Die Antwoord is a South African rap group known for their outlandish style. The members of the group are unusual in everything: from appearance to sound. They became famous outside their homeland after their first album and continue to remain true to their initial principles, despite their newfound success.

History of creation

Prior to their collaboration, Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek were also involved in music and searching for their true selves.

Watkin Tudor Jones, aka Ninja, previously had many pseudonyms and collaborated with a whole string of colleagues from different musical directions, although hip-hop was always in the first place for him. Jones is the initiator of the creation of the group; he also considers all previous projects to be experiments and childishness, and only “Die Antwoord” is real creativity and a serious matter.

Yo-Landi Vi$$ (Yolandi Visser, birth name Henri Du Toit) began breaking into show business at the age of 16. The meeting with Ninja's future husband allowed us to take a qualitative step forward in terms of creativity. Ninja was delighted with her unusual vocals and proposed cooperation.

The date of birth of Die Antwoord, which means “answer” in Afrikaans (a mixture of Dutch and English, which is native to 6 million Africans, including residents of South Africa), is considered to be 2008, although before this project Ninja and Yolandi were together worked on the project “The Constructus Corporation”, then founded the group “Max Normal TV”. Ninja had even more musical experience - in his youth he rapped in the group “The Original Evergreens”, famous for the song “Puff The Magik”.

The third member of Die Antwoord is officially DJ Hi-Tek (also called Bit-Boxmonster). However, his identity is shrouded in secrecy: he does not appear in the videos and does not appear as a media person. In all the group's videos, his face is hidden by a mask. However, in the end, fans figured out what the DJ of their favorite band looked like, and were very surprised by the discrepancy between his stage and real images.

Before DJ Hi-Tek, Leon Botha, a creatively gifted young man with progeria, performed with Die Antwoord. Patients with this disease age an order of magnitude faster, and few of them live to be 13. Leon lived to be 26, remembered not only as a DJ, but also as an artist and musician. He appears in Die Antwoord's video for the song "Enter The Ninja".

The main stages of creativity

The musicians released their first album in 2010. The “$O$” disc was posted online for free download. The song “Enter the Ninja” especially attracted the attention of the public, for which a spectacular video was shot. Listeners were delighted with the dark video sequence, Yolandi's unusual accent and the appearance of the soloists.

Die Antwoord – Enter The Ninja

The demand for the team has increased sharply, as has the interest in their personalities. Ninja and Yolandi began to be called the progenitors of the new Zef-Rap style, close to rave and hip-hop, but with its own distinctive features. In Afrikaans, "zef" means "ordinary, dirty, boring."

Zef is when you are poor, but fashionable and sexy. You don't have money, but you have style.

From the first days of its existence, the band members played up their African origins. In addition to English, the group's lyrics also use languages ​​characteristic of South Africans - Zulu and Xhosa. The lyrics for the song "Evil Boy" were written by Xhosa musician Wanga. The song touches on the topic of circumcision, traditional for this people: the lyrical hero abandoned this ritual and remained an “evil boy” for the rest of his life.

Die Antwoord – I Fink U Freeky

After the success of the album, which debuted at number 37 on the UK national album chart, Interscope Records signed a contract with the group, but the collaboration was short-lived. The producers insisted on softening the provocative image of the group, in particular, on reworking the lyrics of the song “Fok Julle Naaiers” (the name alone in Afrikaans sounds unprintable - it can be translated into English as “Fuck You Fuckers”). The musicians were categorically against interference in the creative process and in 2011 broke off relations with the label.

That same year, the musicians went on tour in support of the re-released album and also presented new songs at concerts. In 2012 they released their second album, Ten$ion. He was accompanied by a number of concerts abroad, mostly in Europe. By the way, during the band’s concert in St. Petersburg in 2013, the guys from “Little Big” performed as their opening act - for them it was the first concert in their lives.

Between the albums Donker Mag (2014) and Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid (2016), Die Antwoord starred in the feature film Chappie (2015) by fellow countryman Neill Blomkamp. They played the main roles - essentially themselves. Their heroes take custody of a lost intelligent robot and save it from its previous owners.

In 2017, Sistine, daughter of Yolandi and Ninja, starred alongside Jack Black in the short film Tommy Can't Sleep. Visser acted as director along with the team's longtime friend Roger Ballen, who helped them during the preparation for the filming of the first video.

Die Antwoord – Tommy Can't Sleep

Collaborations with other artists

• "Wat Pomp" (feat. Jack Parow)
• "Wie Maak Die Jol Vol" (feat. Knoffel Bruin, Isaac Mutant, Jaak Paarl and Scallywag)
• "My Best Friend" (feat. The Flying Dutchman aka Ne0SA)
• "Doos Dronk" (feat. Jack Parow and Fokofpolisiekar)
• "Rat Trap 666" (feat. DJ Muggs)
• "Shit Just Got Real" (feat. Sen Dog)
• "Gucci Coochie" (feat. Dita Von Teese)
• "Wings on My Penis" (feat. Lil Tommy Terror)
• "U Like Boobies?" (feat. Lil Tommy Terror)
• "Rats Rule" (feat. Jack Black)

Scandals

The eccentrics from Die Antwoord constantly find themselves in some controversial stories. They flaunt their poverty, post what the public considers questionable photos on Instagram, and attract attention in every possible way.

So, in 2012, the group released a video for “Fatty Boom Boom”, where the central part of the plot is occupied by a rather evil parody of Lady Gaga. They had previously spoken negatively about her work, but now they launched a frontal attack. But the singer ignored the attack. Three years later, Yolandi repeated her attempt to drag the American singer into a showdown, posting a collage of her and her photos online, hinting at imitation of the style. But even that time, Gaga refrained from commenting.

Ninja and Yolandi take issues of identity very seriously. They jealously ensure that no one even indirectly tries to copy their appearance or simply be like them. In 2016, after the release of Suicide Squad, the artists criticized director David Ayer, who allegedly adopted some elements of the group's style. They even referred to confirmation of this from Cara Delevingne and Jared Leto, although they did not speak out about what happened in the press. “Die Antwoord” did not dare to defend their opinion in court, limiting themselves to several posts on social networks and a video on this topic.

The release of the song “I Don’t Care” - a translated and processed version of “If you went on a journey with a friend” by Russian composer Vladimir Shainsky could have ended in scandal. He did not sell the rights to the composition to artists from South Africa, although in a 2013 interview Ninja mentioned the opposite. Perhaps the musician's poor health and advanced age were the reason for his reluctance to get bogged down in litigation for several months, so he abandoned the lawsuit.

Die Antwoord – Alien

In an interview in 2018, Ninja hinted at a possible transformation of the group after the release of the fifth album. He did not specify whether these would be changes in sound or composition, but emphasized that without movement and change, development is impossible.

Today it became known that the incredible Die Antwoord will perform at UPark on the third day of the festival and will take the place of The Prodigy in the lineup, who canceled all their performances after the tragic death of Keith Flint. Of course, it is impossible to replace the inimitable The Prodigy and Keith, but Ninja and Yolandi are also very, very cool!

Last summer they performed for the first time in Kyiv - and everyone was absolutely delighted. They are preparing to release their latest album this year, so this performance may also be their last. Do not miss!

We have collected for you 25 interesting facts about the group that you probably didn’t know!

Die Antwoord is a popular South African rave band formed in Cape Town in 2008.

Extravagant, unusual and kind freaks. It seems as if they flew from another planet to expose human weaknesses, openly ridiculing people's desire for money, fame and power. Some of their songs seem ridiculously simple, but in reality they are much deeper. They are filled with self-irony and humor.

Die Antwoord rarely give interviews, and many facts about their lives remain hidden.

1. Die Antwoord means ‘answer’ in Afrikaans.

2. The group consists of three musicians: Ninja, Yolandi Visser and DJ Hi-Tek.

3. Ninja's real name is Watkin Tudor Jones. He called himself 'Ninja' after many other aliases: The Man Who Never Came Back, MC Totally Rad, Yang Weapon, Max Normal, Constructus Corporation, Maxnormal.TV, Watkin Tudor Jones, Jones Junior. In Cape Town he is most often called 'Waddy'.

4. Ninja loves to puzzle listeners: 'I want to make songs that make people think, 'What the hell is this?'

5. Yolandi's real name is Henri Du Toit.

6. Yolandi was adopted and raised in the family of a priest. She has never met her biological parents and does not know who they were.

7. In 2011, when she was 27 years old, Yolandi adopted a nine-year-old boy, Tokki.

8. Die Antwoord perform counterculture music Zef, which means 'ordinary' or 'hillbilly' in Afrikaans. Yolandi explains: ‘ZEF is when you are poor, but fashionable and sexy. You don't have money, but you have style.' At one time they even thought of renaming the group 'ZEF'

9. When Die Antwoord were little known, they released their debut album '$O$' (2009) and distributed it for free online. This has proven to be a great way to reach fans all over the world.

10. Their music video 'Enter The Ninja' attracted so much attention that it went viral - everyone who saw it shared the video with friends and on their social media pages.

11. Die Antwoord created all their videos, videos, photographs and website themselves and with the help of close friends.

12. When asked where the band gets their inspiration from, Ninja replies: ‘Yes, from a taxi! Here in South Africa, the rave constantly plays out of taxis. You can hear it all around the city. Therefore, my main source of inspiration is taxis. Our entire album sounds like if you are standing next to a car and hear music from there.

13. Ninja and Yolandi have a daughter named Sixteen.

14. Both parents have a tattoo in honor of their daughter: Ninja has the number 16 on her face, and Yolandi has a portrait of Sistine on her shoulder.

15. At the same time, Yolandi and Ninja are best friends and deny romantic relationships.

16. Both musicians are vegetarians.

17. In 2010, David Fincher invited Yolandi to play the lead role in the film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yolandi refused because she wanted to devote herself entirely to music. She says: ‘I said no because I can’t half share something with music. Music is my calling. I don't want to lose focus.'

18. But now the group is not averse to acting in films, and in 2014 Ninja and Yolandi starred in the film ‘A Robot Named Chappie’.

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Yolandi Visser told her story

2015-02-28
by: showbizby
Published in:

Arriving in Hollywood at the invitation of director Neill Blomkamp to play a role in his new film Chappie, Die Antwoord frontwoman Yolandi Visser stopped by the Dazed & Confused editorial office to tell her amazing story about the path to fame.

Yolandi Visser shows up at the bar of an old-school Hollywood hotel, looking like an albino gangster from another dimension. She's wearing a wide black paita with the word "BO$$" sewn on it, and Yolandi is wearing bright green sneakers. The Die Antwoord frontwoman takes a seat in a leather chair and orders coffee and freshly squeezed juice. The bar's visitors look at her in surprise, and it is not surprising, because this blond little miracle with a menacing look and a childish voice appeared literally out of nowhere.

“When I return to my home in South Africa, I almost never go anywhere without security,” says Yolandi. “I don’t have to take care of anything anymore, for some reason people want to wait on me.”

It’s hard to imagine that this 160-centimeter young mother was able to set the heat on all the self-proclaimed moralists and conservatives. But this always happens when people who have been at the very bottom of the social ladder become popular. They pay for everything.

Yolandi Visser, born Henri Du Toit, has managed to become an atypical pop icon. Either she sings in the thin voice of a seductive Lolita, or she raps aggressively, mixing English and Afrikaans in her reading. She broke all the canons of the pop industry and gained popularity together with her bandmates - rapper Ninja and DJ Hi-Tek. Since breaking out with their hit single "Enter the Ninja" in 2010, Die Antwoord have established a strong presence in the industry and have cemented an image of "crazy punk innovators" that the band strives to maintain at any cost. At the end of last year 2014, they released their new video “Ugly Boy”, which starred such stars as Jack Black, Dita Von Teese, ATL Twins, and supermodel Cara Delevingne. All sorts of freaks love Die Antwoord and support them in every possible way, which is why the group's concerts have become some of the most unforgettable and energetic shows in the world of music. The crowd is chanting wildly: “zef”, “zef”, “zef” is the name of the South African street culture that inspired their favorite band to create their image.

Yolandi rarely gives interviews, and almost never alone. She prefers to remain a mystery; a rave elf from the land of Zef, whose story will remain unrevealed. “It just annoys me when we are asked the same questions. For example: “Are you real?”, journalists just want to disgrace us, put us down and supposedly “bring us into the open,” so over time I began to give interviews less and less, until my desire completely disappeared. But now there is Facebook and Instagram, so who needs these interviews. But sometimes we need to share new information and we go to meet journalists. Like now"

After the group surpassed 200 million views on their YouTube videos, Ninja and Yolandi hit the big screen, joining Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver in District 9 director Neill Blomkamp's new film, Chappie. " In the film, the couple play musicians turned gangsters who shelter and try to turn the robot Chappie into a human.

“There is something special about Yolandi and Ninja, they both attract you in an incomprehensible way,” Blomkamp shared with us. “It doesn’t matter whether you love them or hate them, but they catch you. And there is something about Yolandi that is hard to describe in words. You yourself don’t know why you suddenly start to like her so much. She has a kind of split personality - the dissonance between her visual image and what she raps about is fascinating. This is what, apart from the fact that she is very smart, interests people in a way that no one else could.”

Yolandi was born on December 1, 1982 in a small provincial town in the eastern
coast of South Africa - Port Alfred. As a child, Visser was adopted by a married couple - a priest and a housewife. Yolandi admits that in her youth it was very difficult for her, she constantly felt that she had no place anywhere. Growing up, Yolandi says, she was a “little punk” who was constantly getting into trouble.

“It’s very strange and unlike me, to be honest, because by nature I’m very soft and caring.”

She says she's a goth at heart (“Me and my girlfriend even dyed our underwear black”) and adores artists like PJ Harvey, Nine Inch Nails, Cypress Hill, and Aphex Twin.

“I love everything dark. When Alpex Twin's "Come To Daddy" video came out and was directed by Chris Cunningham, I was just praying for it." The influence of this video is felt in the dark, slightly bloody video for "Ugly Boy", in which Yolandi appears as a cute, but slightly frightening demon, with eyes dark as a pool.

At the age of 16, Yolandi was sent to a boarding school in Yolandi, a 9-hour drive from her home, and there, surrounded by other creative children, the girl finally blossomed.

“I was lucky with the school. The people there were incredibly creative, and unusually broad-minded for South Africa. I was incredibly happy. For the first time in my life, I met people who were just as creative as me.”

Yolandi never knew her mother and father and doesn’t even want to know. She knows very little about them, only that her mother was white. Not long ago, the artist, who uses facial features to determine whether a person belongs to any race or nationality, said that Yolandi is colored (“Colored” in South Africa refers to people of mixed race). When Yolandi first heard this suggestion, she had this reaction: “I told her, 'No, I'm white,' but after she started asking me about my family, I became doubtful. Now I think I can be colored.” Yolandi believes her father may have been black. She was born at a time of intense hostility between the white and black populations and thinks that her mother’s parents could have forced her to send her child to an orphanage because they did not want to have a granddaughter from a black man. But this is just a theory.

Another important factor that helped Yolandi become the person she is is Ninja. Her daughter's father and Die Antwoord bandmate. “We are connected forever, we are connected in life and music. We cannot be whole without each other." Ninja's real name is Watkin Tudor Jones, he is 40 and has been rapping since he was 13. Ninja grew up in Johannesburg and spent much of his youth in rap nightclubs, where he learned to rap.

“You have to be a really good rapper to be taken seriously, especially if you're white,” says Yolandi. Visser met Ninja outside a Cape Town nightclub around 2003. He was dressed in a tracksuit and sneakers to match the suit, and at that time he was performing in the hip-hop duo Handsome Boy Modeling School.

“When Yolandi and I first met, she said to me, ‘What’s wrong with you? What are you wearing? Do not come to me". She was a little gloomy girl who looked about 13 years old. I was afraid of her.”

After Yolandi and Ninja met again at one of his shows, he invited the gothic Visser to provide vocals for one of the tracks of his new hardcore band, The Constructus Corporation.

“I just wanted her to say, ‘Take it, you motherfuckers!’ in her signature way and her unique voice. We got to the studio, she did what she was asked to do, and I just fell out! This was just what we needed!” Visser told Ninja that she didn't know anything about rap and he promised to teach her everything. They were in a relationship for some time, and in 2004 she became pregnant with his child.

“I was still very young - sharing Yolandi - At that moment I thought: “Fuck, my life is over,” because all my friends were smoking weed and partying, and I was sitting at home with the child. But I was very strict about my duties as a mother. There was no more weed or booze. I was a good mom. But it was hard. I felt very lonely and distant from everyone for a very long time, but in the end, it was all for the better, because it helped Ninja and I become truly close people. If this had not happened, everything could have turned out differently in our lives.”

They are no longer together, although many fans sincerely wish they would get back together. “A lot of people still see us as a couple. And this is not surprising, because we have a very rare relationship, a rare union. It's rather strange that we are not a couple. But it would be too difficult for lovers to have a common child and a common group.”

Yolandi also has an adopted son, Tokki, a boy whom she adopted several years ago. He was nine years old at the time, his family lived very poorly, so Yolandi offered to take him home for the weekend, and then he came to live with her.

“I always had an inexplicable, literally at the subconscious level, connection with street children and all kinds of scum,” says Yolandi. “I saw great potential in Tokki, and I knew that if he remained a wanderer, there would be no prospects for him. No one will give a damn about him. And now he has blossomed and become a charming boy.”

In 2007, Yolandi invited Ninja to create a group, and it was then that the first seeds of the Die Antwoord group were sown. Having started working on the first tracks, they turned to DJ Hi-Tek, their good friend, for help.” Hitech soon became a mysterious figure, always present but always behind the scenes. Even at concerts, he usually stands behind the DJ console wearing a mask or a jacket with a hood pulled up to his nose.

“It was the start of something. There were now three of us. And we wanted to come up with images for ourselves, and not just sit in the studio and write tracks. We wanted to come up with our own style." It was then that the famous hairstyle was born.

Visser swears that nothing like that was on her mind until she began to embrace her brutal, cyber-punk essence as Die Antwoord finally found their style. It was 2009 and they were filming their second video. The director of the video wanted her to be a cute little girl.

“I had long blonde hair and people made fun of me, calling me Britney and Gaga. And I told Ninja that I need to come up with something unique. I wanted to look so that my appearance expressed my soul and my personality. The ninja offered to shave off my temples... At that moment, it was as if I was born again.”

Visser's hairstyle and white eyebrows are more reminiscent of another perverted fashion or a desperate desire to attract attention. Her style declares that she is proud of herself and is not afraid to be who she wants to be. To this day, Ninja shave her temples. No one else is allowed to touch Yolandi's hair. Visser remembers the night in which her whole life changed as if it were just yesterday. On February 3, 2010, Die Antwoord were scheduled to perform in Johannesburg.

“It was raining heavily that day and I told Ninja: “No one will come in such and such rain!” But when we got to the stage where we were supposed to perform, people started shouting our names and everything. I remember that night like it was yesterday: the microphone broke and the crowd sang all the lyrics for us. As I drove home, I couldn't understand what had just happened to me. It feels like life has turned 180 degrees. We were like children who got their hands on something sweet.”

That night their video was watched 10 thousand times. The mailbox address was still listed on the band's official website and fans began writing letters to them. The next morning the video was already shown on TV in the USA, and a little later a representative of the record company Interscope contacted them and offered to sign a contract. They flew to the USA to personally meet with the company's legendary founder, Jimmy Iowaine.

After some time, Hollywood was already knocking on their doors. Famous director David Fincher offered Yolandi the leading role in the film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

“My manager then called me and said: “You have to agree, otherwise say goodbye to your career. But I refused. Because I didn’t want to do anything besides music. This is my calling."

Visser understood that if she switched her attention from music to cinema for a year, then Die Antwoord would lose themselves. Fincher continued to call her and offer to meet, but she refused.

“If I decide something, then my decision is final and unconditional. Even if it is incorrect. I hate doubting. Therefore, if I decide something, I follow my line to the end.”

At the same time, Neill Blomkamp invited Ninja to star in his new film Elysium.

“I asked Nindya to refuse the role and then we had a big fight. Because he is very ambitious, much more ambitious than me. He was like, “Let’s do everything!” I felt that if we went into the shadows now, the group would be forgotten. So I persuaded him to wait.”

The role eventually went to Matt Damon and the couple returned to South Africa to record their second studio album.
After the album was recorded, they sent the demo tape to Interscope and waited to hear their verdict.

“I felt like I was at school. They told us: "The album is good, but it lacks rave." We replied: “How many more rave do you want?”

The label said that they needed to record three more songs, and one duet with some promoted artist.
“We didn’t like it very much.

We were like, “Fuck you! Why should we collaborate with an artist we don't like or feel? We were under a lot of pressure, so we called our lawyers and said, “Can you make Interscope disappear from our lives?”

Their lawyers were unsure about the case. “Our contract was as thick as a Bible.” But luckily for Die Antwoord, Interscope let them go without any fuss.

“It seemed to me that they were just afraid of the Ninja. They gave us a million dollars and we gave it back. We didn't want their money, we just wanted to do what we were passionate about. Everyone around said: “They are fake, they are pretending!”, and I answered: “No, we want to prove that we can become better and that we did not get everything because of luck, like Vanilla Ice.”

In 2012, the group released the album “Ten$ion” on their label “Zef Records” and refused the offer to open for them on a world tour. Die Antwoord are currently recording their fourth studio album with DJ Muggs, whom they met at a traditional Italian birthday party.

“When we arrived at the party, Ninja and I felt like we were in the movie “The Godfather” - everything was so in that style. And then our friend introduced us to Muggs. We've always loved his dark music. Cypress's beats have always been so warm and catchy, but at the same time dark and heavy. We were really interested in him and Ninja said: “We should work with him.”

The band and DJ recorded 8 songs at Flea's studio in LA. Yolandi describes the songs as: “Crazy and dark and very atmospheric. We always joke with Muggs that he is of the same blood as us. Our creative visions are very similar and that's what I call true collaboration that works."

Their collaboration with film director Neill Blomkamp can also be called extremely organic. Instead of tailoring Die Antwoord to his vision, the director wrote the script based on the characters of these two. He wanted them to be themselves, and not one of his inventions.

“I know a lot of contemporary artists,” says Neil, “but very few of them do what they really want. The modern artists we see on TV are very bland and predictable. Yolandi and Ninja do not succumb to the industry influences that many other artists succumb to, which makes their work simply boring. I find this the most interesting thing about them.”

Despite concerns that audiences would not understand Yolandi and Ninja's thick South African accents, Blomkamp insisted that Yolandi and Ninja could not be played by anyone other than themselves. During the filming of Chappie, many directors said that they finally understood the indescribable magnetism of Ninja and Yolandi and even wanted to make a show with them based on real events. At that time, Ninja and Yolandi had already begun filming a documentary about their lives, but then decided that the TV show format would tell their story better.

“We wanted to make a film about ourselves. About how we signed a contract with Interscope. About the night we became famous. About our daughter. About our crazy adventures in the West. It's impossible to produce something like this. This can only be experienced. These stories and emotions are indescribable.” They wanted to call the show "ZEF".

By the way, Yolandi says that they even wanted to change the name of the group to “Zef”.

“Die Antwoord is, of course, a cool name, but it is too complicated and sounds somehow German. The meaning of our band name “Answer” is very deep and I really like it because it conveys our philosophy, but “Zef” is much... simpler. Ninja is a simple guy. Yolandi is also very simple. And Zef couldn’t be simpler either. But let’s see what happens next, right?”

Translation by Vlad Kitkat

The lead singer of Die Antwoord is known as Yo-landi Visser. She's easy to recognize and hard to forget thanks to her alien hairstyle, white eyebrows, and ability to combine a cute little voice with an aggressive rap. Many interesting facts remain behind the scenes, and they will be discussed in the article.

Origin and childhood

The biography of the lead singer of Die Antwoord does not begin in the most rosy way. The girl does not know her biological parents. Presumably, the mother was white and the father was black. As the girl herself suspects, her mother could have been forced by close relatives to abandon the child due to racial conflicts within the country.

The girl was taken in by a religious family - a priest and a housewife. Yolandi had an older brother who was also adopted. She was always oppressed by the strict principles of her family and the conservative environment of the provincial town of Port Alfred, in which she spent her childhood. The child grew up problematic and wayward. St Dominic's Catholic School for Girls failed to tame her difficult character. At the age of 16, Yolandi became involved in a school fight, which resulted in her expulsion.

The beginning of a musical journey

The difficult teenager was sent to study at the Praetorian boarding school, a 9-hour drive from home. Here the atmosphere was more creative, the peers were more advanced. She admits that at the boarding school she finally found like-minded people and felt free.

Our heroine’s classmate was interested in experimenting with the music creation program FL-studio. As one of them, he recorded a composition with the voice of Yolandi, which was positively received and distributed by his classmates. So, at the age of 16, the future star first tried herself as a participant in a creative project. But the girl did not take this experiment seriously and did not make further musical plans.

Meet the Ninja

After finishing school at 18, Yolandi and her adoptive parents moved to the more developed Cape Town to find some work. Like most of her peers, she often went to clubs. In one of them, Yolandi soon met a young guy named Watkin Tudor Jones. Then he rapped in a local group, and now he is known as Ninja. This acquaintance became a fateful event for the young people.

At first they just hung out together. Ninja was impressed by the girl’s unusual voice and saw the potential for creating interesting joint compositions. The future soloist of Die Antwoord did not understand music at all and did not believe in her capabilities in this direction. But she was interested in what Ninja was doing. He promised to educate the girl about hip-hop and teach her everything. Yolandi became the rapper's personal assistant and participated in some recordings. Gradually, an understanding of musical culture, the ability to control one’s voice and read rap appeared.

Birth of a daughter

Soon the girl became pregnant. In 2004, she gave birth to a girl named Sistine. The young parents tried to start a more serious relationship for the sake of the child. However, it didn’t work out. Both realized that marriage would not end and decided to remain friends. However, both parents are actively involved in raising a child from the very beginning.

For some time after the birth of the child, Yolandi fell out of her usual way of life and was engaged in education. While all her friends were out partying and smoking weed, she was forced to learn how to be a responsible mom. The girl admits that at some moments it was offensive, but it was worth it. And as her daughter grew up, creative plans matured in the young mother’s head.

The birth of Die antwoord and the soloist style

After the collapse of another group in which Ninja read, in 2007 Yolandi invited him to create a joint one. A mutual friend known as DJ Hi-Tek was hired as a DJ for the team. Experiments and searches for style did not last long. Almost immediately the direction of the group was determined - zef-rap (the more common name is rap-rave). The lead singer of Die Antwoord characterizes it as the music of scum who have no money, but have style.

It was necessary to create a memorable image for each participant. Yolandi then was a typical pretty young blonde from the Britney Spears category. Fateful changes occurred in 2009. The group was filming their first video, and the girl did not want to agree with the image of a cutie that the director saw in her. The ninja said, "Well, let's just do it!" and shaved off her temples. This is how the famous frontwoman hairstyle was born. She admits that she then felt extraordinary energy and inspiration from how much her external appearance reflected her internal state. Since then, only Ninja touches the singer’s hair.

In the photo of the lead singer of Die antwoord, her hairstyle is amazing.

Actor career

David Fincher invited the performer to star in his film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” She categorically refused to negotiate, despite statements from others that it was unforgivable to miss such an opportunity. Yolandi justified her choice by saying that she wanted to devote herself entirely to music, to do what she knows how and how she feels. Be true to yourself, even if it is wrong from the point of view of commercial success. In addition, filming would practically take away at least a year of life, which was an unaffordable luxury, given the need to achieve musical goals and raise a child.

However, it can still be seen on the big screen. In 2014, he and Ninja played themselves in the film Chappie. There are several possible reasons for agreeing to filming. Influenced by Ninja, who was always more ambitious. Director Blomkamp's South African heritage probably also inspired loyalty to the proposal. But the most important factor, most likely, was the absence of the need to transform into another character on screen, the opportunity to remain yourself. Be that as it may, participation in the film had a good effect on the recognition of the musicians.

Children

In addition to her own daughter Sistine, the lead singer of Die Antwoord has an adopted son, Tokki. She adopted a boy from a poor family that could not provide him with decent maintenance and education. Yolandi met him wandering the streets of Joburg and at first she simply picked up Tokki on weekends. But she soon realized that this was not a solution, that the promising boy would get lost in the slums. And she took him completely under her wing.

Yolandi admits that it was very difficult for her as a child, she felt like a stranger and unnecessary to anyone. She has an almost family connection with street children; they evoke special sympathy.

Despite the provocative image, according to eyewitnesses, the singer is an exemplary and caring mother. To spend more time with their daughter, parents take her on tour and to shoot music videos. The baby even took part in some of them.

Many will be interested:

• Many people don’t know the actual name of the lead singer of Die antwoord - Henri du Toit. She chose this stage name because she simply fell in love with the popular South African name Yolandi. She says that in her life she knew more than 30 girls with that name. And since the group works in the Zef culture, this name fits in perfectly. The soloist calls it a pleasant bonus for herself that her name begins with YO!
• The girl was born on December 1, 1984. According to her zodiac sign she is Sagittarius, and according to the eastern horoscope she is Rat. And now you can calculate how old the lead singer of Die antwoord is!

• Yolandi is a very petite girl. Height - 1.55 cm, weight - 45 kg. Approximate parameters: 79-53-81. The singer is not predisposed to be overweight, but due to a busy touring schedule, her weight is constantly decreasing.
• Favorite musicians: NIrvana, Nine Inch Nails, Cypress Hill, Aphex Twin, Marylin Manson, Eminem.
• The band's name, Die Antwoord, means "The Answer". In recent interviews, the soloist expressed the idea of ​​changing the name to the more understandable “ZEF” in honor of the street culture they represent.
• In 2013, Yolandi moved to Los Angeles. Due to its great popularity in South Africa, it rarely appears without protection.
• Poorly informed people believe that Yolandi and Ninja are married. Fans have long dreamed that they would still be together. But there is absolutely no information about the personal life of the lead singer of Die Antwoord. However, Ninja is now officially married. And Yolandi has repeatedly asserted that they have long been connected only by music.

Die Antwoord

Die Antwoord The Answer
Die Antwoord performing at the El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, July 17, 2010
basic information
Genre	Zef-rap, Rap-rave
Years	from 2008 to present
A country	South Africa
Where
Language of songs
Labels	Interscope, Cherrytree, Polydor, Rhythm Records
Compound	Ninja Yo-Landi Vi$$er
Other projects	The Original Evergreens MaxNormal.TV The Construct Corporation
www.dieantwoord.com

Die Antwoord- a group consisting of two members (Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er), performing music in the style of “zef-rap” (“zef” - in Afrikaans approximately “white trash”, “redneck”) or otherwise “rap- rave." Die Antwoord was formed in Cape Town, South Africa. .

History of the group

Die Antwoord became the founders of the style of music " zef-rap" The group gained popularity thanks to the song and video “ Enter the ninja" by posting it on YouTube. The clip, despite its poor content, quickly collected a huge number of views and helped the group gain many fans. The text of the SMiLE.dk group “Butterfly” was used http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_qwUS8Uqjg. Watkin Tudor Jones himself (aka Waddy Jones, Ninja) says that he was inspired to create a new page in the book of musical styles... by a taxi.

“In South Africa, the rave is constantly coming out of taxis, bro,” Ninja tells reporters. - You can hear it all around the city, driving past a taxi, and shaking - BOOM, BOOM. Therefore, my main source of inspiration is taxis. Our entire album sounds like if you are standing next to a car and hear music coming from there.”

The mysterious history of the appearance of these guys only increases their growing popularity every day, and the role of “dirty” rap ravers who “send everyone right and left” explodes with enthusiastic crowds. Lyrics Die Antwoord rude and simple-minded, but perhaps that’s what listeners like. The unpretentiousness of the lyrics, according to listeners, makes it possible for everyone to feel equal to their favorite performer.

Composition of the group

Main participant - Zef rap-rave master NINJA name is Waddy Jones, also known as The Man Who Never Came Back, MC Totally Rad, Yang Weapon or Max Normal(The list goes on), also a girl YO-LANDI VI$$ER (Anri Du Toit). And the third character is mysterious Bit-Box monster under a pseudonym DJ Hi-Tek, who takes part in the videos exclusively behind the scenes. Also Leon Botha, who gained popularity after the group’s videos. Leon Botha suffered from a rare disease, progeria, which causes people to age very quickly. Usually the average age of patients is 13 years, but Leon is an old-timer among them. He died on June 5, 2011 at the age of 26.

Zef Rap

Zef-Rap, or Rap-Rave is a completely new direction in the modern world of music. In combination with the cheerful motives of New Rave, high-quality Rap takes on an extraordinary sound, and both of these directions complement each other in a new style - Zef Rap, given to us by the guys from the group Die Antwoord

Discography

Albums

• 2009 $O$(MP3, album, self-released)
• 2010 $O$ (revised version)( , album, Cherrytree Records) U.S. #109
• 2012 Tension

Mini Albums (EP)

• 2010 5 (CD, Cherrytree Records)
• 2010 Ekstra(CD, EP, Cherrytree Records)

Singles

• 2009 Wat Pomp(feat. Jack Parow)
• 2009 Beat Boy
• 2010 Enter the Ninja
• 2010 Fishpaste
• 2010 Evil Boy(feat. Wanga)
• 2011 Rich Bitch
• 2011 Fok Julle Naaiers
• 2012 I Fink U Freeky
• 2012 Baby's On Fire
• 2012 XP€N$IV $H1T
• 2012 Dis Iz Why I"m Hot (Zef Remix)
• 2012 FATTY BOOM BOOM

Notes

Links

• South African group Die Antwoord invents the "Zef" culture, creates a new hip-hop and conquers the "interweb".

Categories:

• Musical groups in alphabetical order
• Musical groups of the 2000s
• Musical groups of South Africa
• Musical groups that appeared in 2008

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