UPDATE (9/10/16): Yolandi Visser and Ninja have debunked break-up rumors via posts on Instagram
Watkin Tudor Jones and Anri Du Toit are two of the biggest names in music, but you know them better as Ninja and Yolandi Vi$$er of Die Antwoord. Since their startling aesthetic and tongue-in-cheek productions began captivating minds in 2009, the endeavor was only envisioned to be a five album project, and they’re staying true to their original intent. Ninja and Yolandi have just announced that in September 2017, Die Antwoord is over.
“Die Antwoord dies on that day. It’s all over. I feel beautiful about it. I’m not scared of the end. I’m a Ninja. I’m not scared of death.”
Still, their planned disbandment isn’t going to stop at a couple blog posts documenting the event. No, Die Antwoord is planning a massive art exhibition in The Museum of Contemporary Modern Art Africa, no doubt including their long-time muse and collaborator Roger Ballen, which will coincide with a fifth studio album. They’re also going to release a movie depicting the odyssey of Die Antwoord from birth to death, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from these masters of all things high-concept. In fact, the movie South African Ninja has been in the making for the last 10 years, long before Die Antwoord was a thing.
“That’s been our well that we’ve been drinking from and drawing from since the beginning of Die Antwoord. We actually started writing it before Die Antwoord. So, it’s been in the background for all of our ideas, which have all come from this film. It’s a South African gangster film that has African ninjas in it. Everything in the film is fictitious, like a regular movie, but it’s hard and raw, and everything has some parallel to our lives, so it’s got a surreal connection to everything.”
However, the death of Die Antwoord doesn’t necessarily mean the death of Ninja, Yolandi, or even DJ Hi Tek (now known as God). These characters have become so ingrained in Jones and Du Toit, that it would make sense for each to continue down their own path with collaborations and solo work. But Watkin Tudor Jones isn’t one to dwell on a project, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new alias born from the death of Die Antwoord. (If you’re feeling frisky to learn more about the group’s history, this documentary is just what you need.)
Have a listen to “Fat Faded Fuck Face,” Die Antwoord’s newest single before Mount Ninji and Da Nice Time Kid releases on September 16th.
H/T Exclaim!