Afrikaans Band Die Antwoord (The Answer) haven’t yet sold a single CD, yet they’ve reached global cult status.  What everyone thought was just a joke, turns out to be dead serious (like a ninja). We present you with one of today’s most popular bands; meet South Africa’s Die Antwoord…

For those of you that have been asleep for the last month, you have truly missed out. The interweb (as the band likes to call it) has been abuzz with searches on the Cape Town rap group as word continues to spread at warped speed across social networking sites. With over 50 000 fans on Facebook and almost three million visits to their website to date, Die Antwoord has taken over the interweb infiltrating pc computers the world over. In fact, they may just be the biggest thing to hit the internet since the arrival of Facebook or dare I say it, Chuck Norris.

Controversial they may be, as their lyrics are anything but P.C, South African band Die Antwoord have become an overnight sensation. It may well be the strangest yet awkwardly fresh sound to hit the music scene in a long time. Their sheer rawness, crude lyrics and unusual get-up may throw you at first, but give them a chance and you’ll welcome their raw talent and sound. Tongue in cheek lyrics aside, one can appreciate the satire in their performance and their undeniable ability to entertain.

It all began six months ago when the world was introduced to the dynamic trio when a video clip of them was aired on an American TV programme. Their lyrics are somewhat vile, incorporating both English and Afrikaans profanities which just adds more colour to these already raunchy rhymes. Despite this, they have still put out some tracks that are impossible to stop listening to.

Die Antwoord members include Ninja, Yo-landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. At first glance, it is hard to take this group seriously at all, which has prompted many questions regarding their authenticity. Ninja has a tall and lanky build, is covered in tattoos and short shorts. Don’t let the petite physique of his counterpart Yo-landi fool you, as a powerful and expletive voice awaits her tiny frame complete with a platinum blonde mullet. Producer and the ever-silent third member of the band is DJ Hi-Tek, who prefers to remain behind the scenes. Their style is an absurd version of white trash and their music is surprisingly entertaining.

Die Antwoord performs “zef” music, “zef” being an Afrikaans term which loosely translates to the American equivalent of Redneck. Their lyrics are performed in both Afrikaans and English and are rather funny yet explicit. “Zef means, like, the ultimate style,” says Ninja in an interview with News 24 posted on YouTube. “Everybody has, like, an inner zef,” says Yo-landi “it’s just like a zone we flex.”

Pop sensation Kate Perry recently tweeted a line from one of the trio’s tunes, “Enter the Ninja” and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, cited ‘Die Antwoord’ as his new favourite band.

So is the zef-rap group from Cape Town for real? It appears that the answer is irrelevant. It’s not often you see such creativity, and uniqueness both musically and visually. So yes, they are absolutely ridiculous and there’s a good chance that they are faking it but the music is catchy, their videos are entertaining, and their beats are definitely “next-level.”