CULTURE

Did “Suicide Squad” Ripoff Rap Duo Die Antwoord’s Style?

The band’s Yo-Landi Vi$$er claims that director David Ayer intentionally jocked their style.


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Are Jared Leto and Margot Robbie‘s Joker and Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad just the Forever 21 knockoff version of South African rap duo Die Antwoord? The band’s high-pitched chanteuse Yo-Landi Vi$$er seems to think so.

In an impassioned Instagram post, Vi$$er claims that she’s heard it was well known on set that the film’s director David Ayer patterned the look of the evil clown duo on the band’s trademark aesthetic.

“Cara & Jared told us how much u were talkin abt us on set but u never asked our permision to rip us off,” Vi$$er wrote in her particular style of written English. “An when ninja texted u sayin wassup wif dat u said nothin like a scared lil bitch. U were jus flauntin our names pretendin to b down. u aint down an u never will b.”

Vi$$er came prepared to backup her claims, and brought the receipts in the form of a video she thinks proved beyond a doubt that the costuming for this particular iteration of Harley Quinn and Joker characters took direct cues from the band’s Zef styling. Naturally, it was soundtracked by Craig Mack’s “Jocking My Style.”

Well, like Vi$$er’s bandmate Ninja, this version of the Joker is a tatted up, shirtless string bean of a man with a predilection for vaguely threatening but ultimately comical facial expressions. Meanwhile, Quinn, like Vi$$er, is a blonde pixie with a voice to match. Though, it’s not exactly a slam dunk case.

Vi$$er goes on to note that the band was invited to the premiere of the film, but that only Ninja decided to attend. She just wasn’t having it.

“U shud start a crew called:,’im a fake fuck’ ask kanye if he wants to join u,” conclude the singer.

Despite Vi$$er’s assertion that the influence was well known on set, the supposed Die Antwoord homage and/or rip-off didn’t seem to be mentioned by anyone involved in the film during the film’s massive press tour. However, the band’s fans had noticed something of a similarity months ago.

Coincidentally, Die Antwoord have a new album coming out next month entitled “Mount Ninji and Da Nice Time Kid.” Here’s hoping the reviews are much better than those of Suicide Squad’s. The best revenge is simply to do better.

Here’s Vi$$er’s rant in full:

“David Ayer u jockin our style. callin ninja up before your movie came our pretendin 2b down, so it looks OK when u bite our black & white graf style & our opening sequence to umshiniwam & an all da lil tiny details u nibbeld dat other people wont see but we notice. Cara & Jared told us how much u were talkin abt us on set but u never asked our permision to rip us off. An when ninja texted u sayin wassup wif dat u said nothin like a scared lil bitch. U were jus flauntin our names pretendin to b down. u aint down an u never will b.
but before we knew da extent of ur two face nature – u invited us to ur movie premiere(which i didnt wanna go to) but ninja went , tinkin ur solid guy an mayb there was jus a lil “misunderstandin”. Den poor ninja had to sit thru dat hole bullshit movie. An u even got da nerve to say wassup to him smilin – an ninja has to b nice cus he is there wif his kid. But we all tink u wack. U shud start a crew called:,”im a fake fuck” ask kanye if he wants to join u.
Cum show ur pretty face at my studios. U know Muggs & u know where da Soul Assasin Studios at. we watin for u.”