Die Antwoord’s lowbrow pastiche called zef has given umbrage to their community and international fans with the [NSFW] video for “Evil Boy.” Zef is South Africa’s counterpart to the working class aesthetic of America’s ghetto fabulousness popularized by some genres of rap. The contrast comes in the way zef recycles older cultural and style references like Die Antwoord’s usage of ‘90s house beats instead of the Black American habit to musically innovate and move on to the next thing. However, the lusty sum of David Lynch, street rap and dance music is providing Die Antwoord with the proper sonic bed for their culturally dissonant eyeball-to-eyeball lyrics. In the case of “Evil Boy” Philadelphia producer Diplo twerked a Casio meets 808 drum machine stripper pole beat to dialogue with guest rapper Wanga’s punchy protest against the Xhosa tradition of male circumcision in the bush.

A mélange of phalluses, Yo-Landi’s white toy rat coat, blonde wigged Black girls, wooden sculpture and dark lighting mock the ritual while flexing the gaudiness of cheap shiny populism. Ninja is the group’s main focal point and he shared in a recent interview that Wanga was willing to be an outcast in his homeland rather than be a part of the surgical risk that killed 60 boys this year. Imbalu is the process to manhood the Xhosa people of South Africa believe a boy must undergo or face perpetual childhood, ostracism, disease and acute adversity. Refusal of the ritual will make the procedure a forced one. The typical reading of his statement to only offer his member to women as homophobic is actually his critique of Ugandan masculinity that shuns gays but demands a singular intimacy that can only come from one man circumcising another.

Top still: Wanga confronting Xhosa people. Bottom still: Wanga in Ninja-like boxers with Yo-landi signature-clad dancers

When the band debuted earlier in the year online networks were buzzing over questions of their authenticity but gangsta rap’s dubious players made that inquiry irrelevant years ago. Die Antwoord is sincere about ruffling the status quo; Wanga purposely uses the Xhosa’s most profane word of insult at the beginning of the song to communicate his rhythmic polemic. Umnqunduwakho [pronounced moon-dwako] is the Xhosa equivalent to reducing someone’s existence to the opening of their anus. The success of mainstream rap’s cast of identity shifters like Rick Ross and Die Antwoord’s lack of a straight narrative has obscured “Evil Boy’s” old school motive of truly speaking from the societal perimeter.

Die Antwoord’s album $0$ is in stores now.

[NSFW] Die Antwoord \”Evil Boy\”

By Tamara Harris

Tamara Harris is a music blogger who has published past work in Blues and Soul, Floss, Grip, AOL City and The Metro Times.

It’s been a great week of promotion with our designated Needle in the Haystack Mel! He has some new and exciting things going on including his new, soon-to-be released mix tape, PS Mel. In our interview with Mel, we asked him how his uncle has influenced his music. Mel came back with a simple and reasonable answer. “I grew up around the best, period. So, I only strive to be the best and won’t accept nothin’ less.” Check out the rest of the interview below in our follow up video!

Move over Bieber…there’s a new batch of fresh-faced, super-kids coming for your crown, and they’re packing some serious street cred.

In addition to breakout internet stars like The Astronomical Kid (14-year-old Brooklynite Brian Bradley), two other youngsters are taking the music industry by storm: Willow Smith (the 9-year-old daughter of Will and Jada Smith) and Daniel “Diggy” Simmons (the 15-year-old son of Rev Run).  Though it’s hard to ignore the argument of nepotism with regard to Willow and Diggy’s meteoric rise to fame, there’s no question they are capitalizing on their genetic gifts and tenacious talent to launch their solo careers at an age when most kids are still thinking about a driver’s permit, or in Willow’s case, riding the big rides.

While young starlets are not a new trend—(think Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez) both Willow and Diggy have bypassed the typical Disney-tinged, tween idol approach and gone straight to the big leagues. Neither of their singles, Diggy’s “Oh Yeah” with labelmate Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell or Willow’s “Whip My Hair” scream “teeny bopper kid” pop. Instead, both hold court with the hottest hits on the pop charts, giving their older counterparts a run for their money (and likely an award or two).

Diggy signed with Atlantic Records in March of this year after his debut mixtape, The First Flight, hit his blog in December 2009, garnering critical acclaim most notably for freestyling over Nas’ track ”Made You Look.”

@diggy_simmons

He also inked a deal to rep AT&T in a national TV ad campaign, proving his star power is strong enough to hawk expensive PDA’s to adults rather than lunchboxes and notebooks to kids. Diggy’s latest mixtape, Airborne, released through Atlantic in September seems to serve as a tasty teaser while he continues working on his debut full length album.

But Diggy was well known to the American public before his recent success. The budding rapper, designer, blogger and entrepreneur first arrived in our living rooms at tender age of 10 when his family’s hit reality show, Run’s House, aired on MTV in 2005. It’s not a stretch to see the musical prodigy (progeny) exploring a career in music considering his dad is legendary DJ, Rev. Run of Run DMC and his uncle Russell, heads up Def Jam—though Diggy claims no help from his dad or uncle in getting the deal with Atlantic.  Diggy’s siblings including brother Jo Jo and older sisters, Angela and Vanes (from Rev. Run’s first marriage to Valerie Vaughn) also carved their own careers from the success of the show—launching, in Jo Jo’s case, a music career, while the sisters opted to start a shoe line, acting roles and star in their own MTV spin-off, Daddy’s Girls.

Willow Smith, on the other hand has been in the public eye seemingly from infancy, both as a style icon and as the daughter of  one of the most compelling couples in Hollywood. Willow began her acting career at age 8 alongside mom, Jada Pinkett-Smith in Madagascar 2 before showing off her musical talents with her simultaneously kid-friendly and adult smash single, “Whip My Hair.”  Shortly after the single was leaked online in September, Willow signed with Roc Nation where label President, Jay-Z compared her to a young Michael Jackson.  The single has been so successful legions of young fans (and adults too) began making their own videos to the addictive tune. Willow’s official video for the track, which was directed by Ray Kay (Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga) and debuted on BET earlier this week, features some serious moves, guest appearances and one messy paint fight.

Rumors of a duet between Diggy and Willow seem inevitable. For the moment, we’ll just have to enjoy their musical (and marketing) genius individually.

Willow Smith\’s \”Whip My Hair\”

By Cortney Wills

Cortney Wills is a pop culture journalist born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has lived in LA, Chicago and NYC and enjoys all things entertainment.

Welcome to our first Soul Searching special! Ever have one of those moments with that certain someone when you think to yourself, “I wish I had some jams to make this moment a bit more romantic,”? Well, OurStage has got you covered. We have some seriously talented artists ready to sing their hearts out and set the mood you need. Take a listen to the playlist below and let us know what you think. Got a better song to add to the list? Comment on the post below with a link to the song! To view the full playlist, click the musical note on the player.

Despite signs that the revolution is under way, cultural elitists scoff audibly at the mention of hip hop vis-à-vis theater, musical theater and opera. In fact, the revolution began long ago—some say with the Greeks and surely with Shakespeare—and long before New York Times critic Bruce Weber’s 2002 declaration that “the force of a culture ever more influenced by youth and diversity is beginning to turn the battleship of American mainstream theater.”

When The Seven, Harlem-born rap actor and playwright Will Power’s hip hop version of Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes premiered on the West Coast two years ago, one critic—a self-proclaimed “old, middle-class white guy”—argued that hip hop is too vernacular a style to have any connection to the theater. Another critic said it was audacious and inventive and called it “…part theatrical graffiti-tagging…that blows potent life into the ancient story.”

Successful examples of revered classic theatre influencing modern American theater are evident in Puccini’s La Bohème, which provided story line for Jonathan Larson’s 1994 Lower East Side rock opera, Rent; and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet setting the stage for West Side Story—which has been infused with more current Spanish vernacular by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Stephen Sondheim for its current revival. The potent Broadway success of Miranda’s 2008 musical, In the Heights, further heightened interest in musicals that either incorporate hip hop or utilize the genre as it’s vehicle for story-telling. Just recently Londoner’s met up with a West End phenom, hip hop dance troupe ZooNation’s Sondheim take, titled Into the Hoods –An Urban Fairy Tale with music by Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Basement Jaxx, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre and Black Eyed Peas, among many others. Just two weeks ago an a cappella musical, In Transit, opened at 59 E59 Street Theatres. The only accompaniment is a beat box.

The revolution is everywhere. In the past decade left coast audiences entered the hip hop woods with pieces like Will Power’s The Seven, self (the remix), written and performed by Robert Farid Karimi with live soundscapes by DJ D Double; and, still playing before slack-jawed audiences at the staid Old Globe in San Diego, known mostly for Broadway transfers and the classics, is Kristoffer Diaz’ Lower East Side play, Welcome to Arroyo’s, which employs two onstage DJs, hip hop, graffiti and a whole lot of uncommon “language.” Thousands of San Diego kids will see Arroyo’s before it closes in November thanks to a three-year James Irvine Foundation grant that supports a three-year Globe residence project in Southeast San Diego. Last year’s production was Aaron Jafferis and Ian Williams’ hip hop/rock musical, Kingdom, which incorporated true stories of young men caught up in a cycle of violence.

Photo by Henry DiRocco. GQ as Nelson Cardenal and Wade Allain-Marcus as Trip Goldstein in "Welcome to Arroyo's" by Kristoffer Diaz, at The Old Globe San Diego.

Regional theaters, play- and musical-development festivals and producers nationwide are jostling for discovery and development of the Next Big Thing, and hip hop is right there, contending for dominance, even though grand opera lags behind. Perhaps a young composer will be inspired by MTV’s ground-breaking 2001 telecast of Carmen: A Hip Hopera, based on Bizet’s opera, set in Philly and LA, with Beyoncé Knowles and Mekhi Phifer.

Founded in 2000, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is dedicated to igniting dialogue and social change throughout the performing arts. Not every show needs to include the four basic elements of hip hop—a DJ, graffiti-based visual art, break-dancing and an MC or rapper. The festival emphasizes the importance of language, story, vibe and relevance to today’s world. In a 2005 essay titled “Towards a Hip-Hop Aesthetic,” festival co-founder Danny Hoch asked, “What happens to hip hop’s aesthetics when they are mixed with the aesthetics of recognized art or when the venue moves from street to stage?”

Hoch’s fear is that hip hop art at not-for-profit venues will become highbrow and distant from its intended audience and that theaters will hoard the grant money without really serving the community. “What happens when hip hop moves into the opera house, and we still don’t own the opera house?” he further asks. Just as gentrification changes the hoods that birthed hip hop, it’s inevitable that the assimilation of hip hop into mainstream theater will change hip-hop. Nothing will stem the tide of revolution and cultural elitists might stop denigrating hip hop, which will become an accepted art form, sadly in a slightly different form.

By Charlene Baldridge

Charlene Baldridge is a theatre and music critic based in San Diego.  She boasts numerous national credits include Playbill, Stage Bill, American Theatre and Opera News. Charlene is a registered lyricist, and member of BMI.

Solomon Khan

Erudition isn’t requisite for a successful rap career (See: Lil Jon). But it’s definitely a game changer. That’s probably the first thing you’ll notice about Newark, New Jersey artist Khan Solomon. Dude’s eloquent. His lyrics name-check figures ranging from Greek mythology to sports to pop culture, all in rapid succession. One minute he’s summoning an army of minotaurs, a nanosecond later he’s referencing LeBron James. But the subject that holds Solomon’s interest the longest is religion. Clearly a spiritual man, Solomon uses his music as a pulpit, denouncing the sins of his rivals. The ferocious, booming “Bone Collector” is an electrifying example: “You pagans are slaves to material things / 50 lashes to you fascists, I don’t if you scream/ That you rich/ I don’t give a shit/ Cause I’m a man of god.” Like an inner-city Hamlet, Solomon’s weariness with his fellow man is palpable. On “War Cries” an electronic symphony keens while the rapper chants, “Lord, I’m exposed in the dark while you hide in the light.” But, just when you think you’ve got Solomon pegged as a minister of doom, he surprises you by sampling, of all unholy things, t.A.T.u’s “All The Things She Said.” Solomon’s music needs to be heard to be believed … ye of little faith should give it a spin.

The San Bernardino hills were alive with the sound of music (and the smell of some serious ganja) for the eleventh annual Cypress Hill Smokeout Festival, presented by Guerilla Union, this past Saturday. Forty thousand fans turned out for a day of food, music and of course—marijuana. This marked the first year that certified medical marijuana users were able to consume pot at the show in designated smoking areas. The festival featured a Medical Marijuana Expo that included voter registration booths, product samples and speaking panels on related issues like cultivation, Prop 19 and other relevant issues.

Authors Shirley Halperin and Steve Bloom led a discussion of their new book, Reefer Movie Madness, and hosted a day of stoner movies including Dazed and Confused, Friday and Pulp Fiction. Jeff Dowd, the real-life “The Dude” himself was on-hand to introduce The Big Lebowski.

Despite all the Prop 19 propaganda, the real attraction of the day was the music. Over 26 acts performed on three stages including MGMT, Los Rakas, Slightly Stoopid, Paul Oakenfold and Living Legends.

Nas showed no signs of stress from his current label feud when he joined Damian Marley for a high-energy performance on the main stage, looking and sounding better than he has in years. Damian’s floor-length dreads swung behind as he commanded the crowd to light up during his set, yelling, “I heard this was a smokeout…Everybody SMOKE-OUT!!”

Legendary hip hop group, and the festival’s hosts, Cypress Hill hit the stage with Travis Barker on the drums, delivering a power-packed set of their hits “I Wanna Get High” and “Stoned Is The Way. ” B-Real and Sen Dog sounded as good as they did when the group burst onto the scene almost 20 years ago. After a beat battle between Barker and DJ Muggz, the crowd went wild for a rendition of their classic, “Insane In The Brain.”

New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh

The real showstopper of the evening was Erykah Badu. The crowd waited with baited breath as Badu hit the stage in a blonde wig and plaid poncho that covered her from neck to knees, later revealing a seventies style shift dress. She opened her stellar set with her 2008 hit “The Healer”, emphasizing the politically peppered evening with a raised fist and animated delivery. After introducing her band, “The Cannabinoids”, she followed up with her throwback hit, “On And On” before performing mostly new material sprinkled with fan favorites like “Tyrone”.

By the end of the night, throngs of mellow music lovers gathered at the main stage to watch Incubus end their 18-month hiatus. Despite a lack of fresh material, save for the track “Surface To Air,” they wowed the crowd with classics like “Drive” and “Stellar” to close out the night on a high note.

As the first festival to formally blend fans’ love of music with their love of marijuana, only ten arrests were made (all misdemeanors such as public intoxication). Show sponsors and artists begged the question: Can pot smokers be united and assemble peacefully? Furthermore, is there a chance in hell Prop 19 supporters could see success on the November ballot? The answer, written across signs and t-shirts throughout the festival, was a resounding: “Yes We Cannabis.”

See fan video of Incubus, MGMT, Slightly Stoopid and Deadmau5 performances from Smokeout 2010 here.

By Cortney Wills

Cortney Wills is a pop culture journalist born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has lived in LA, Chicago and NYC and enjoys all things entertainment.

Twenty-year-old Jason Derülo has certainly had an incredible year. It began with his first tour ever, where he found himself not only traveling across the country, but performing for thousands of fans as an opening act for pop megastar Lady Gaga. His hit singles, “Whatcha Say,” “In My Head” and “Ridin’ Solo” have topped the charts for months, and now he’s wrapping up a headlining world tour. OurStage got the chance to speak with Jason about adjusting to the star life and what’s in store for his undoubtedly bright future.

OS: Though you’ve always been a performer, you originally made a name for yourself in the industry as a songwriter for Lil’ Wayne, Cassie and Danity Kane, to name a few. How did you land that job at such a young age?

JD: I was 16 when I got my first placement, and I wasn’t chasing the writing dream. What I was doing was kind of tricking the producer that I was working with into thinking that I was a writer [laughs]. I just really wanted them to record records for me…but I was posing as a songwriter so I could get them to record me.  While I was doing this, I just so happened to get a placement and the ball just kind of started rolling. Once you get one placement, it just kind of snowballs…then Lil’ Wayne, Danity Kane, Cassie, for all these people…P. Diddy…all of them kind of fell in line. Once you start getting more and more, more come.

OS: You had over 300 songs recorded before the album was put together. How did you narrow down that huge list to the nine that eventually ended up on the CD?

JD: I think every song is special in its own way…and I wanted to have every song be totally different from the last. You can kind of tell from the singles… none of them were really in line with the others. Every single song can really spin on its own and be it’s own story. When I narrowed it down, I took the best in each category. Those were the ones that I felt were special.

OS: Your hit single “Whatcha Say” samples Imogen Heap’s song “Hide and Seek.” What made you decide to use that piece for the chorus of your own song?

JD: It was actually JR [Rotem, producer]‘s idea to sample that. When he brought it to me, I was floored because it’s just so different… I knew it would be something that would cut through and would catch people’s attention. It’s such a beautiful song…and when I wrote to it, it really meshed together and it just happened to be magical.

OS: You work with so many other artists as a songwriter but haven’t collaborated with any yet. Who would you most like to collaborate with on a future release?

JD: I’m not that person that’s going to have a million features on his album, because I think that your album is a representation of you. I don’t really need to hang on anyone’s coat tails, you know? If it is a collaboration, it would be a collaboration that’s right for the song. I wouldn’t sacrifice a song that I thought was good on its own to have a feature on it. But, I mean, if I had my first choice…I would choose Madonna! [laughs] She’s been able to reinvent herself time and time again and I have yet to be a part of another reinvention. I grew up listening to Madonna because my mom listened to Madonna.

OS: Earlier this year, you spent six weeks touring the country as an opening act for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball. What was that experience like?

JD: Lady Gaga, she’s awesome…I had a great time on tour with her. She’s spectacular in terms of helping the process run smoothly. She was an absolute sweetheart and her staff were really helpful in making my first tour a success. It was my first tour, so I needed time to get acclimated to being on tour….living in a tour bus, performing in front of thousands of people everyday…it takes some getting used to. It’s a completely different life. But she was awesome throughout the whole thing. She’s inspiring. She said a lot of inspiring words to me. She’s a kind, kind girl.

OS: Your live show is very energetic. How do you prepare for weeks of touring?

JD: It’s crazy. My schedule is so crazy that I have minimal time to really, really prepare. I feel like every show is somewhat of a rehearsal. Because literally, before my tour, I had one rehearsal on my set. I was thrown on the stage in London, one of the biggest cities in the world…and I had to do my thing. And I think it makes for a better performer, being put on the spot, and to just go. I think that’s the beauty of performance…when you can just go and be yourself, without all the gimmicks…you can make a great show.

OS: In addition to being a singer, songwriter and dancer, you’re also an actor. Do you have any plans to return to the film set in the near future?

JD: It’s crazy, you know…I never thought I’d be turning down film roles left and right… it’s pretty crazy. I did this series online and it raised a lot of buzz in the acting world. It was the story of my life…I played myself, it was called “The Walk of Fame.” It raised a lot of attention. I’m getting offered film roles left and right, but I can’t—everything that I’m doing is taking up my time, in the music world. But I hope to in the near future, because I love it. It’s an amazing thing, also.

OS: You have an incredible work ethic and don’t seem to ever rest. Do you have any interest in working on the business side of the industry?

JD: Yeah, I actually have a girls’ group coming out in Australia, first…and I [am also mentoring] a young girl, Alyssa, she’s 15, as well. I’m really into fashion, too, so I’ll probably do that.

Don’t miss Jason Derülo at the last dates of his world tour:

10/20 – Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix, AZ
10/21 – University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
10/22 – Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
10/23 - Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
10/25 - House Of Blues, Dallas, TX
10/27 - Center Stage, Atlanta, GA
10/28 – The Ritz Ybor,Tampa. FL
10/29 – Alumni Hall, Fairfield, CT

As a man with familial connections to Northern Philadelphia, I’ll be the first to tell you the day-to-day existence there is less than rosy. Needless to say, growing up in that environment is tough, but surviving it with the goal of becoming rap’s next superstar? That’s downright ambitious. Luckily for Yes Lord (born Jamal Tillery), ambition is innate.  Although Tillery bounced in and out of trouble as a teen and had difficulty staying in the same school for an extended period of time, he found his drive after attending college. Since then, he has churned that motivation into 1 BA , 2 MBAs and even runs his own businesses. The music? Well you could say that’s pretty ambitious too.

As is often the case with singles these days, the song Yes Lord’s received the most recognition for here on OurStage is not his strongest. Winning first prize in last November’s Converse Get Out of the Garage Urban Competition, the tongue and cheek “Hold Me Down” blithely describes the emcee’s adoration for the lady in his life over a moderate beat that leaves listeners asking for more. What’s important to note about this piece is that it carries a trait resoundingly present in much of Tillery’s content: desire. As noted above, Yes Lord has proven himself to be a very motivated person, and once he wraps his mind around what he wants, there’s no stopping him. Such is audible in “Hold Me Down,” where it’s heard through the satisfaction of successfully pursuing the woman he loves. However, his dream chasing really gets inspiring is in ghetto-documenting “Life in the City.”

This track follows the one time delinquent down both the rabbit hole of drug addiction and the rare yet resilient comeback. Opening with promising vocals from featured singer Jeremie Morris over an ironically calming beat, the slow tempo automatically places Yes Lord’s tone into a category of resolve; he’s not happy with the present but he’s confident in what the future can hold. But, if there’s any truth to Slug’s (of Atmosphere) line “Junkies won’t bounce ‘till they hit the ground” then Tillery provides the supporting evidence. Referring to himself as a “coke sniffer, chain smoker, perk popper, and weed mover,” it’s safe to say he was going nowhere fast: “Graduation nah I was agitated/ and fascinated with dice as they scratched the pavement passing payments/ cash that was actually tainted/ crack acquainted/ marijuana sacks is flaming.” After a bust introduces him to rock bottom, Tillery uses a new year as fuel to power his goals of replenishing cash flow and doubling up on real estate.  His story is truly moving.

With enough earned business know-how to run his career independently, it’s pretty safe to say that Yes Lord controls his own destiny. He’s won various awards and performed at multiple hip hop events, but time will show these things were just steps along the way to the big time. Check his tracks out in the player below, and let us know if he enthuses you in the comments!

OurStage.com and MTVmusic.com teamed up to find another star on the rise. When you listen to this week’s Needle in the Haystack, it’s clear music is in his blood . Mel, AKA Kid Carter is doing big things in the music world, which may not be a surprise since he is  the nephew of hip hop icon Jay Z. And while the relationship definitely has its perks, Mel is determined to make it as his own person and on his own hard work. For Mel, his uncle is a source of inspiration to work hard and continue to strive to be the best.

As for the music, Mel boasts an east coast flair that he refers to as “New Breed.” Using this unique style, Mel won first place in the “Faces in the Crowd” showcase in New York and was interviewed on Allhiphop.com. Mel released a mix tape in September 2009 that received over 150,000 downloads and has been featured in many magazines, radio shows and advertisements. Although I’m sure he gets asked about his uncle a lot, his uncle’s interviewers are beginning to turn the tables, asking how his nephews music is coming along!

Take a listen to the track, “Watch Me Do” found below. What do you think of this future star?