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.
Shorty Said
Das Racist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now shorty said I look like Carlos Mencia
Like Carlos Mencia?
Fuck Carlos Mencia
I said take notice, and ma please focus
I look like him, but mixed with George Lopez
Shorty said I look like Mario Lopez
With no lats, and no traps and no pecs
Shorty said I look like Cro-mag
No man, that's a cave man
She told me I was racist at the rave, man
[Kool AD:]
Yeah shorty said I look like a Cro-mag too, man
She said I'm half Rasta, half pasta, no Ragu, man
Shorty said I look like Slash with no hat on
She asked if I had a spot where we could get our smash on
Shorty said I look like Devendra Banhart
Shorty said I look like that dude from Japan's art
You know the dude that did the Kanye album covers
Shorty said I look just like Egyptian Lover
[Heems:]
Yeah, we was kicking it
I said "You chillin, ma? "
Shorty said I look like a chubby Jake Gyllenhaal
I said, this ain't "Brokeback"
And I'm a broke mack
Type so hard, I'm now typing on a broke Mac
Book Air, well girl you look here
I look real fly
And we fly high
I'm like the Latino cop on CSI-I-I
[Kool AD:]
Shorty said I look like the guy
Who did that song "La Bamba"
What was his name? Ay-carumba!
I don't even know, shorty wanna do the rumba
I said that was dumb, thu
Wait, shorty said I look like Osama
Plus Obama, minus the drama
Shorty wanna meet my momma
Shorty said I look real calm
And maybe I got good karma
[Heems:]
Shorty said I look like Aditya Pancholi, Chunky Pandey or Deepak Tijori
Maybe John Abraham or Shahrukh Khan
Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan
Amir Khan, Kader Khan
Genghis Khan or Irrfan Khan
[Kool AD:]
I just wanna eloheinu all night long
Shorty said I look like the dude from the Passion of the Christ
Jesus Christ
Shorty said I smell like beans and rice
Shorty said I look like the dude from the Passion of the Christ
Yeah, shorty said it twice
Shorty said I was nice
Yeah, shorty bit my ear like Mike Tyse
Shorty said I look like Bob Weisz
Shorty said I look like Swizz Beats but like
Minus the ice
Shorty said I'm nice, yeah shorty said it twice
[Heems:]
Shorty said I look like Shaun Bridgmohan
I said maybe I might just look like just Mohan
Broham, or maybe Rohan
Shorty said the ninja that she with ain't this
And shorty said I act like a gay David Banner on acid
Shorty said I look like I work in a garage
Shorty said I'm Turtle from Entourage
And she looks like Sloan
And when we bone
Shorty don't say much, shorty just moan
And that's cause I'm a freak, yo
Shorty said I look like Richard Grieco
[Kool AD:]
Grieco or Greco?
Shorty said I look like Art Deco
Shorty said I look like the gecko from the Geico commercials
Plus the caveman too, she hurt me
[Heems:]
She hurt you too?
[Kool AD:]
She hurt a lot of fools
Oh my god she did a lot to a lot of fools
Shorty said I look like the dude who cuts her roses
She forgets his name but she supposes it was Moses
Wait, Moises?
Shorty asked why all the boys-es from all those places
Have such strange names and faces
I told her das racist
I told her das racist
I told her das racist
I told her das racist
I told her das racist, she likes me cause I'm tasteless
I gave her bracelets and we hit it in her momma's basement
Adjacent to her gay sister's dark room
Shorty says I look like a cartoon
Like a dude throwing a harpoon at a whale and shit
"Shorty Said" by Das Racist is a satirical take on the idea of racial stereotypes, as the two rappers, Heems and Kool AD, discuss different comparisons that people have made about their racial appearances. The song starts with Heems narrating an encounter in which someone referred to him as looking like Carlos Mencia, which he takes offense to and responds with a chain of similar comparisons, such as being mixed with George Lopez or looking like Mario Lopez without the muscles. Meanwhile, Kool AD shares his own experiences of being compared to various people, including the artist who designed Kanye West's album covers and Slash without his hat on.
These encounters continue throughout the song, with each verse containing a series of rapid-fire comparisons, often with humorous and absurd descriptions. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the two rappers are making a larger point about the ways in which people often use simplistic and stereotypical associations to define race and ethnicity. The repetition of the phrase "das racist" serves as a kind of refrain, punctuating the absurdity of the comparisons and the idea that such tendencies are, in fact, inherently racist.
Overall, "Shorty Said" is a clever and often hilarious critique of the ways in which people fall back on simplistic stereotypes in their perceptions of racial identity. The song's catchy beat and rapid-fire delivery only serve to amplify the impact of its message.
Line by Line Meaning
Now shorty said I look like Carlos Mencia
Someone compared me to Carlos Mencia
Like Carlos Mencia?
Is that supposed to be an insult?
Fuck Carlos Mencia
I don't care for his comedy
I said take notice, and ma please focus
Pay attention and listen closely to what I'm saying
I look like him, but mixed with George Lopez
I kinda look like Carlos Mencia, but also George Lopez
Shorty said I look like Mario Lopez
Someone compared me to Mario Lopez
With no lats, and no traps and no pecs
I don't have any defined muscles
And no abs
I don't have a six-pack
She told me I was racist at the rave, man
Someone accused me of being racist at a party
Yeah shorty said I look like a Cro-mag too, man
Someone else also compared me to a caveman
She said I'm half Rasta, half pasta, no Ragu, man
She thinks I'm a mix of Rastafarianism and Italian heritage, without the pasta sauce brand Ragu
She asked if I had a spot where we could get our smash on
She asked if I had a place where we could hook up
Shorty said I look like Devendra Banhart
Someone compared me to Devendra Banhart
Shorty said I look like that dude from Japan's art
Someone compared me to an artist from Japan
You know the dude that did the Kanye album covers
The person who designed Kanye's album covers from Japan
Shorty said I look just like Egyptian Lover
Someone compared me to Egyptian Lover
Yeah, we was kicking it
We were hanging out
I said "You chillin, ma? "
I asked if she was having a good time
Shorty said I look like a chubby Jake Gyllenhaal
Someone compared me to a heavier version of Jake Gyllenhaal
I said, this ain't "Brokeback"
I'm not in a gay romance like in the movie 'Brokeback Mountain'
And I'm a broke mack
I'm not rich
Type so hard, I'm now typing on a broke Mac
I type hard, and now my computer is broken
Well girl you look here
Hey, let me take a good look at you
I look real fly
I'm looking good
And we fly high
We're feeling good
I'm like the Latino cop on CSI-I-I
I'm like a Latino detective on a crime drama TV show
Shorty said I look like the guy
Someone compared me to another guy
Who did that song "La Bamba"
The person who performed the song 'La Bamba'
What was his name? Ay-carumba!
I don't remember his name
I don't even know, shorty wanna do the rumba
I don't know who she's talking about, but she wants to dance
Wait, shorty said I look like Osama
Someone compared me to Osama bin Laden
Plus Obama, minus the drama
I kinda look like Barack Obama, but without the controversy
Shorty wanna meet my momma
She wants to meet my mother
Shorty said I look real calm
Someone said I look calm
And maybe I got good karma
Maybe I have good karma
Shorty said I look like Aditya Pancholi, Chunky Pandey or Deepak Tijori
Someone compared me to one of these Bollywood actors
Maybe John Abraham or Shahrukh Khan
It's possible I look like these other Bollywood actors
Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan
Or these other ones
Amir Khan, Kader Khan
Or these ones
Genghis Khan or Irrfan Khan
Or even these guys... who's to say?
I just wanna eloheinu all night long
I want to do something all night long
Shorty said I look like the dude from the Passion of the Christ
Someone thinks I resemble Jim Caviezel
Jesus Christ
Like, really?
Shorty said I smell like beans and rice
I apparently smell like a spicy rice dish
Yeah, shorty said it twice
She mentioned it more than once
Shorty said I was nice
Someone said I'm a nice person
Yeah, shorty bit my ear like Mike Tyse
She bit my ear like the boxer Mike Tyson did to Evander Holyfield
Shorty said I look like Bob Weisz
Someone compared me to Bob Weisz
Shorty said I look like Swizz Beats but like
Someone compared me to Swizz Beatz
Minus the ice
But without all the flashy jewelry
Shorty said I'm nice, yeah shorty said it twice
She reiterated that I'm a nice person
Shorty said I look like Shaun Bridgmohan
Someone compared me to this jockey
I said maybe I might just look like just Mohan
I suggested that maybe she's confusing me with someone else named Mohan
Broham, or maybe Rohan
Or even Rohan, for that matter
Shorty said the ninja that she with ain't this
Someone pointed out that I'm not the person she's with
And shorty said I act like a gay David Banner on acid
Someone thinks I'm flamboyant and have a wild personality
Shorty said I look like I work in a garage
Someone thinks I look like a mechanic
Shorty said I'm Turtle from Entourage
Someone thinks I look like the character Turtle from the show 'Entourage'
And she looks like Sloan
She looks like the character Sloan from the same show
And when we bone
And when we have sex
Shorty don't say much, shorty just moan
She doesn't make a lot of noise, she just moans
And that's cause I'm a freak, yo
The reason she's moaning is because I'm a freak in bed
Shorty said I look like Richard Grieco
Someone compared me to this actor
Grieco or Greco?
I'm not even sure which one you meant
Shorty said I look like Art Deco
Someone thinks I look like this artistic style
Shorty said I look like the gecko from the Geico commercials
Someone thinks I look like this gecko character
Plus the caveman too, she hurt me
And also the caveman from the same commercials, she's really reaching here
She hurt you too?
She compared you to the Geico caveman too?
She hurt a lot of fools
She's making a lot of people feel bad about themselves
Oh my god she did a lot to a lot of fools
It's really getting out of hand
Shorty said I look like the dude who cuts her roses
Someone thinks I'm the gardener
She forgets his name but she supposes it was Moses
She can't remember his name, but she thinks it was Moses
Wait, Moises?
Or was it Moises?
Shorty asked why all the boys-es from all those places
She's wondering why all the guys she meets have unusual names
Have such strange names and faces
She thinks they also look unusual
I told her das racist
I joke that maybe it's because of racial profiling
I told her das racist, she likes me cause I'm tasteless
I'm trying to make a pun, but she's into me because I'm not cultured
I gave her bracelets and we hit it in her momma's basement
I gave her some jewelry and we hooked up in her mother's basement
Adjacent to her gay sister's dark room
Next to her sister's room, who is gay and has a dark bedroom
Shorty says I look like a cartoon
Someone thinks I look animated or exaggerated
Like a dude throwing a harpoon at a whale and shit
Specifically, like a guy in a cartoon throwing a harpoon at a whale and being all animated and ridiculous
Contributed by Samantha N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.