So one of South Africa’s more successful exports was featured on The Letterman Show recently. ‘Whoop whoop, represent!”says I, because South Africa has a lot of talent and we deserve the international exposure , but when I take a second and think of the case in point, the controversial rap duo, Die Antwoord, I cringe at the thought that they will be used as a benchmark or example of what South Africa has to offer. Especially because Die Antwoord is no more than a crude parody of a small sub-culture of the country.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they have a target market, a following, a league of trashy minions desperate enough for attention that they would see Die Antwoord as some kind of idol and struggle infinitely with Antie’s clippers to get their hair to look just like Yolandi Vi$$ers. but seriously, what value has Zef music/”style”/trend have in the SA music scene.
Let me be clear also, that i have no predisposition against controversial behavior either. Elvis Presley was seen to be so controversial that he was only broadcast on television from the waist up. Eminem, who albeit crass, is a lyrical God. But i find no genius in being tacky and gimmicky and passing it off as creative expression. I am not impressed by recycled beats and wanna-be shock factor lyrics
My obvious comparison for the day is to appraise them alongside Jack Parow: Similar listenership; similar cultural, or rather sub-cultural referencing; both have infiltrated the South African music industry with a welcomed dose of Afrikaans rap and local flavours. But Jack Parow is not trash. Jack Parow is not faking it for the fans, Jack Parow is authentic. And that’s why it works because Parow gives up not a parody of ‘south african white trash’ publicity act but rather a familiarity. His song ‘Ek mis’ has got to strike a personal chord with more than quite a handful of folks.
I buy into his music – because although its unmistakably South African it doesn’t taste like stale recycled-rainbow-nation-this-is-africa-die bokke-en-a-braai nonsence nor does it reflect the country in a way other than it is. Jack Parow, as a good mate of mine commented today, has actual talent to back up the gimmick whereas Die Antwoord are left clinging to it.
Okay, so I’ve tried, I’ve given it some thought, I love local music, but when it comes to Die Antwoord, I think you’re freaky but I don’t like you so much.
Dana_derailed 