We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Die Antwoord, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more interesting facts about this mysterious rap-rave group from South Africa below.
Number Eight: Ninja Grew Up Rapping. Ninja grew up in the Johannesburg region of South Africa, and in his childhood, he often went to black nightclubs to try and learn how to rap. It was because of this that he has the musical prowess he does today.
Number Seven: No, Ninja and Yo-Landi Are Not an Item. Though Yo-Landi is the mother to Ninja’s child, they are no longer romantically involved. However, they have said in an interview that people constantly assume they are an item. Ninja is actually married to someone else.
Number Six: They Have a Musical Daughter. Speaking of their daughter together, her named is Sixteen Jones. She is in a band with the daughter of Flea, and their band is called The Boy With the Rainbow Face. Unlike her crass parents, Sixteen apparently hates all foul language and is trying to be the opposite of her parents.
Number Five: Yo-Landi Turned Down a Major Movie Role. In 2010, director David Fincher got in touch with Yo-Landi because he wanted her to play the lead in his movie, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. However, she declined.
Number Four: They Also Said No to Lady Gaga. After Die Antwoord left Interscope Records and made their own label, Zef Recordz, they got an offer from Lady Gaga to open for her on her South African portion of her tour. However, they said no.
Number Three: They Have Thought About Changing Their Name. Because the center of Die Antwoord is the concept of zef, they have thought about changing the name of their band to Zef as well. According to Ninja, “I mean, [the name Die Antwoord] is cool because it sounds hard and German and has this cool meaning that is like the essence for us. ‘The answer.’ I have a tenderness for it. But Zef is just, like, easy.”
Number Two: Ninja Has Gone by Many Names. Though Ninja has been Ninja for quite some time now, he has gone by many other names. Just a few of these names include The Man Who Never Came Back, MC Totally Rad, Yang Weapon, and Constructus Corporation.
Number One: They Are True to Themselves. More than almost any other mainstream (if you can even say that about them) outfit, Die Antwoord have always been utterly “themselves.” And that’s what makes their personas so appealing, their draw so magical, and their following so cult-like. Keep doing you, Yo-Landi and Ninja!