Hold on to your hats, kids: Tickets are on sale now for the Mar. 21 performance at Track 29 of South African rap/rave group Die Antwoord. Formed in Capetown in 2008, the trio consists of rappers Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser and DJ Hi Tek.
The group has patterned its image and performance on the concept of “Zef,” an Afrikaans slang word referring to a person whose sense of style transcends their working-class means. Derived from the Ford Zephyr automobile, once a popular and highly modifiable favorite of the working class, it was initially a derogatory term used by the wealthy to refer to their blue-collar counterparts, but has since been adopted as a counterculture term of pride.
Knowing this is key to understanding the group, whose self-described “documentary fiction” is designed for shock value and often leaves the uninitiated a touch bewildered. Nonetheless, Die Antwoord maintains a significant cult following and an artistic influence that has led to an enormous response from their base in the form of fan art.
Tickets are on sale now for this all-ages show and given the popularity and bona-fide cult status of the group, it’d be best to pick yours up sooner, rather than later.