Das Racist
American rap group / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
Das Racist | |
|---|---|
 Das Racist performing at Governors Ball in New York City in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop |
| Years active | 2008 (2008)–2012 (2012) |
| Labels | Greedhead Music, Megaforce, Sony Music Entertainment |
| Members | Heems Kool A.D. Ashok "Dapwell" Kondabolu |
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]