Die Antwoord Biography

Die Antwoord is a South African rap group formed in 2008, by Ninja, Yolandi Visser and producer God. Their style is based on the Zef counterculture from South Africa. They formed their own label called Zef. They group released four successful albums, their latest being Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid, in late 2016. Die Antwoord is Afrikaans for “The Answer”.

Artistry

The male vocalist, Ninja, was a rapper for many years before the formation of Die Antwoord. However, he believes all that work was just him experimenting, in order to reach the formula of Die Antwoord. The controversial band came as a shock to critic and public alike. Initially, it was viewed as a joke, but that “joke” created a true cult around itself. “People are unconscious, and you have to use your art as a shock machine to wake them up.” declared Ninja. The group’s musical and visual style embraces the zed culture, with a “you’re poor but you’re fancy” kind of attitude. 

Musical Career

In 2009, the group released their debut album, $O$, as a free download on their website. The singles Enter the Ninja and Evil Boy became notably popular and their videos received millions of views. The album was later re-released by Interscope, due to its already immense exposure. Furthermore, it topped the Heatseekers chart and reached number4 on the Dance Albums chart.

However, before their second album, the band left the label, which was “pushing them to be more generic”. Consequently, Die Antwoord formed their own label and released Ten$Ion. It spawned the hit singles I Fink U Freeky, Baby’s on Fire, and Fatty Boom Boom. Additionally, it led to a feature in an Alexander Wang ad. After the album followed another single XP€N$IV $H1T. In 2014, the band released their third album, Donker Mag, which generated the singles Cookie Thumper and Pitbull Terrier. Their videos gained 28, respectively 26 million views.

Finally, in 2016 they released their fourth album, which included a collaboration with Dita Von Teese, Gucci Coochie. Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid topped the Dance Albums chart. Moreover, it spawned another successful single, Banana Brain.

Photo source: Discogs