I thought Das Racist was a joke after hearing “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”; listen to the song and try to argue otherwise. It's a song that a friend and I would sing after a night of drinking. But then they released a killer mixtape in Shut Up, Dude earlier this year and then an even better one in Sit Down, Man just a few months later. Suddenly they were writing smart lyrics with clever wordplay and a velvet flow. There are even a few tracks that I included on my unfortunately titled “Party” iTunes playlist. Das Racist started as a group with a terrible live reputation and have since proven the condemners wrong. So basically, you should give Das Racist another chance if you decided you didn’t like them a year ago. Both of their mixtapes are free – seriously, you have no excuse. Below, they answer some questions in a way that won’t surprise their fans.
Have you seen, heard, or read anything that you would like to recommend to our readers (film, art, music, literature)?
Dap: Watch Mala Noche. Rene Magritte made cool art, I'm sure there are cooler more modern versions of this but I don't know much about "visual art." Music sucks! Also, I would recommend our readers reduce or cease their use of "hard" drugs.
Himanshu: Film: Man Push Cart, Art: Subodh Gupta, Music, Literature: The Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
KOOL A.D.: The last movie I saw and liked was Cocaine Cowboys. Art/Music. Right now I'm reading Santeria: African Magic in Latin America by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler.
Where does the name Das Racist come from?
Dap: Earth.
Himanshu: Wonder Showzen
KOOL A.D.: Germany
How did you guys meet and start writing music?
Dap: Victor and Himanshu met in college and started recording rap songs.
Himanshu: We met in college, but started rapping about a year after graduating. We weren't close friends in college.
KOOL A.D.: Define "music."
What's your songwriting process like?
Himanshu: Open Gmail. Click compose document. Write down thoughts. Think of 2 or 3 things you've been thinkin about lately that are "interesting." Piece them together. Put them in a "good" order. Build a narrative.
KOOL A.D.: Sell crack, rap about it.
Who would you like to collaborate with (dream and realistic)?
Himanshu: The-Dream, Swizz Beats, Kanye West
KOOL A.D.: M.I.A., MF Doom, Kool Keith
What are your plans for the future?
Dap: I'm going to try to make my body a little larger this winter.
Himanshu: I'm going to try to clean up my act.
KOOL A.D.: I want to live in a warm climate by a large body of water.
If you had a $250 million dollar budget to make a movie, what would it be about?
Dap: I wouldn't want to work hard enough to make a $250 million dollar movie that would utilize all of that money. I would keep a lot of it. I'd make a movie about a regular guy doing things most likely, I'm not so sure.
Himanshu: The life and times of Shiv Kumar Batalvi or Guru Dutt.
KOOL A.D.: I would start a sustainable fish farm. And make a movie about it.
