"Evil Boy" is a song by South African hip hop group

Die Antwoord Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers H ...

featuring rapper Wanga. It was written by Tony Cottrell,

Watkin Tudor Jones Watkin Tudor Jones (born 26 September 1974), better known by his stage names Ninja and Max Normal, is a South African rapper, songwriter, record producer, performance artist, and director. Jones found international success as a member of Die An ...

(Ninja),

Justin De Nobrega Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers ...

, Hugo Pasquin,

Thomas Wesley Pentz Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

(Diplo), and

Yolandi Visser Anri du Toit, known professionally as Yolandi Visser (stylised as ¥o-Landi Vi$$er), is a South African rapper. She is the female vocalist in the rap-rave group Die Antwoord. Her partner in the group is Ninja, Watkin Tudor Jones. Visser appear ...

, and was produced by Diplo. It was released by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

and it serves as the final single from their album ''

$O$ ''$O$'' is the debut album by South African rap-rave group Die Antwoord. The album was initially a widely circulated internet-only release, and made available to stream for free on the band's website prior to Interscope Records signing the band ...

''. An extended version of the song titled "Evil Boy (F**k You In The Face Mix)" was digitally released as a single on 8 October 2010 in certain countries.

Background

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

, who took an interest to Yo-Landi Vi$$er, contacted the group before sending them a beat which

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

enjoyed, eventually collaborating on "Evil Boy".

Lyrical content

The lyrics of the song discuss tribal

circumcision Circumcision is a surgical procedure, procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin ...

. In an interview, Ninja described a particular ritual for males over 19 that involved having "your penis chopped up with a kitchen knife. No disinfectants; no pain killers."

Critical reception

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' complimented Diplo's "creeping synth hook that captures the group's silliness without turning them into a joke" and included the song on a list of Diplo's best productions. A.R. Rowe of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

wrote "No '

We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album ''We Are the World''. Wit ...

' tracks for Die Antwoord. No

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

charities. These guys are taking some of the most unaddressed, difficult issues in the world, and sticking them right in your face without apology."

Music video

The music video was directed by Ninja and Rob Malpage. It contains major influence from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n culture, sexuality, as well as mythology, such as the

Tokoloshe In Zulu mythology, Tikoloshe, Tikolosh, Tokoloshe, Tokolotshe, Thokolosi or Hili is a dwarf-like water sprite. It is a mischievous and evil spirit that can become invisible by drinking water or swallowing a stone. Tokoloshes are called upon ...

. It features a cameo by producer Diplo. The music sounds similar to a soundtrack of Alejandro Jodorowsky for the movie "Holy Mountain", a scene dedicated to the initiation of a young man, looking like Jesus, by the Tarot.

Reception

Craig Hlavaty of the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' said the video makes "

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

seem like

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

" and warned "If you don't like random erections, wooden erections, talking breasts, breasts with no nipples, words that aren't English, mud, grime, gold lame pants, clean and strong peni, machetes, more erections, jackets made of rats, monsters with erections, questionable facial hair, and prostitution, don't watch this video." As of March 2019, the video has over thirty million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Track listing

;Digital download #"Evil Boy (F**k You In the Face Mix)" – 4:56

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2010 singles Song recordings produced by Diplo 2009 songs Songs written by Diplo Interscope Records singles Songs written by Hi-Tek Die Antwoord songs