$O$ by Die Antwoord

Subjects of an Internet meme turned major label recording artists Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for "The Answer") have released a "revised" version of their self-produced, Internet-only debut album, $O$. After the viral video for their eerily catchy 2009 single "Enter the Ninja" became the object of the online community's morbid curiosity, the South African hip-hop trio attracted the interest of Interscope Records, hence this retrofitting of their debut with some corporate muscle and new tracks, one of which has been produced by Diplo, best known for his work with M.I.A.

Given that many instantly forgettable "novelty acts" have obtained record deals by means similar to those aforementioned, and considering that the medium which permitted Die Antwoord's rise to occur, YouTube, is essentially a democratized one — and therefore not to be trusted — it is quite conceivable that an album as startlingly original as $O$ will be ignored or even outright dismissed. Otherwise reasonable and discerning listeners will peruse a few tracks and, though they may be mildly impressed by the highly charismatic performances of Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, they may also suspect that all of this is a big joke. Also, Die Antwoord are a rap group hailing from somewhere other than the United States. They rap in their own accents and occasionally, language, Afrikaans. As a result of this, many discerning critics and aficionados of rap music will listen to all ten tracks, and though they might smirk at Die Antwoord's comical antics and cringe at the lucid, violent imagery of their lyrics, they will ultimately decide that this isn't rap music but merely "cultural residue." And they might be right, if for the wrong reasons.

$O$' third track, "Wat Kyk Jy?" ("What do you see?"), may prove doubly alienating as it is sung almost entirely in Afrikaans and based around a fairly monochromatic house beat, allying Die Antwoord with another foreign element: rave culture. By the time such listeners get around to "Doos Dronk", $O$' grand finale, a twelve-minute South African-folk/heavy metal/polka stomp, they may have already lost their minds.

Though they deserve a certain degree of approbation for their individual contributions, it is tragically the case that the group lacks an instinctual sense for beats and arrangements, so the album's only real flaw is an often weak and boring production style. With the exception of "Enter the Ninja", the obnoxiously catchy "$copie" and the brilliantly insane "She Makes Me a Killer," the stragglers from the original release seem to pale in comparison to the newer tracks, suggesting that the group is only getting better and their next album should be masterful.