The origins of this term lie in the 1960s. Zef is the name of a movement that rose to prominence as a response to the political situation in South Africa that followed after the apartheid, also known as post-apartheid. The Urban Dictionary has collected most definitions and they tend to overlap in some aspects. There are several ways to define the term Zef. This group is known for being arrogant, expressive and freaky, while at the same time clearly making a statement that they are the ultimate authentic Zef people (Krueger, 2012). As there has not been much research about this specific topic yet, it is relevant to ask the question how the members of Die Antwoord express Zef culture in their music. Which visual and linguistic aspects in their music and videos can be related to this culture and how can they be recognised? In this paper, I will analyse which semiotics are used by Die Antwoord to represent the Zef culture and how it relates to the origins of the movement. Die Antwoord is a hip hop group consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi and DJ Hi-Tek. Today's most famous South African Zef group is Die Antwoord. Some white musicians responded to the policies of creating ‘race-solidarity’ in a sarcastic way by creating satire, as a way of giving their opinion. Zef refers to a culture that resulted from the political situation after the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 and the social consequences for ‘white people’. The need for authenticity and how to ‘keep it real’ in a global hip hop culture seems like a challenge, of which the African-American branch say that they already are the most real for being the ones who invented hip hop (Pennycook, 2007).Īnother local hip hop culture that wants to distinguish itself as ‘real’, is the South African Zef movement. What these local movements have in common, is that they seek authenticity. Another example is a Dutch movement called Nederhop, a combination of the word Nederland (Dutch for The Netherlands) and hip hop, with which the local community attempts to differentiate itself from the global hip hop culture (Krims, 2000). For example, in China there has been spoken about a hip hop flow and how its rebellious characteristics in terms of linguistics and visual semiotics are appealing to many youngsters as they seek to identify themselves with these artists (Barret, 2012). However, over the years this particular genre has spread on a global level, which has led to locally adapted branches. As this global culture was originally founded by African-Americans, some suggest that this music belongs to Afro-American minorities and that this is the only real form of hip hop (Pennycook, 2007). Hip hop is one of these musical genres that have spread around the globe. Different music styles are mixing with one another, leading to a very complex web of sounds, lyrics and instruments. As a result of this increased digital globalisation, it is inevitable that music cultures and identities have become more mobilised and diverse as well. With the emphasis on media and communication technologies, such flows are driven by technological innovations. As defined by Jan Blommaert (2010), globalisation refers to highly complex forms of mobility of capital, goods, people, images and discourses around the globe. Increased digital globalisation is a concept that is indirectly related to many modern things in life and influences anything it touches. The main objective is to provide more insight into Zef culture and how different signs, symbols and cultural references are used to represent it. This paper deals with the semiotics used by Die Antwoord in one particular song, called ‘Fatty Boom Boom’. Yeah, that's perf.Die Antwoord is a South African hip hop group that represents the South African Zef culture. Yo, Hi-Tek, you think you could fuck with something like this?
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