By Josh Bell
House of Blues 8 p.m. doors, Feb. 25, $28.50 plus tax and fee, 18+. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
South African hip-hop group Die Antwoord is one of the unlikeliest success stories in the U.S. music industry. Foreign musical artists whose work depends on cultural references specific to their native countries don’t usually do well in America, but Die Antwoord’s song “Enter the Ninja” became a huge hit when its video went viral online in 2009. The combination of surreal images, unfamiliar slang and an exaggeration of American hip-hop style proved irresistibly intriguing, and Die Antwoord managed to sign an American major-label deal for the 2010 re-release of their album $O$.
But playing by the rules of an American entertainment conglomerate wasn’t in the cards for Die Antwoord mastermind Ninja (above), and the group has since returned to being independent, which is probably the best way to present its music. American audiences may not understand the lyrics (which are in a mix of English, Afrikaans and Xhosa), and they might not be able to catch the references (which are tied to the South African subculture known as “zef”), but they can connect to the exuberance of the performance and move to the beat of the music, proving that even the most unfamiliar music can reach across boundaries.
