Straight ZEF!!!

This is a M.I.S.S. original for their weekly Fashion Meets Music column where I play connect the dots and wax poetically on how music and artists influence our sartorial choices. To view this post, and the images accompanying it, go to Fashion Meets Music: Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord.

Ask anyone under a certain age who is the hottest female MC rocking a mike these days and I’m sure 85% of them would say Nikki Minaj. Not one of them would tell you to check out a bleached blonde, mullet sporting, South African who could probably eat Nikki and Lady Gaga for breakfast and wash them down with a 40, but I would.

As the female co-front of South African rap group Die Antwoord, Yolandi Visser is one of the most wholly original ladies stepping on stage in the past few years. Instead of relying on recycled, tried and true formulas showcasing big boobies and nasty-as-I-wannbe lyrics, Yolandi’s lyrics are so zef-which means trailer trash fantastic as far as I can tell- that they border on satire. (Side note: As I was doing a bit of research for this week’s FMM I found that Die Antwoord is Yolandi and Ninja’s third hip-hop project together and may really be more of satirical comment on South African society than a real couple from the ‘hood making a way where they can.) While her lyrics are explicit, duh, they are far from your typical my lady-parts are so good everyone wants a taste/I’ll take you and your man/I’m so ride or die I’ll hide the murder weapon in my panties. Actually, her fun, flirty tongue-in-cheek minus the overused clichés and metaphors flow reminds me more of what female MCs did in the late 80s and 90s than anything being played on your local Top 40 station-satire or not.

With an ultra blonde mullet, a too long to type acrylic set, cropped tops salvaged from Goodwill and gold leggings, Yolandi’s style is straight trailer fab. Her nails are sicker than anyone I’ve seen working the desk at the DMV and the fact that she seemingly prefers sneakers to heels speaks very highly of her. Although she has a special love for American Apparel’s shiny gold tights, she’s also been spotted in outfits that seem to be composed of 80s and 90s castoffs found at the thrift-store and worn as is-no clever remixing vintage to look brand new in Yolandi’s closet. While she loves old school ghetto-gold and sneakers, it seems as Yolandi’s favorite furry accessory happens to be white mice...you know like lab rats. Not that I’m judging but since mice kind of gross me out, couldn’t she just go Paris Hilton and carry around a toy dog? They look mouse like, but I guess that’s kind of the point.

Whether you love her style, and music, or not, no one is going to argue that Yolandi Visser, née Anri du Toit, is far from your run of the mill star. Check the videos and see for yourself-warning they are not for kids.