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ININTERVIEWTERVIEW ‘Are we awful or the best thing in the universe?’ Overnight, the bizarre Die Antwoord became an internet sensation with fans including David Lynch. Hermione Hoby met them

hen Die Antwoord the Dragon Tattoo (she turned him an infamous close-up of his genitalia checked their emails on down) and two weeks ago they shared flapping in exuberant slo-mo beneath 2 February this year, a stage with the Aphex Twin at the a pair of Pink Floyd Dark Side of the among the 5,000 or so LED Festival. So how did this South Moon shorts. Die Antwoord’s name is messagesW the group had received African “zef” rap-rave outfit, from “a Afrikaans for “the Answer” and at the overnight was one from Neill tiny fishing village in Cape Town”, end of the “Zef Side” video the narrator Blomkamp, the District 9 director and a come to be championed by hipsters the asks: “The answer to what?” fellow South African. The subject line world over? Ninja, joined by the teeny Yolandi read: “Oh my god.” And the message? The 3 million people who’ve and the tubby, mute DJ Hi-Tek, “I fucking love you guys.” now watched their first video, “Die slouches against a wall, squinting. Since then, their fame has travelled Antwoord – Zef Side”, will be familiar He raises his arm and lets it fall to further. David Lynch loves their videos with Yolandi, a diminutive blonde, and his side. “Whatever, man... fuck.” so much that he invited them round for Ninja, a tattooed, lanky guy endowed If Ninja doesn’t know the original coffee. David Fincher wanted to cast with a sinuous physicality which he question, neither does anyone else. singer Yolandi (stage name: Yo-Landi puts to good use as he dances and raps After the website Boing Boing seized Vi$$er) as Lisbeth Salander in the in an arresting Afrikaans/English on the video at the start of February, Hollywood remake of The Girl With hybrid. They’ll also be familiar with it was sent zipping round the globe, “taking over the interwebs”, in the band’s parlance, and increasing their YouTube views from around 800 to "
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   500,000 almost overnight. Each posting was invariably accompanied by some combination of “wtf?”, “are they for real?” and “is this a joke?” Surely no serious rap could begin with: “Uh, yo, for real/ That’s what I’m talking about/ Check it out”, as the track “Beat Boy” does? “ But for the huge crowd rammed into Die Antwoord’s Ninja, left, and Yolandi: ‘You can’t stop us. We’ve got a fierce following.’ Berlin’s Magnet club to see them, Die Antwoord are no joke. Neither, it turns get much filthier than this. So filthy, hide away. The zef swearing, for me, is out, is their live show. Their set has the as Yolandi will tell me later, that when so fucking extreme that it’s like cartoon whole crowd thrashing and rapping they first became famous, “all these language – this weird, like, freak mode along, often in Afrikaans, to every word. conservative Afrikaners thought we’d fungus style. Because it’s not just a When they can keep up, that is, because sprung from Satan’s dark pit”. language, it’s...” Die Antwoord’s outrageous aesthetic My interview was originally A whole culture? makes it easy to overlook just how good postponed due to an ominously vague “Ja and we just, like, dived into that Ninja is. Relishing its guttural smacks explanation: “Ninja’s being... difficult.” and made that our thing.” and hard edges, he makes Afrikaans The band’s publicist tells me the last “Zef’s kind of like you don’t give a sound like a language that was made for journalist used the phrase “white fuck and you have your own flavour hip-hop. It’s testament to his charisma, trash” and called Ninja by his real and you’re on your own mission,” says !"
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elicit the kind of audience reaction shakes her head, as though his reaction and shit. Zef is, you’re poor but you’re 

  
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and the set for a children’s birthday party – he we’re just friends, but we had this kid  ;
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space gabbles: “Have some food, it’s all free!” by accident. We’re a good fucking mum Complimentary peanuts may soon and dad on that level, whatever.” I’m where I lose their thrill, but for now, you can’t reeling at the image of either of these was to really blame them for getting excited. two changing nappies. Ninja, however, Die Antwoord are not the first hip- is speeding on. “A lot of people wanted sleep a hop group to inject humour into what to ban the interweb to stop us getting patch at they do. They are, however, the first known. And you can’t stop it. We’ve got the foot of rap-rave group from South Africa this fierce fucking following – like the 1
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Magazine, Then Ninja starts expounding on the on the answer. !"
  meaning of “zef” and he comes alive.   

   pages 7-11 “It’s like the underbelly of Afrikaans; Die Antwoord’s single, “Enter the Ninja” an embarrassing thing they want to (Polydor), is out on Monday

30 THE NEW REVIEW | 12.09.10 | The Observer