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.
Who's That? Brooown!
Das Racist Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brown Elvis, I can't help it
Brown Larry Birdie on the '97 Celtics
All brown everything, better than you ever seen
Never have you ever seen anything like it
Do you like it? Oh, I think you like it
Maybe you should buy it, you should probably buy it
I swear I go like cars go, move like cargo, so retardo
Always move forward, never sleep, like a shark, bro
Always with my people like Yarborough, y'all glo
Who's that? Brooown!
Well who's that, brown, downtown like Julie
Mixed-race British chicks let me in they coochie
Like who he? Heems? Yeah, he a'ight though
Ball like Michael, life's vicious cycle
Chickety choco, the chocolate chicken
Half Choco Taco, quarter Chippewa Indian
Black-tinted Jewish Mel Gibson
Kool A.D. juice man, sounded like Simpson
Who's that? Broown!
Now what can brown do for you?
What has brown done for me lately?
Now some may, I say, call me Heems
The word is the herb and I'm deep like cream
The truth like Bruce, yes Baker and Clapton
Cruisin' down the block I'm ridin' shotty in a Magnum
Internets celebrity like Dallas Penn and Raffi
Person of color, you can't see me, copy?
Murder the beat, yes instrumental Nazi
Poppy, smoke that shit that come from poppy seeds
This is Greedhead E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T
MT3, MP3, so you PC or M-A-C?
Yeah, that's a Macbook
What can brown do for you?
What has brown done for me lately?
Who's that? Brooown!
What can brown do for you?
What has brown done for me lately?
Who's that? Brooown!
Read more at http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858845753/#pIlu5x2AijE7CuCh.99
The lyrics of Das Racist's song Who's that? Brooown! are an ode to brownness and its varied manifestations. Brownness is not just a physical characteristic but a cultural identity that shapes one's perception of oneself and society's perception of oneself. Das Racist celebrates brownness through various cultural references like Brown Elvis, Brown Larry Birdie, and the 97 Celtics. Brownness is an all-encompassing identity that is better than anything one has ever seen before, and the audience likes it too, just like the singer. Brownness defines who he is, what he sells (like wet and sex), and how he moves (like cargo and shark). He is never without his people and moves forward always, just like Yarborough, which is a reference to NASCAR driver Cale Yarborough or renowned marathoner Alberto Salazar, who is known for his endurance.
Heems, the other narrator, is another shade of brownness that is "downtown like Julie." He references his mixed-race background and British chicks who let him into their "coochie." He's a baller just like Michael Jordan who's stuck in a cruel cycle of life. He's also the "Choco Taco" and the "Chippewa Indian," which is a reference to his mixed-race identity. He's a "Black-tinted Jewish Mel Gibson," and his rap style is influenced by Juice, who sounds like Simpson, a nod to the famous voice actor Dan Castellaneta. Heems is a truth-teller, and his rhymes are deep like cream, which is a reference to The Last Poets' song "The Word."
Overall, the song celebrates brownness, which is not just limited to skin color but encompasses cultural and societal identity. The singers' profound love for their heritage and the identity it brings them is the central message of the song, and it is a call to action for others to embrace their uniqueness too.
Line by Line Meaning
Brown Elvis, I can't help it
I am the Brown Elvis and it's just my nature
Brown Larry Birdie on the '97 Celtics
I am as good as Brown Larry Birdie who played for the '97 Celtics
All brown everything, better than you ever seen
Everything I do is brown and better than anything you have seen
Never have you ever seen anything like it
You have never seen anything like what I bring to the table
Do you like it? Oh, I think you like it
I believe that you like what I offer. Don't you?
Maybe you should buy it, you should probably buy it
You should really think about purchasing my services or products
I swear I sell like wet sell, sell like sex sell, smell like sex smell
I am a great salesman and sell like a wet sell, and sell like sex sells and have the aroma of sex.
I swear I go like cars go, move like cargo, so retardo
I move like cars on roads, and like cargo and I don't stop
Always move forward, never sleep, like a shark, bro
I am always moving forward and never resting, like a shark that never stops swimming
Always with my people like Yarborough, y'all glo
I am never far away from my people, like Yarborough and we are always happy
Well who's that, brown, downtown like Julie
Who is that brown person? That's me, in downtown like Julie
Mixed-race British chicks let me in they coochie
British ladies of mixed-race find me attractive and very consumable
Like who he? Heems? Yeah, he a'ight though
People may ask who I am? I am Heems and I am okay
Ball like Michael, life's vicious cycle
I play basketball like Michael Jordan, but life is tough
Chickety choco, the chocolate chicken
A description of me being very attractive and sweet
Half Choco Taco, quarter Chippewa Indian
Describing myself to have some Mexican and Chippewa Indian ancestry
Black-tinted Jewish Mel Gibson
A mixture of being black and Jewish, like Mel Gibson
Kool A.D. juice man, sounded like Simpson
I call myself as Kool A.D. Juice Man and my voice sounds like Simpson
Now what can brown do for you?
How may I, being brown, help you?
What has brown done for me lately?
What good have I experienced lately by being brown?
Now some may, I say, call me Heems
Some may refer to me as Heems, but not all
The word is the herb and I'm deep like cream
Words are like herbs to me, and I take them in deep like cream
The truth like Bruce, yes Baker and Clapton
My truth is similar to Bruce Baker and Clapton
Cruisin' down the block I'm ridin' shotty in a Magnum
I drive through my neighborhood sitting beside the driver, in a Magnum
Internets celebrity like Dallas Penn and Raffi
I am quite popular on the Internet, much like Dallas Penn and Raffi
Person of color, you can't see me, copy?
I am someone of colored skin, do you see me? Copy?
Murder the beat, yes instrumental Nazi
I will wildly create music and destroy the musical harmony, like a Nazi
Poppy, smoke that shit that come from poppy seeds
I will smoke drugs made from poppy seeds
This is Greedhead E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T
This is Greedhead Entertainment, E-N-T-E-R-T-A-I-N-M-E-N-T
MT3, MP3, so you PC or M-A-C?
Do you use MT3 or MP3? Are you on PC or M-A-C?
Yeah, that's a Macbook
Yes, I carry a MacBook
What can brown do for you?
How may I, being brown, help you?
What has brown done for me lately?
What good have I experienced lately by being brown?
Who's that? Brooown!
Who's that? Me? Brown!
What can brown do for you?
How may I, being brown, help you?
What has brown done for me lately?
What good have I experienced lately by being brown?
Who's that? Brooown!
Who's that? Me? Brown!
Contributed by Kayla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ojcarontonton
man, das racist was so cool back in the 10's, I really wish they was still together :(
George Myers
Too much racism couldn't hold it together.....
porkchop sandwiches
Way happen?
Katherine Grace ❤️🔐
me too....
foaloal
I'm always finding another layer of nuance to Das Racist songs, even though I've been listening to them on/off for years. And with Kool A.D. and Heems still going at it with their own stuff I'm sure I'll get to keep finding more nuances to those songs for years to come too. That's a sign of true artists if you ask me.
Sam
Sadly, this comment has not aged well.
secretcountry
the "Whos that? Brooown!" sample is from Scenario by A Tribe Called Quest. they also make references to it. like "chickity choco the choclate chicken" is from that song. and 2:28 references a part to...
Haut Strange
Yep :)
shupadupa
Hell yeah, some of my all-time favorite games from the 80's are here: Elevator Action, Frogger, Leisure Suit Larry, Double Dragon, Zelda, Rampage, and Tetris. That was the golden age of video games for sure!
austin lozano
i love how this is sampled from a tribe called quest. too fucking awesome