Being Das Racist: Harder Than We Think?

Here are three recent youtube videos showing the type of performance Das Racist is delivering on their Relax tour. If you love background rappers coming in on the last phrase of the line, each. and. every. line, then you love it. If you love people yelling into the device which amplifies their voice, then you love it. If you love weed so much you're smoking it during the performance, you love it. Don't be jealous reader, You can play from the comfort of your chair! In the following vidoes count the number of visible drinks on stage. Or, if you can count over a hundred, count the number of times lyrics become unintelligible messes from group delivery.







Doing some back-of-envelope calculations, it would seem they were drunk and high as shit. In an interlude between songs D. Brown complained about finishing Lukutis's drink, and in the middle of a song Victor (Kool AD) went backstage to procure another one. Also, Heems eyes looked like this the entire show:
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Throughout the ages, many artists have performed better while under the influence. Does Das Racist perform better under the influence? While I'm not looking for them to do cartwheels through rings of fire or anything, if the performances you just saw were improved by depressants I'm aghast at the thought of them performing during the day not high or drunk.

The least auditorily offensive of those three embeds is the last. I wish I could have gone to a show there instead of the one I did last night at the Branx/Rotture. I also wish last night wasn't the first time I'd been suckered. I went to the same show in April and it sucked too. We've got a saying in Oregon, I'm sure you have it in Williamsberg, goes like "Fool me once, shame on...you. ...Fuck Das Racist at the Branx/Rotture." This is hardly a scientific sample so I'm unsure how to weight the blame between their effortless performances or the improper audio setup. It sounded like "blahalhalowwwwohfaahmfahf ahflomorr woahoahwoahw" for 4 hours.

The music started a half hour late both times, though that's only relevant because it meant I spent an extra half hour standing alone by myself against a wall. For everyone in the underage area it meant more time to pass around the gatorade bottle'o'wonder, and for everyone in the bar area more time to drink PBR ironically. There are three possible explanations for the delays: Das Racist either shows up late to the venue, needs more time to get plastered--like the audience, or they are just being fashionable. All three = dedication.

The most insulting part of the performance was the continual sounding of what I can only call the "dj horn," heard at 1:36 in the following clip. Unbelievably, repeatedly sounding it at 100x amplification at the end of every song was an improvement, because in April an eagle screech was used that hurt even worse. Without any justification, this sonic "fuck you" was used intermittently during the songs as well as at their start and end. This is what my experience felt like.





Perhaps I have shitty cell phone ears. I wish I could have enjoyed any part of the show except for D. Brown's a capella, which is unfortunately about ejaculating in a person's eye. Your mileage may vary. It appears to me that they are reluctant stars riding the hipster train around the country and enjoying the chance to party every night. If so, then why are their lyrics so thoughtful, and why is their first studio release so polished? Relax is catchy and smart, irreverent and insightful. How come their performances are so bad?

I think the joke's on me. "Give us all your money." Is it satire?