A Cape Flats activist and hip hop legend has accused Die Antwoord of glamourising prison gangs.
Emile YX? also accused the white zef band of cultural expropriation and perpetuating insulting stereotypes of coloured people.
In their latest music video, called Baita Jou Sabela, featuring rapper Slagysta, Die Antwoord salutes prison gangs and even features a former self-confessed drug dealer and alleged gang boss, playing the role of a warden.
COLLABORATE: Rapper Slagysta in cell.
In the video, Die Antwoord’s Ninja is locked up in a single cell by alleged former Americans dik ding Kaldumalla “Dimes” Madatt, while Slagysta is in an overcrowded cell surrounded by bandiete in orange overalls.
Madatt allegedly closed a church in Rocklands in 2010 and turned it into a shebeen.
It was initially thought the video was shot inside Pollsmoor Prison, but it turns out it was filmed at the Castle of Good Hope in early November.
There’s even a signboard similar to that at Pollsmoor, but it says “Zefside Correctional Services: a place of new beginnings”.
IN MANG: Dik ding plays prison warden
The almost four-minute long video, which has a gqom beat, shows prisoners dowweling with a dice and R20 notes and cellphones on the floor.
They also smoke entjies and a white pipe, showing off their tjappies, while Slagysta raps in sabela(prison gang language): “ Verskillende tronke, gedruk in a corner, manne van different gronde word gebind in a nommer.”
Die Antwoord’s Yolandi Visser pulls up in a Lamborghini, handing two wads of cash to the warden (Madatt) who then burns her berk’s docket and sets Ninja free.
In a vuilbek rap, she sings: “I’m made of sugar and spice and everything nice with a little bit of evil. Los my uit, wie’s jy, jou ma se p***, f** off.”
At the end of the video, Slagysta gives shoutouts to all the tronke in the Western Cape, singing “ skangaga volle nomme”.
The Daily Voice can reveal Die Antwoord had applied to the Department of Correctional
Services to shoot the video inside Pollsmoor, but were denied.
DCS spokesman Mosele Sehloho confirms: “The video was not shot in Pollsmoor. The orange attire/overalls that are worn in that video, is not DCS offender uniform.”
COLLABORATE: Rapper Slagysta in cell
Hip Hop artist Emile YX?, who campaigns against gangsterism and drugs and the stereotyping of bruin mense, says Die Antwoord is making money off cultural stereotypes “just like Elvis Presley, Johnny Clegg and Mango Groove”.
“Die Antwoord’s success in South Africa or in the world is to steal or appropriate others’ cultural stereotypes and make the most money from it,” he says.
“Elvis did it with rock (music), Johnny Clegg was the best known Zulu, Eminem is the best known rapper.
“It’s how racist the industry actually is. White people need other white people to first say it’s OK... it’s how it works on every level of white-run media or entertainment. Without white endorsement it’s a moerse struggle.
KWAAD: Hip hop icon Emile YX?
“As long as we buy in, koep gevriet and gatkruip to satisfy their world, we will always be what they say we are and be powerless to change that perspective within their media, entertainment, schools, universities, world.
“We will only be free when we free us from the global gangsters of white supremacy by creating our own institutions with our own Afrocational
content.”
Despite our queries, the Daily Voice got no answers from Die Antwoord.