chance we're going to do it." Lawyers intervened on both sides, and afterward Die Antwoord no longer had a contract. watered-down radio pop," and the band declared, "There's not a. Yo-Landi says the label wanted to "make it. (Interscope reps wouldn't comment for this story.) Die Antwoord abruptly reverted to do-it-yourself mode, putting out this year's "Ten$ion" on its own Zef Records, complete with a skit called "Uncle Jimmy" that mocks label head Jimmy Iovine as predatory and perverted. Soon the band signed with Interscope Records, a major label that reissued the band's regional 2010 debut "$O$."īut when it came to the follow-up, the band clashed with the label's executives, supposedly because the executives wanted a softer, pop sound. It went viral, drawing more than 10 million YouTube views, and powerful fans such as pop star Katy Perry. They're conceptual artists before they're musicians, so they are thinking about the responses they provoke."ĭie Antwoord's early video "Enter the Ninja" had a disturbingly macabre feel, with rats crawling around Yo-Landi's bed and Ninja's neck, as well as a memorable turn by Leon Botha, a South African artist who suffers from progeria, a rapid-aging disease that makes his head appear unusually large. That's not something that a lot of music videos do, and there's value in that," adds David Marchese, a Spin senior writer who has written extensively about the band. "You might find their music videos offensive or off-putting or supercompelling, but your reactions to them are probably telling about some deeper feelings you have about race or rap or class or South Africa. The band is walking a tough line previously walked by artists from Ice-T to Eminem: On one hand they're provocateurs, clearly aiming to offend people, and on the other they want to sell records to kids of all ages. On one song, Hi-Tek sprays slurs against gays and women indiscriminately. On their latest album, this year's "Ten$ion," Die Antwoord descends into depths of profanity as intense as any gangsta rapper. "We're getting a lot of history lessons in the last 24 hours. I'm going to be wearing red shorts, I'm going to be painted white it'll go very well and stick out against a colorful background," he says in his thick Afrikaans accent. "She has this supernatural look, and your eye gets sucked into Yo-Landi into this dark room. On speakerphone with Yo-Landi from a tour stop somewhere in Kansas, Ninja dismisses the blackface concerns as an American issue that isn't relevant to South Africa (despite its apartheid past). Shock is crucial: In "Fatty Boom Boom," Yo-Landi dresses head to toe in blackface. Their raps are aggressive, fast-paced and offensive, albeit with a sophisticated sense of cadence and melody, and DJ Hi-Tek provides crushing electro-beats and sound effects recalling Prodigy and Rammstein. Their lyrics are performed in both Afrikaans and English.Yo-Landi has an almost disturbingly pale face and a blond mullet Ninja looks like an emaciated Eminem. The "Enter The Ninja" video also features South African progeria survivor Leon Botha, a prominent Cape Town artist.ĭie Antwoord performs "Zef" music, Zef being an Afrikaans slang term which loosely translates to the American equivalent of "Redneck". In 2009 South African cinematographer Rob Malpage (along with co-director Ninja) shot the video for their single "Enter the Ninja." The video became a viral phenomenon on the internet nine months later, delivering so much traffic to their official website that their original provider shut down their account, forcing them to move their hosting to a US-based provider to handle the traffic.
#DIE ANTWOORD ENTER THE NINJA VIDEO DOWNLOAD#
Their debut album $O$ was made available as a free download on their official website. In the case of Die Antwoord his persona is Ninja: a hyper violent character who is very different from his previous incarnations.ĭie Antwoord was later created as a group in 2009, consisting of performers Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek. Explore Enter The Ninja (Explicit Version) lyrics, translations, and song facts. Discover exclusive information about 'Enter The Ninja (Explicit Version)'. He is known for adopting different stage personas. 'Enter The Ninja (Explicit Version)' is South African song released on 03 August 2010 in the official channel of the record label - 'DieAntwoordVEVO'. Profile Die Antwoord (Afrikaans: "The Answer") is a hip-hop act from Cape Town, South Africa consisting of three members, Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.ĭie Antwoord lead vocalist Ninja (born Watkin Tudor Jones) was a part of the South African hip-hop scene for many years, fronting such acts as The Original Evergreens, Max Normal, Fucknrad and The Constructus Corporation.