Das Racist

Das Racist
Das Racist performing at Governors Ball in New York City in 2011
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
GenresAlternative hip hop
Years active2008 (2008)–2012 (2012)
LabelsGreedhead Music, Megaforce, Sony Music Entertainment
MembersHeems
Kool A.D.
Ashok "Dapwell" Kondabolu

Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap).[1] Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconventional style, Das Racist was widely hailed as an urgent new voice in rap, after occasionally being misunderstood as joke rap when they first appeared.[2]

After rising to Internet fame with their 2008 song "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell", Das Racist established themselves as rappers with the release of their 2010 mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man.[3][4][5] Spin picked Das Racist as one of fifty acts to watch at the 2010 SXSW festival,[6] and in April 2010, MTV Iggy selected Das Racist as one of the "25 Best New Bands in the World".[7] Rolling Stone declared the song "Hahahaha jk?" from Sit Down, Man one of the fifty best singles of 2010.[8]

In September 2011, Das Racist released their only studio album, Relax, which was named in many year-end "best of" lists, including both that of Rolling Stone and Spin, as well as being named by Spin as the fourth best rap album of the year. Spin also featured Das Racist on the cover of its November 2011 issue with an article written by Dap's brother, comedian Hari Kondabolu.[9] On November 28, 2011, the group made their United States television debut on Conan.[10]

At the PULS Festival, formerly known as on3-Festival, in December 2012 in Munich, Heems revealed "Das Racist is breaking up and we're not a band anymore." The next day, Kool A.D. revealed that he had left the band, though his reasons for doing so and the status of recorded materials for the group's second album remain unknown.[11]

  1. ^ Das Racist (January 19, 2010). "Das Racist: Thanks, Internet!". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
  2. ^ Neil Kulkarni (October 9, 2010). "Das Racist: hip-hop for hipsters, or taking it back to Slick Rick?". The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  3. ^ Adam Johns (October 28, 2010). "Das Racist: Shut Up, Dude/Sit Down, Man". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  4. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Das Racist – Sit Down, Man". Pretty Much Amazing. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  5. ^ Richards, Jason. "Smart-ass Brooklyn Rappers Claim They're Just Kidding about Joking Around". Now. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  6. ^ Spin Staff (March 7, 2010). "SPIN's 50 Must-Hear Bands at SXSW". Spin. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  7. ^ "Artist Profile: Das Racist". MTV Iggy. April 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  8. ^ "Rolling Stone's Best Singles of 2010". Rolling Stone. December 7, 2010. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Spin Staff (October 13, 2011). "Das Racist Cover SPIN's Patton Oswalt-Edited "Funny" Issue". Spin. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  10. ^ B Michael Payne (November 29, 2011). "Das Racist Perform 'Michael Jackson' on Conan". B Michael Tumblr. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  11. ^ "Das Racist Break Up | News". Pitchfork. December 2, 2012. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.