Sweat.X are Spoek Mathambo, ‘The Kool Disco Okapi’ and Markus Wormstorm, ‘The LAN Lord’. They are The Ebony & Ivory Tron. Mathambo plays the Ndebele counterpoint to Wormstorm’s exuberant Afrikaaner: “We’re like a 20ft painting of a black hand holding a white hand against a bed of fur and wires.”
Mathambo, aka The Royal Disco Knife, elaborates: “My real name’s Nthato Mokgata. I like to think of myself as the Ndebele prince (and I don’t mean prince like diamante studded one piece lycra suits and hi-heels, but I mean Maraba royal family of Polokwane). My connection to the crown is somewhat remote, but it makes me feel fun inside.
“I’m the singer, dancer, songwriter, fashion-face in Sweat.X, along with the incredibly talented Markus Wormstorm. Now 22, I live in Johannesburg with my family and have been writing songs since I was ten. I never thought I could be a professional rapper – I wanted to become a ninja, a computer programmer and a doctor – but eventually went to med school and ditched the whole ninja thing. I then ditched the whole med school thing and learned to make pictures on the computer… graphic design. I’ve now decided I will become a professional rapdancer.”
Over the last two years Sweat.X have developed their self-described ‘future-primitive’ and ‘black sweat’ brand of patois-littered electro. “I started bumping into Markus through friends and had half-developed an album of electro-rap Prince covers.” It was their shared obsession with Prince that eventually brought them together to form Sweat.X.
Wormstorm (real name Markus Smit) is an Afrikaaner, born in Pretoria, and started writing electronic music at age 15. He attended a local art school where he studied drama and music. At the age of 16 Smit had formed a small theater group, writing and directing.
At the age of 18 Smit moved to Cape Town, after convincing his parents that he needed to study there. Shortly after dropping out of university he sold a song to African Dope records for five thousand rand. He used the money to distribute a hundred copies of his first solo album and in 2003 a deal with New York’s Sound-Ink followed. Two years later he formed The Real Estate Agents, an instrumental tech-based electro outfit, releasing two albums on African Dope.
In 2005 Smit returned to his early-day theatrics, forming a fantasy art collective, The Blackheart Gang. Their second project, The Tale of How, has received international acclaim, winning Best Independent Film at the Bradford Animation Festival, the Canal+ Prix Award at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and the Special Distinction Award at the Annecy International Animation Festival.
Now 25, Smit co-owns SayThankYou music studios in the heart of Cape Town.
Sweat.X have recently completed their European ‘Go Black Go Low Go Fast’ tour, blitzing dancefloors across London and Paris, as well as Stockholm, Gothenberg, Copenhagen, Liege and Berne... they will return.
Jack
SWEAT.X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ils sont bons qu'à plainter j'ai bien l'impression
L'impression
Laisse-les s'tenir à l'écart de nous
À l'écart de nous
Trafiquante j'ressens pas la pression
La pression
En retard même quand j'viens ouvrir le four
J'vois ces tre-trai
Et dites à l'OPJ qu'j'm'en bats les couillles
Ouais ouais
Bellek s'tu ré-ti vise pas à côté
Pas à côté
Et tous mes ennemis veulent battre en retraite
J'suis dans l'mal j'suis dans l'mal
Ouais vas-y monte devant j'reviens dans 5 minutes
Dans le side dans le side
J'sirote ma teille de Jack j'rajoute un peu d'miel
Elle a zéro défaut
Foncedé sous Jack au miel
J'viens juste d'la connaître
(Foncedé sous Jack au miel)
Elle a zéro défaut
Foncedé sous Jack au miel
J'viens juste d'la connaître
Nan j'suis pas fou d'elle
Juste un peu fucked up
Baby là j'suis sous Jack
Là j'suis sous Jack
Nan j'suis pas fou d'elle
Juste un peu fucked up
Baby là j'suis sous Jack
J'la laisse piloter
Y a qu'sous Jack au miel que j'lui fais confiance
P'tit con tu veux ma place reste à distance
J'sors même plus d'la maison
Si y a zéro plavon
J'fais les dineros matin/matin change le fuseau horaire j'maille
Elle fait la go devant la kichta comme si c'était normal
Le condé sait qu'j'fais plus que lui donc ça lui fait mal
Elle parle Gucci, LV, Dubai quand j'la cala
Quand j'la cala
Haya
J'dis que des vérités avec du miel dans la ge-gor
Haya
C'est plus que mérité si tu me croise dans le sche-por
Elle a zéro défaut
Foncedé sous Jack au miel
J'viens juste d'la connaître
(Foncedé sous Jack au miel)
Elle a zéro défaut
Foncedé sous Jack au miel
J'viens juste d'la connaître
Nan j'suis pas fou d'elle
Juste un peu fucked up
Baby là j'suis sous Jack
Là j'suis sous Jack
Nan j'suis pas fou d'elle
Juste un peu fucked up
Baby là j'suis sous Jack
J'suis dans l'mal j'suis dans l'mal
The lyrics of SWEAT.X's song "Jack au miel" depict a sense of rebellion and carefree attitude towards life. The slang terms and references make it hard for non-French speakers to understand the lyrics. The phrase "Sous Jack au miel" refers to drinking Jack Daniels whiskey with honey. The singer says that the people around him are good only at complaining, and he prefers to keep them at a distance from him. He also mentions that he does not feel the pressure of being a drug trafficker. The singer seems to be always late, even when he opens the oven. He then sees the "tra-trais" (perhaps referring to the slang term "traîne") and does not care what the police think of him. The chorus mainly talks about his newfound love for a girl, and he says that he is not crazy about her but a little messed up. He trusts her only when he is under the influence of Jack Daniels and honey. The singer sees himself as someone who is in trouble, and even the enemies want to retreat. His attitude seems careless, and he asks the listener to wait for him, as he will be back in five minutes, while he sips his Jack with honey.
The song's lyrics contain many slang words that might be challenging for non-French speakers to understand. The song reflects the life of a carefree drug trafficker who is always under the influence of Jack Daniels whiskey and honey. The lyrics also depict a love story between the singer and a girl who seems to understand him only when he is under the influence. Overall, the lyrics reflect a sense of rebellion and carelessness towards life, which might attract the younger generation more.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous Jack au miel
They're under the influence of Jack and honey
Ils sont bons qu'à plainter j'ai bien l'impression
They're only good at complaining, that's the impression
L'impression
That's the impression
Laisse-les s'tenir à l'écart de nous
Let them stay away from us
À l'écart de nous
Away from us
Trafiquante j'ressens pas la pression
I don't feel the pressure even though I'm a drug dealer
La pression
The pressure
En retard même quand j'viens ouvrir le four
I'm always late, even when I'm coming to check on my product
Dita devant la rétine j'vois ces tre-trai
Dita in front of my eyes, I see these tra-trai
J'vois ces tre-trai
I see these tra-trai
Et dites à l'OPJ qu'j'm'en bats les couillles
Tell the police that I don't give a damn
Ouais ouais
Yeah, yeah
Bellek s'tu ré-ti vise pas à côté
Be careful if you shoot, don't miss
Pas à côté
Don't miss
Et tous mes ennemis veulent battre en retraite
All my enemies want to retreat
J'suis dans l'mal j'suis dans l'mal
I'm in trouble, I'm in trouble
Ouais vas-y monte devant j'reviens dans 5 minutes
Yeah, go ahead and get in front, I'll be back in 5 minutes
Dans le side dans le side
In the sidecar, in the sidecar
J'sirote ma teille de Jack j'rajoute un peu d'miel
I'm sipping on my bottle of Jack, adding a bit of honey
Elle a zéro défaut
She has no flaws
Foncedé sous Jack au miel
High under the influence of Jack and honey
J'viens juste d'la connaître
I just met her
(Foncedé sous Jack au miel)
(High under the influence of Jack and honey)
Nan j'suis pas fou d'elle
No, I'm not crazy about her
Juste un peu fucked up
Just a little messed up
Baby là j'suis sous Jack
Baby, I'm under the influence of Jack right now
Là j'suis sous Jack
Right now, I'm under the influence of Jack
J'la laisse piloter
I let her take control
Y a qu'sous Jack au miel que j'lui fais confiance
Only under the influence of Jack and honey I trust her
P'tit con tu veux ma place reste à distance
Little idiot, if you want my place, stay away
J'sors même plus d'la maison
I don't even leave the house anymore
Si y a zéro plavon
If there's no money to be made
J'fais les dineros matin/matin change le fuseau horaire j'maille
I make money every day, changing time zones
Elle fait la go devant la kichta comme si c'était normal
She acts like it's normal to be in front of the kitchen
Le condé sait qu'j'fais plus que lui donc ça lui fait mal
The cop knows that I'm doing better than him, so it hurts him
Quand j'la cala
When I make her my own
Haya
Yup
J'dis que des vérités avec du miel dans la ge-gor
I speak only the truth, sweetened with honey
C'est plus que mérité si tu me croise dans le sche-por
It's well deserved if you meet me on the street
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Sharif x Woezon, Sharif S, Woezon W
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Columbine Produx
die antwoord and markus wormstorm have worked together! respect music, especially when its as fucking awesome as this.
Columbine Produx
i'm not sure how ninja would feel about this comment, i believe he is good friends with these musicians! they are amazing. i wouldn't say die antwoord is better at all, and i'm a BIG time fan. differents acts, you can't even compare the two of them. they're just both from south africa and there's nothing wrong with having a lot of good music come from there!
Quickendz
so die antwoord is rap/ techno and this is the exact same so how are they not the same?