Human Beat Boks

If you’re fed up with the saminess of American rap, Caught In The Net suggests that you cop an earful of an Afrikaans hip hop crew from Cape Town who make a noise quite unlike any other we’ve heard recently.
Ninja, Yo-landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek – not necessarily their real names – may look like mutant rednecks from hell, but subscribe to a ‘one Africa’ policy, which hasn’t made them very popular with their more backwards neighbours.
Thanks to the wonders of the ‘net, they’ve over the past few months gone from extremely local heroes to having their ‘Enter The Ninja’ and ‘Wie Maak Die’ videos watched over a million times on YouTube.
Along with the music, there’s also a lexicon of new words to learn like “zef”, which is the Afrikaans for “chav”. Their biggest ambition is to soundtrack the District 9 sequel, so over to you Neill Blomkamp! Get the full lowdown at www.dieantwoord.com.
From there it’s but a mere mouse-click to www.grandmastercash.com where you can find the trailer for Steamin’ + Dreamin’, a documentary about Cork’s self-styled “deadliest rapper”, which has been doing brisk business in the People’s Republic on DVD.
The work of sociology student-turned-filmmaker Seamus Kelly, the action focuses on a 25-year-old lad from Roco – “For those of you who don’t know, that’s a place where even fuckin’ lawmen won’t go in case they get knifed, or their fuckin’ tyres sliced” – who rechristens himself Grandmaster Cash after falling in love with 2Pac, and then sets about reprezentin’ his ‘hood with raps like ‘Bitch Be Pure Steamin’’, ‘Out Of Me Mind’ and, ahem, ‘The Quest For Clit’.
It’s only when Caught In The Net saw Grandmaster Cash taking on Wossy with his own Film Tonight review show that we realised the whole thing’s a glorious spoof, which features cameos from Tommy Tiernan and Green Party politician Dan Boyle.
After making such a spot-on parody with zero budget, it’ll be interesting to see what Steamin’ + Dreamin’s real director, Shaun O’Connor, gets up to next.
Meanwhile, last week saw the launch of Diet Of Worms’ latest creation, The Taste Of Home, which time travels back to 1987 to see how the Walsh Family’s lives were transformed by the arrival of their first camcorder. The Dublin comedy troupe have already caused a major online stir with the animated Adventures Of The Puffincat and Dublin Stories, which later made it on to RTÉ as part of their Project HaHa series. We’re pleased to report that it’s another winner, with more than a hint of The Young Ones about it. Watch the first two webisodes at www.thetasteofhome.tv.
Which just leaves time for quick visits to www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MMc3f588yc (“breathing is an excellent way of staying alive”); www.wimp.com/fiftyimpressions (speed impersonating); www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZUB0kLLBUA (The Fresh Prince dupes televangelist); and www.recordtripping.com (bizarre Alice In Wonderland turntable game).