
Prince
Insane Clown Posse
Cyndi Lauper
Madonna
Bushwick Bill
Weird Al
Tiny Tim
Sinead O’Connor

Real or not real?

BTW I like what they’re doing with their music and videos, just give it a rest when you’re not performing. Also, I should note that Yolandi really is like her stage character, except with less expletives.

Charles Hamilton managed to do pretty well for himself using internet mixtapes, but he did it over a couple of years of solid releases. He didn’t throw up a few songs, he did like five or six mixtapes each with a dozen songs before he really managed to build a following.

Also interesting is the whole “real versus fake” debate. It’s abundantly clear if you look at the history of these artists that they are not as zef as they have been portraying in their videos. But they are authentically South African. It’s also clear that one of the things they have done in the past is to intentionally play off of expectations and appearances in hip-hop. This makes me like them all the more but for some people it seems to alienate them.

It makes me wonder if the people with the knee-jerk “They’re fake!” reaction are as naïve as they seem to be. Do they actually feel, for instance, that most rappers who rap about selling drugs have actually sold drugs? Do they believe that country singers are really cowboys? Do they believe that professional wrestling is real? And if they do understand all of that, then why is Die Antwoord being not 100% what they portray at all surprising?

In a world where concerts being lip-synced is only newsworthy if the audience complains, what is it about Der Antwoord which causes people to feel tricked? Is it that we’re used to our entertainment figures pretending to be more glamorous than they really are and that by doing things in the other direction, pretending to be more white-trash than they really are, people got suckered in? Was there some sense of connection special to Die Antwoord which gets broken once people realize that their stage personae are not 100% authentic?

It’s all terribly fascinating to me because I really honestly don’t know the answers to these questions. I’d be curious if there’s anyone reading who does feel more of a knee-jerk “they’re fake” reaction and is introspective enough to try to reason about why they feel this way about Die Antwoord in particular. If there is, please share. I’m very curious about what motivates this reaction.

Also, similarly, if there is another who wants to share why they find Die Antwoord more compelling than other similar acts, I’d be curious to know that as well. And if anyone has thoughts, but doesn’t want to share them publicly, feel free to email me at KeithIrwin (at) yahoo.com

just so everyone knows they are a hoax and you’re fooled and I’m not

The more people rant about Die Antwoord being a hoax or whatever, the more their name will spread.

Godspeed hoax rumors and debates!

Didn’t any of you learn anything from the iPad? All you dorks have been ranting all over the place about it, but all that has done is spread the name “iPad” far and wide to the populace who don’t care about the dork grievances and want to buy one now. Apple couldn’t be more pleased. And, just like how the iPod was derided against and succeeded, so will the iPad.

Did you know that artists will sometimes put inconsistencies into their works on purpose, just so the fanbase will note them and debate them?

If you are someone discussing how Die Antwoord is a hoax all over the internet, you should be thanked by Interscope. And, you should also reevaluate your own life (and your critical thinking skills while you are at it).

Die Antwoord is SOOOOoooo Boing Boing. I love it.

Now start bitching about how Boing Boing isn’t accurate like Yahoo! News. Hahahahaha…

I don’t acknowledge that.

I haven’t read anything which references their socio-economic background. If you have information, cite it.

And even if they are middle class or upper class, or even ridiculously, obscenely wealthy, so what? I wasn’t aware that there was some sort of income threshold for performing hip hop. Please let me know what that specific dollar amount is, as perhaps we can implement some sort of vetting system whereby artists allow public review of their financial assets to ensure that no one is putting one over on the public by “pretending” to be impoverished.

According to this page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_threshold) the “common international poverty line has been roughly $1 a day, or more precisely $1.08 at 1993 purchasing-power parity.” So, we need to make sure that the members of Die Antwoord, or indeed any hip hop act, do not make more than that threshold.

>> … SA British background pretending to be Afrikaans…

Why is it that some people have such a hard time understanding the difference between performing and pretending?

>> Those are facts easily verified now.

Do so.

>> They may be ridiculous, sure it’s a joke…

Incorporating humor into one’s creative endeavors does not make “it” a joke. Is that your understanding of humor, its role? Set-up, then punchline, cue laugh track?

>> … the Vanilla Ice comparison is not about “authenticity.”

I think it is.

>> When Middle Class American white kid(s) form a musical act and start playing ethnic dress-up imitating a group of lower socio-economic standing, some stock comparisons are inevitable, and rightly so.

Wrongly so, in my opinion. Very wrongly so. I think stock comparisons rarely shed light. These people are white and they perform hip hop. So, Vanilla Ice gets brought into the discussion? Mostly, I find that lazy.

What is “ethnic dress-up?” Am I supposed to dress only within the Epcot Center/Small World band of what is considered appropriate for my race or nationality? I’m from California, so I guess I need to either dress as a surfer or cowboy.

>> The “but it’s funny” thing is no trump card, it’s just going to dredge up a digression on the opinion that some kinds of joke, say, as a poignant example, racist jokes exaggerating stereotypes, might be funny to some people, but they’re still wrong on some level.

You’re implying this act is inappropriate in the same way that racist jokes are inappropriate? Is that how you view this group? As a racist joke? Don’t imply it. Say it. You imply that they are inauthentic, mocking, not serious, and racist. You also implied their part in a cycle of oppression based on their supposed national origin. Did I miss anything?

That’s a lot to lay at the feet of a musical group who seem mostly content to jump around, rap, and generally seem to have and promote a good time, in an inclusive and respectful manner.

I don’t understand this “not real” jag people get stuck on. I’m pretty sure the Village People did not literally consist of a cop, Native American, construction worker, sailor, or cowboy.

ps I know other bands you *could* mention that are pretty amazine too. Try Kap Bambino from France(they rock).. just sayin’ :P

Sage advice but I think it’s a little late for the major labels.

Not that they would take it anyways. They’re terrified of being any else but what they are.

On that note, this is what I got from the video: “Neenja *squeek*! Neenja *squeek*!”. At least I smiled :)

However I loved it the first time I saw it, I love what it personifies, and loves what it shows.

It may not be new to South Africans to have people making up South African Satire (think Evita), but dude… no one has quite done it like this yet.

And lets remember what the most important thing here is…the music and the act, thats what I want to see when I go and see them perform and che3ck them on the internet etc.

If you are a South Africa who doesn’t like Die Antwoord obviously you are either a) jealous b) an evangelistic Christian c) a sour poes who takes life way to seriously

All groups and sub-groups (gangstas, punks, emos, goths etc) all dress up, are all an act, the way they talk, dress act, its a choice…they were not born like that, and they will all tell you that they are as real as anything.

So why cant Die Antwoord become a serious sub-culture.

Whatever clothes you wear , whatever you do, ,you are conforming to a marketing sub-culture

Die Antwoord is taking all the shit to the naxt laval, and its awesome.

I personally cannot wait for them to come and perform in Cape Town again…its going to go the fuck off and I am going to conform to the freak that is Die Antwoord!

Despite some of the challenges they faced, I suspect Tupac’s family made more than $1/day. Hence, not poor by UN standards.

Who exactly *IS* authentic or worthy of performing hip hop?

Pop stars have NOTHING to do with the internet. sorry. wrong generation.

You take that back!!!

If all these answers are “yes”, then they are real. Period.

Reports that Die Antwoord signed recording deal are false
Caitlin Ross

Reports that South African internet rap sensation Die Antwoord have been signed to a major US record label are untrue, although the group did meet with a major record label during their trip to Los Angeles.

“I know that the Interscope deal is all over the net but nothing has been signed yet. Negotiations are underway so no details can be made available at this stage,” said Diane Coetzer, press manager for Die Antwoord, on Thursday last week.

A Google search with the words “die+antwoord+sign+us+record+label” yielded 36,400 results, but news that Interscope Records, who represent the likes of 50 cent, Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A and the Pussycat Dolls, have signed a deal with Die Antwoord has been presumptive.

Band members Ninja (aka Waddy Jones, previously of MaxNormal fame) and Yo-landi Vi$$er are on their way back from Los Angeles after their rapid ascent to international celebrity, due largely to their YouTube music video Enter the Ninja.

Shortly after the videos release on February 2 it went viral, with the result that millions of hits crashed the group’s local server and caught the attention of overseas music industry players.

The group has been gaining in popularity as the icon of the rise of “zef”, a word that describes blue-collar South African culture and lifestyle – Ninja can often be seen in nothing but his boxer shorts and Yo-landi opts for head-to-toe gold synthetics when performing songs with titles like Doos Dronk, Wat Pomp, and Wie Maakie Jol Vol.

Although many of the group’s international fans are unable to understand the mixture of English and Afrikaans rapid-fire lyrics, they have embraced the music and videos, posting reams of comments praising it and sometimes requesting translations. Die Antwoord’s Facebook fan page is swamped with pleas that the group come to various countries and one fan yesterday (subs: Thurs) posted a photograph of her new tattoo that reads “Ninja”.

Die Antwoord’s website has received over 20 million hits in the last month.

Being a Canuck, I can appreciate the self parody. Cough http://www.trailerparkboys.com/ …

P.s. WOO HOOO!

BIG UP Die Antwoord. What a great story.