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By Kevin English
Scotch Plains, NJ, USA
On the eighth anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings, I found myself chatting with Himanshu and Victor of the controversial new rap duo, Das Racist. Unlike most days in recent history, these bohemian Brooklyn’ites, recalled exactly what they were doing.
Victor: I was doing push-ups, listening to Big Pun’s, Capital Punishment, when my parents came into my room like "YOOOO!" I went to school, left early, went to work, left early, and kicked it at my girlfriend's house.
Himanshu: I was in my video production class at Stuyvesant High School, a couple of blocks away. Hella suits were walking by in a hurry. By the time the second plane hit I was watching it on the news in a classroom and out of a window AT THE SAME TIME. The FBI said the buildings won't fall so the safest place to be is inside of our building. Then they fell. We got evacuated. 3200 of us had to go to school in Brooklyn for a month while our high school was used as a triage center.
While America continues to heal from a huge laceration in its homeland security, underground hip hop is quietly being transformed as well. There was a time, not too long ago, when every rap act sounded the same. The change in attitudes since 9/11 has affected the sounds and lyrics of those who were previously too afraid to be different.
(credit: Victoria Jacob)
THIRSTY: What's your favorite type of footwear?
V: Shoes.
H: Giuliani Fujiwara, Kris Van Assche, Common Projects. If anyone from any of these wonderful brands are reading this. Feel free to holler at the kid.
THIRSTY: Barack Obama or John McCain?
V: They both down with the Illuminati so neither.
H: Anyone but Bobby Jindal.
Known for their repetitious, sarcastic style, Das Racists takes silliness to a higher level. The viral hit, "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell' pokes fun at the obvious. I won't speculate on their philosophy, but I gather that this act was not formed simply for shits and giggles. Easily dismissed as "stupid music" by many, a growing number of traditionally elite publications have recently joined in on the shenanigans. When Victor Vasquez (aka Kool A.D.) challenged The New Yorker Magazine's illustrator to a cartoon off, the duel was surprisingly accepted. The bet was simple, "If The New Yorker wins, Das Racist has to quit rap and become classical musicians. If DR wins; The New Yorker has to become a magazine about rap and jewels."
THIRSTY: Now that you've lost the New Yorker's "Cartoon Off", what classical instrument will you learn to play? I have an old bassoon you can borrow.
V: Fuck you.
H: As is well documented in the comments section of the cartoon off, Victor won the shit out of that shit.
THIRSTY: Who is your publicist? I want to hire her.
V: Why did you automatically assume our publicist is female? Our publicist is Xavier Aaronson from Musebox.
H: He is pretty, like a female.
THIRSTY: How long do you think it will take for people to take you seriously?
(credit: Victoria Jacob)
V: I don't know what you're talking about.
H: This interview is a step in the right direction. I can feel it.
THIRSTY: How would you describe Das Racist's sound?
V: While making "air quotes" with my fingers.
H: I would describe it as rap music.
THIRSTY: How long have you been rapping?
V: I don't know. I did some ill Mother's Day poems in elementary school.
H: Like 8 years.
Victor and Himanshu first met as undergraduates at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. When I questioned why their official bio said they went to Bard Art College, Victor replied, "Naw we went to Wesleyan. We sometimes lie and say we went to Bard or Sarah Lawrence or Vassar or some other liberal arts college ‘cause they're all interchangeable". It wasn't long before these political pranksters realized a common cynical thread and began to record together. Their fancy, liberal arts education has served them well.
THIRSTY: Who's a better bull shit artist, Himanshu or Victor?
V: We each have our merits. Himanshu somehow bullshitted his way into a high-paying corporate job and I somehow bullshitted my way into a major label record deal. [Victor's other group; Boy Crisis is signed by B-Unique, home of the Kaiser Chiefs and Alkaline Trio]
H: I would say I'm a better bull shit artist, but I'm going to have to show you instead.
V: Yeah actually Hima's better at bullshitting than I am, as evidenced by the fact that I'm broke and he's not.
THIRSTY: What was your favorite class at Wesleyan?
V: 1.) Aesthetics and Politics of Latino Literature 2.) Law, Race and Literature 3.) Western Movies: Myth, Ideology and Genre 4.) Postcolonial Literature 5.) New German Cinema.
H: 1) Empire and Erotica: Painting from the Courts of India, 2) Mahabharata and Ramayana: The Sanskrit Epics and Indian Visual Culture, 3) Literature of the South Asian Diaspora, 4) Postcolonial Literature, 5) Experimental Music.
If you can pull yourself past the Pizza & Taco song, you'll be surprised to hear what else they have to say. With unorthodox break beats and slippery raps that stick to your forehead, Das Racist is unique in more ways than one. The video for Chicken and Meat (yet another food inspired song) reminds me of the daisy age of rap, when Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and The Jungle Brother were kings. If this is where we are headed, I can't say that I would mind.
(credit: Victoria Jacob)
THIRSTY: What does EK Shaneesh mean? (That record is blazing, by the way)
V: The sample comes from an Indian movie called Ek Shahenshah. The producer, Like Magic, mistyped it as Ek Shanish in the name of the Logic project and later on we wrote it as Ek Shaneesh on some Western Misinterpretation Of Freaky Oriental Shit (WMOFOS).
H: The movie was actually called, “Leader”. It starred Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala. It was made in the ‘60s. The song the sample came from was called "Ek Shahenshah" though. WMOFOS is what's up.
THIRSTY: Have the major labels approached Das Racist as of yet? Will Boy Crisis help or hinder that effort?
V: We've had some attention from labels but the Boy Crisis contract situation is more complicated than I care to discuss right now.
H: Major layers.
THIRSTY: Thanks for your time today gentleman. Would you like to add anything else?
H: Okay. Well. Okay. Just saying.... In defense of my dude, 13 comments on the Cartoon-off post at The New Yorker blog …allude to them becoming a rap magazine. [I.e. Victor won so..... 13 for 13..........]
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All opinions expressed by Kevin English are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of Stay Thirsty Media, Inc.
