Die Antwoord
Nov 30, 2014
Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African rap-rave group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group's members are rappers Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. Their image involves a counterculture movement called zef and the influence of photographer Roger Ballen.
Die Antwoord released their debut studio album, $O$ (2009), online for free and attracted international attention for their music video for "Enter the Ninja". After briefly signing with Interscope Records, they founded their own label in 2011, Zef Recordz, through which they released their second and third studio albums, Ten$Ion (2012) and Donker Mag (2014), respectively.
Die Antwoord's musical and visual style incorporates elements of a "zef" culture, described as modern and trashy, appropriating out-of-date, discarded cultural elements. Yo-Landi said, "It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style." Their lyrics are performed in Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English.
Their debut album $O$ was made available as a free download on their official website. $O$ features Cape Flats rappers Garlic Brown (aka Knoffel Bruin), Scallywag, Isaac Mutant, Jack Parow, and Jaak Paarl (aka Jaak). Following the success of the video, Die Antwoord signed a record deal with Interscope Records but later formed their own independent label, Zef Recordz, and released their new album Ten$Ion through it. The release was in association with the Good Smile Company (a Japanese company that is also making Die Antwoord toys) and Downtown Records, which is handling the marketing and distribution for the record worldwide.
Die Antwoord's latest single is entitled, 'Ugly Boy."