Watkin Tudor Jones
Encyclopedia
Watkin Tudor Jones (born 26 September 1974), currently known by his stage name Ninja, is a South African rapper, record producer, performance artist and satirist. Previously, he has recorded under a guise of different names, Max Normal and MC Totally Rad being some of the most prominent.
Watkin Tudor Jones was a part of South African hip-hop scene for many years, fronting such acts as The Original Evergreens, MaxNormal.TV
and The Constructus Corporation
. He is known for adopting different stage personas. He currently fronts the group Die Antwoord
under the name Ninja.
Jones has released several albums under different guises (including the Sibot-produced The Fantastic Kill and Markus Wormstorm
-produced promo-only EP "Emmanuel Rothchild - My Favourite Songs" and "Markus Wormstorm Is Not Gay"), and expanded into graphic art, stuffed animal
making, and other aspects of his creativity. He has a child with Yolandi Visser
, who is also a frequent collaborator.
Although he now lives in Cape Town
, Jones comes from Johannesburg
where he attended Parktown Boys' High School
, graduating in 1993.
presentation style.
In early 2002, Jones disbanded Max Normal, just as the band was reaching South African stardom, headlining festivals like Oppikoppi
and charting on 5FM
(citing being creatively stifled as reason). He relocated to Cape Town
and began collaborating with DJ Dope of Krushed & Sorted and Felix Laband
on the music for a multi-media project he had conceptualised involving a graphic novel with soundtrack and live show. These sessions spawned the Man With No Name track on African Dope's 'Cape Of Good Dope' compilation in 2002, but gradually mutated into The Constructus Corporation outfit. Yolandi Visser
, listed as Anica The Snuffling on the credits, was also involved.
invited Markus Wormstorm
and Felix Laband
to collaborate on his ambitious The Constructus Corporation
project, which resulted in the concept album / graphic novel The Ziggurat (ADOPECD009 African Dope Records 2002).
After a production process including mix and master by Krushed & Sorted, in December 2002 "The Ziggurat" was released. This is an 88 page pink hard-covered book containing a hand-written hiphop fantasy story by Jones, which follows the adventures of two kids on a giant futuristic floating world / shopping mall called The Ziggurat, with detailed etched digital illustrations by artist Nikhil Singh, a soundtrack CD on which Jones plays several different characters, and a bonus blank CD at the back of the book with instructions on where to download an entire second album of music and narrations for free, with which to fill the CD.
The Constructus Corporation disbanded in early 2003.
In the 2009 diss track
"Jou ma se poes in 'n fish paste jar", Wormstrom is one of the targets, with the line "Marcus Wormstrom is short and fat".
in which he records under the pseudonym "Ninja", along with Yo-landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. The band self-identifies as a melange of several diverse cultures all mixed into one. Die Antwoord toured Europe in April 2010 and the USA later that same year. They announced via their website that they will be visiting France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK as part of their tour. In case of Die Antwoord Waddy's persona is Ninja: a hyper violent character who is very different from his previous incarnations. Their debut album $O$ was made available as a free download on their official website. In late 2009 South African cinematographer Rob Malpage co-directed (with Waddy), co-produced (with Left Films and Die Antwoord) and lensed the video for their single "Enter the Ninja." The promo became a viral video
on the internet nine months later, delivering millions of hits to the official Die Antwoord website, eventually crashing the website's server. The video also features South African progeria
sufferer Leon Botha
, a prominent Cape Town
artist. Die Antwoord performs "Zef" music, zef
being a South African slang term that describes a unique South African style which is modern and trashy and also includes out-of-date, discarded cultural and style elements. Their lyrics are funny and explicit, and performed in both Afrikaans
and English. Members of the band consider themselves as Hip Hop artists, but specifically refer to their music as zef rap-rave. Die Antwoord appears to some to be a presentation of entertainment personas rather than that of intrinsic and authentic cultural identities.
As a solo artist
With Max Normal
With The Constructus Corporation
As The Man Who Never Came Back
With Fucknrad
As MaxNormal.TV
With Die Antwoord
Watkin Tudor Jones was a part of South African hip-hop scene for many years, fronting such acts as The Original Evergreens, MaxNormal.TV
MaxNormal.TV
MaxNormal.TV was a South African four-piece electronic/hip-hop outfit formed in 2001 which eventually evolved into Die Antwoord.-Early days:...
and The Constructus Corporation
The Constructus Corporation
The Constructus Corporation was an electronic / hip hop act from Cape Town, South Africa, that started in early 2002 and had disbanded by mid-2003, leaving the one-of-a-kind concept album / book The Ziggurat as legacy.-Formation of the band:...
. He is known for adopting different stage personas. He currently fronts the group Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.-Background:...
under the name Ninja.
Jones has released several albums under different guises (including the Sibot-produced The Fantastic Kill and Markus Wormstorm
Markus Wormstorm
Markus Wormstorm, is a South African electronic musician.Smit moved to Cape Town at the age of 19 , where he has risen to be among the city's leading electronic musicians....
-produced promo-only EP "Emmanuel Rothchild - My Favourite Songs" and "Markus Wormstorm Is Not Gay"), and expanded into graphic art, stuffed animal
Stuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
making, and other aspects of his creativity. He has a child with Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser is a South African singer/rapper who co-fronts the rap group Die Antwoord. She was also part of notable music and art groups MaxNormal.TV and The Constructus Corporation.She has a child with Watkin Tudor Jones, named Sixteen Jones...
, who is also a frequent collaborator.
Although he now lives in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Jones comes from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
where he attended Parktown Boys' High School
Parktown Boys' High School
Parktown Boys' High School is a public high school for boys in Parktown, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Parktown Boys' is well known for its emphasis on holistic education and in 2009 was rated as one of the top performing state schools in South Africa, and in the top ten schools in...
, graduating in 1993.
Max Normal
He was the lead vocalist of the original incarnation "Max Normal", a live hip hop act, which released one album entitled Songs From The Mall in 2001. The band performed at various festivals around South Africa, including Up the Creek, Splashy Fen, and Oppikoppi. They also played in London and three shows at the world-renowned Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium. A second version of this band evolved into the 'corporate' hip-hop group "MaxNormal.tv". They were a South African hip-hop crew that performed live wearing 3 piece suits while frontman MaxNormal delivered his motivational speaking style raps to the audience. He also illustrated his lyrics to help the audience follow which were projected onto a big screen above the live performers and are triggered live to the beat by Max's personal assistant, Yolandi Visser, in a PowerPointMicrosoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint, is a non-free commercial presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system...
presentation style.
In early 2002, Jones disbanded Max Normal, just as the band was reaching South African stardom, headlining festivals like Oppikoppi
Oppikoppi
Oppikoppi is the name of a music festival held in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, near the mining town of Northam. The festival started off focusing mostly on rock music, but gradually added more genres and now plays host to a complete mixed bag of genres...
and charting on 5FM
5FM
5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation , South Africa's public broadcaster...
(citing being creatively stifled as reason). He relocated to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
and began collaborating with DJ Dope of Krushed & Sorted and Felix Laband
Felix Laband
Felix Laband is an electronic music artist born in 1977 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.He creates light, emotional, minimalist soundscapes by combining several styles, and samples from classical, jazz and old television recordings overlaid with instrumental performances by himself and other...
on the music for a multi-media project he had conceptualised involving a graphic novel with soundtrack and live show. These sessions spawned the Man With No Name track on African Dope's 'Cape Of Good Dope' compilation in 2002, but gradually mutated into The Constructus Corporation outfit. Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser is a South African singer/rapper who co-fronts the rap group Die Antwoord. She was also part of notable music and art groups MaxNormal.TV and The Constructus Corporation.She has a child with Watkin Tudor Jones, named Sixteen Jones...
, listed as Anica The Snuffling on the credits, was also involved.
The Constructus Corporation
When Jones disbanded Max Normal in early 2002, he and long-time DJ partner SibotSibot
Şibot is a commune located in Alba County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Băcăinţi , Balomiru de Câmp , Sărăcsău and Şibot.-References:...
invited Markus Wormstorm
Markus Wormstorm
Markus Wormstorm, is a South African electronic musician.Smit moved to Cape Town at the age of 19 , where he has risen to be among the city's leading electronic musicians....
and Felix Laband
Felix Laband
Felix Laband is an electronic music artist born in 1977 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.He creates light, emotional, minimalist soundscapes by combining several styles, and samples from classical, jazz and old television recordings overlaid with instrumental performances by himself and other...
to collaborate on his ambitious The Constructus Corporation
The Constructus Corporation
The Constructus Corporation was an electronic / hip hop act from Cape Town, South Africa, that started in early 2002 and had disbanded by mid-2003, leaving the one-of-a-kind concept album / book The Ziggurat as legacy.-Formation of the band:...
project, which resulted in the concept album / graphic novel The Ziggurat (ADOPECD009 African Dope Records 2002).
After a production process including mix and master by Krushed & Sorted, in December 2002 "The Ziggurat" was released. This is an 88 page pink hard-covered book containing a hand-written hiphop fantasy story by Jones, which follows the adventures of two kids on a giant futuristic floating world / shopping mall called The Ziggurat, with detailed etched digital illustrations by artist Nikhil Singh, a soundtrack CD on which Jones plays several different characters, and a bonus blank CD at the back of the book with instructions on where to download an entire second album of music and narrations for free, with which to fill the CD.
The Constructus Corporation disbanded in early 2003.
In the 2009 diss track
Diss track
A diss track or diss song is a song primarily intended to disparage or insult another person or group. While musical parodies and attacks have always existed, the trend became increasingly common in the hip hop genre as part of the hip hop rivalry phenomenon...
"Jou ma se poes in 'n fish paste jar", Wormstrom is one of the targets, with the line "Marcus Wormstrom is short and fat".
Die Antwoord
Tudor-Jones' current project is rap-rave group Die AntwoordDie Antwoord
Die Antwoord is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.-Background:...
in which he records under the pseudonym "Ninja", along with Yo-landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek. The band self-identifies as a melange of several diverse cultures all mixed into one. Die Antwoord toured Europe in April 2010 and the USA later that same year. They announced via their website that they will be visiting France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK as part of their tour. In case of Die Antwoord Waddy's persona is Ninja: a hyper violent character who is very different from his previous incarnations. Their debut album $O$ was made available as a free download on their official website. In late 2009 South African cinematographer Rob Malpage co-directed (with Waddy), co-produced (with Left Films and Die Antwoord) and lensed the video for their single "Enter the Ninja." The promo became a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
on the internet nine months later, delivering millions of hits to the official Die Antwoord website, eventually crashing the website's server. The video also features South African progeria
Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
sufferer Leon Botha
Leon Botha
Leon Botha was a South African painter, and musical performer, as well as one of the world's oldest survivors of progeria.-Biography:...
, a prominent Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
artist. Die Antwoord performs "Zef" music, zef
Zef
Zef is a South African counter-culture movement. Die Antwoord's personas are said to have it influence their style.- Origin of the term :The word zef stems from an Afrikaans word, which roughly translates to the English word "common"...
being a South African slang term that describes a unique South African style which is modern and trashy and also includes out-of-date, discarded cultural and style elements. Their lyrics are funny and explicit, and performed in both Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and English. Members of the band consider themselves as Hip Hop artists, but specifically refer to their music as zef rap-rave. Die Antwoord appears to some to be a presentation of entertainment personas rather than that of intrinsic and authentic cultural identities.
Discography
With The Original Evergreen- Puff The Magik (1995)
- Burn The Evidence EP (1998)
As a solo artist
- Memoirs Of A Clone (2001)
- The Fantastic Kill (2005)
With Max Normal
- Songs From The Mall (2001)
With The Constructus Corporation
- The Ziggurat (2003)
As The Man Who Never Came Back
- Cryptycism on Cape Town Beats (2007)
With Fucknrad
- MC Totally Rad And DJ Fuck Are Fucknrad (2007)
As MaxNormal.TV
- Rap Made Easy (2007)
- Good Morning South Africa (2008)
With Die Antwoord
- $O$ (2009)
- 5 EP (2010)
- $O$ Re-release (2010)