Known for their use of humor, obscure references, and unconventional style, Das Racist has been both dismissed as joke rap and hailed as an urgent new voice in rap. Spin magazine picked Das Racist as one of 50 acts to watch at the 2010 SXSW festival, and in April 2010, MTV Iggy selected Das Racist as one of the "25 Best New Bands in the World". Rolling Stone declared the song "hahahaha jk?" from Sit Down, Man one of the fifty best singles of 2010.
Das Racist's unique style has a strong polarizing tendency; their set at the Pop Montreal festival was described as "the most divisive show seen at the festival". They describe their approach to music as "'deconstructionalist': sawing the legs out from under hip-hop as they celebrate it".The New York Times wrote "Das Racist’s lack of piety has become an aesthetic of its own, with songs that are as much commentary on hip-hop as rigorous practice of it". The Root said Das Racist could speak for both "the ‘hood or the nearest gated community." Playboy called the duo "equal parts hip-hop and Cheech & Chong".
In December 2012, statements made by members of Das Racist made apparent that the band had broken up.
Ek Shaneesh
Das Racist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Heems:]
I'm from Queens, man
Ain't shit to do but cook
Watching Tony Bourdain
Plus I copped his book
Plus I copped his look
Catch me in my borough chasing breezes with queens
Squeezes with dreams
Do you? I'm a do me
Catch me in my borough burning L's reading Rumi
Flipping pies, reading fries
I'm advising kabhir smoking hash
Making cash, spinning Sufis
Drinking beer, 40 kufi rock a sheer
Sporting Uzis in the clear
Drinking beer, drinking beer, probably drinking some more beer
[Kool AD:]
Yeah, beers for years
Chucking Shaka Zulu types
Spears for years
Jakaya Kikwete
"Machete, machete! "
Ek shaneesh, Cheech
Eddie Said speaks, sheesh
(Yeah, that's what Ed said)
People always follow like Deadheads
Swallowing red meds
Swallowing blues, too
Various hues, dude
Downtown Brown like Yoo-Hoo
Watch it like YouTube
Watch it like YouTube
Watch it like YouTube
Watch it like YouTube
Whites and pinks
Tyson and Spinks
Yeah, whites and pinks
Yeah, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
I am a pickup truck, I am America
I am America, I am a pickup truck
I am American, I am America
La la la la la la la la la la
[Heems:]
Good vibes PMA
Yeah, believe that
Listening to Three Stacks, reading Gaya Spivak
Listening to KMD and feeling weird about Naipaul
Fly or style warz, war style warsaw
Listening to jams with they pops about dem bhati boys
Listening to Can while I'm reading Arundhati Roy
Yeah, yeah, my pops drove a cab home
Now I drop guap just to bop in the cab, homes
This is Sam Selvon
Llamas, comas
Catch me watching hella telenovela dramas
With dizzying effects and bright colors
Roll around town with a bright crew of brothers
Everyone knows Guantanamo is for lovers
Next four joints could be Television covers
Some Richard Hell Rell shit, yeah, I'm real confused
Oh, you rap too, dude?
Yeah, I'm real enthused
La la la la la la la la la la
[Kool AD:]
I feel pretty
I feel pretty pretty
I feel pretty silly
I feel pretty weird, really
I feel better now
Coogi sweater now
Gucci sweater now
Coochie wetter now
Who you calling a dandy?
Our love is like candy
The rich pour brandy
What do the poor pour?
Why we at the candy store for?
Why we at the Mandy Moore tour?
Band du jour or brand du jour
Or the land before time
The wartime Andy Warhol, the war crime
Nancy Drew, nancy who?
Nancy Reagan in a fancy pants suit
Dancing bear in cahoots with the man who shot ya
Who shot ya?
Who shot ya?
Who shot ya?
Who shot you?
Who shot you?
La la la la la la la la la la
The song "Ek Shaneesh" by Das Racist is quite complex and multi-layered in its lyrics with references to various cultural and political phenomena. The song is a collaboration between Heems and Kool AD, both of whom share their thoughts on their cultural identity, living in Queens, and their love for music and literature. Heems begins his verse by saying that he is from Queens, and there is nothing else to do except to cook and watch Tony Bourdain's shows. Heems also mentions that he has read Bourdain's book "Kitchen Confidential" and even dressed like him. He then switches to his love for Queens, chasing breezes, smoking hash, and reading Rumi.
Kool AD's verse is more abstract and filled with a range of obscure pop culture references, and he raps about feeling pretty, being weird, wearing a Gucci sweater, and Nancy Reagan in a fancy pantsuit. His verse is quite choppy, with quick transitions between topics, and it is difficult to find a common thread. The repeated phrase "who shot ya?" is possibly a reference to the famous hip-hop song by Notorious B.I.G.
Overall, the song is a reflection of the duo's thoughts and experiences with various social, cultural, and political phenomena, and it offers a glimpse into their personalities and their perspectives on the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm from Queens, man
I come from the neighbourhood of Queens
Ain't shit to do but cook
There's not much to do except cook food
Watching Tony Bourdain
I'm watching the TV show hosted by Tony Bourdain
Plus I copped his book
I bought his book as well
Plus I copped his look
I dress like he does
That means T-shirts and jeans
I wear casual streetwear clothes
Catch me in my borough chasing breezes with queens
I'm often in Queens, New York, enjoying time with my female friends
Squeezes with dreams
I'm spending time with my female friends who have aspirations
Do you? I'm a do me
Are you doing your own thing? I'm living my life as I see fit
Catch me in my borough burning L's reading Rumi
You can find me in Queens smoking marijuana and reading the works of Rumi
Flipping pies, reading fries
I'm cooking pizzas and reading about fast food
I'm advising kabhir smoking hash
I'm recommending Kabir's poetry while smoking hash
Making cash, spinning Sufis
I'm earning money while listening to Sufi music
Drinking beer, 40 kufi rock a sheer
I'm drinking beer and wearing a 40 kufi hat with a sheer cloth covering
Sporting Uzis in the clear
I'm carrying a gun in public, out in the open
Yeah, beers for years
I have been drinking beer for a long time
Chucking Shaka Zulu types
I'm getting rid of people who act like Shaka Zulu, a famous warrior king
Spears for years
I've been using spears for a long time
Jakaya Kikwete
The former President of Tanzania
Ek shaneesh, Cheech
A phrase of Indian origin that rhymes with Cheech
Eddie Said speaks, sheesh
Edward Said is speaking and I'm surprised by what he's saying
People always follow like Deadheads
People are always following others, like fans of The Grateful Dead (Deadheads)
Swallowing red meds
People are taking red pills (drugs)
Swallowing blues, too
People are taking blue pills (drugs) as well
Various hues, dude
Different types and colours of drugs
Downtown Brown like Yoo-Hoo
I'm a person of colour who looks like the drink Yoo-Hoo
Watch it like YouTube
I'm watching something very closely, like a video on YouTube
Tyson and Spinks
Famous boxers Mike Tyson and Leon Spinks
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
A member of Al-Qaeda who was killed in Somalia in 2011
I am a pickup truck, I am America
I represent America and its culture, just like a pickup truck does
Good vibes PMA
I'm in a good mood, positive mental attitude
Listening to Three Stacks, reading Gaya Spivak
I'm listening to André 3000 and reading Gayatri Spivak
Listening to KMD and feeling weird about Naipaul
I'm listening to KMD (rap group) and feeling strange about V.S. Naipaul (author)
Fly or style warz, war style warsaw
There's a competition in fashion, who has the better style
Listening to jams with they pops about dem bhati boys
I'm listening to music with my friends' fathers about some Indian guys from the Bhati caste
Listening to Can while I'm reading Arundhati Roy
I listen to music from the band Can, while reading the work of Arundhati Roy
This is Sam Selvon
I'm talking about the author Sam Selvon
Llamas, comas
I'm mentioning llamas and comas for no particular reason
Catch me watching hella telenovela dramas
You can find me watching a lot of Spanish soap operas
With dizzying effects and bright colors
These soap operas have a lot of visual effects and bright colours
Roll around town with a bright crew of brothers
I'm traveling around town with a group of colourful friends
Everyone knows Guantanamo is for lovers
It's a joke that people like Guantanamo Bay prison
Next four joints could be Television covers
The next four songs might be covers of songs by the band Television
Some Richard Hell Rell shit, yeah, I'm real confused
I'm listening to music by Richard Hell and Jim Jones (Rell) and it's confusing me
Oh, you rap too, dude?
You also rap, man?
Yeah, I'm real enthused
Yes, I'm very excited about it
I feel pretty
I feel good about myself
I feel pretty pretty
I feel very good about myself
I feel pretty silly
I feel funny or foolish
I feel pretty weird, really
I feel strange or odd
I feel better now
I feel good now
Coogi sweater now
I'm wearing a Coogi sweater now
Gucci sweater now
I'm wearing a Gucci sweater now
Coochie wetter now
Women are getting more aroused now
Who you calling a dandy?
Who are you calling a fashionable man?
Our love is like candy
Our love is sweet and enjoyable
The rich pour brandy
Wealthy people drink brandy
What do the poor pour?
What do poor people drink?
Why we at the candy store for?
Why are we at a candy store?
Why we at the Mandy Moore tour?
Why are we attending a Mandy Moore concert?
Band du jour or brand du jour
The popular band of the day or the popular brand of the day
Or the land before time
Referring to the prehistoric era
The wartime Andy Warhol, the war crime
The depiction of war by Andy Warhol can be a war crime in itself
Nancy Drew, nancy who?
Who is Nancy Drew?
Nancy Reagan in a fancy pants suit
Nancy Reagan is dressed up in elegant clothing
Dancing bear in cahoots with the man who shot ya
A bear is dancing with the person who shot someone
Who shot ya?
Who shot you?
Contributed by Kennedy B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
iloveyou
timeless..... love these dudes
lightGiver42
This is hitting me harder than my morning coffee.
Cassie Sands
Used to watch this with my best friend in college. LA LA LA LA LA
alldaymori1
Best song of the '10s
Peter Mohrmann
Rainbow in the dark is good too
mr. feet
the black dude with white powder on him is awsome
Nadya Sadaat
so deep and yet so efortless
Peter Mohrmann
I believe that's Eric Andre's dad 😂
GigaDunk
RIP Anthony Bourdain
Bolid X
T SHIRTS AND JEANS