So, pretty crazy right? It's like the more Die Antwoord puts out, the more enigmatic (and thrilling) they become. For instance: on initial listen, the guest verse from Xhosa emcee Wanga merely seems to be a list of reaaally funny nonsequitors generically critiquing masculine norms, but according to Boing-Boing it actually goes deeper than that:
"So, the story behind this video and song (or part of the story -- there's so much going on!) is that Wanga felt that he was being coerced into a form of ritual circumcision by his community. It's sort of taken for granted within his ethnic group that you must do this, so much so that if you are a young man and you do not participate, you are ostracized, as the band explained to me.
The thinking, and this is communicated very directly to the young men, is that if you don't participate, you're gay. You're effeminate. You're not a real man. You never mature from being a boy to being a man.
He struggled with all of this in real life: with what it meant for his personal and cultural identity. And he came to a point where he was like, you know what? Fuck you all. The fact that I won't consent to having my penis sliced with an unsterilized knife, out in the bush, and risk infection or worse-- that doesn't mean "I'm gay," as you say. I reject this tradition. If that's what being a man is, fuck it, I don't want to be a man. I'll be an "evil boy for life," even if it means I am ostracized from my community.
You might have chosen different lyrics, but dude, it's not our story or our culture or our world experience at all.
It's his."
Everything is always more than it seems with these guys (and girl).
When I first saw "Enter the Ninja" popping up on respected music sites everywhere last year, I was genuinely bewildered. But when I saw the Zef Side clip, it begin to click- these people are hilarious, maybe even genius. Dig a little deeper, you'll find that Ninja and Yo Landi Vi$$er were working together even before the Die Antwoord guise. And you'll probably find this video:
Ya see, Die Antwoord is just the latest (and most popular) in a series of conceptual hip-hop based projects spearheaded by Watkin Tudor Jones (aka Ninja). And no, I'm not pretending to have any of this figured out either but that's cool: I'm having a great time.
If you would know the value of money , go and try to borrow some .
Posted by: New Balance 574 | 10/15/2010 at 08:56 PM
The guy washing himself in the background of the max normal vid (1.36) is classic.
Posted by: Dave | 10/14/2010 at 08:11 AM
the max normal vid at the bottom is friggin funny. really creative stuff.
Posted by: Dave | 10/14/2010 at 07:59 AM
Me too! This is why Emanuel is such a shining star.
Posted by: RadioFreeAmber | 10/11/2010 at 12:56 AM
Love it!
Posted by: Sarah Kelly | 10/10/2010 at 03:58 PM