Biography
Who is Watkin Tudor Jones?
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Watkin Tudor Jones attended Parktown Boys' High School in his hometown of Johannesburg. During his school years, he connected with the band members who would later form his group The Original Evergreen. This group signed with Sony Music in the 1990s. They released a single titled Puff the Magik, which faced radio bans due to its lyrics regarding marijuana usage.
After the group won a SAMA music award, Watkin Tudor Jones left to pursue solo projects and eventually formed the hip-hop act Max Normal. The band released the album Songs From The Mall in 2001 before disbanding the following year. Their final live performance took place during a 2002 tour alongside the group Faithless.
Musical Projects and Solo Work
Following his time with Max Normal, the artist launched The Constructus Corporation in 2002. This project involved collaborations with musicians like Sibot, Markus Wormstorm, and Felix Laband. They released a concept album and graphic novel titled The Ziggurat in June 2002. Anri du Toit, who later became his bandmate in Die Antwoord, provided vocals for this project under the name Anica the Snuffling.
Watkin also released solo material, including his debut album Memoirs of a Clone in 2001. He followed this with a second solo record, The Fantastic Kill, in 2005. This album later saw a release in France under the title MC Totally Rad And DJ Fuck Are Fucknrad. By 2007, he revitalized his earlier concept as the corporate-themed hip-hop group MaxNormal.TV, releasing the album Good Morning South Africa.
The Rise of Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord formed as a rap-rave group centered on the South African counterculture movement known as zef. The initial lineup included Watkin Tudor Jones as Ninja, Anri du Toit as Yolandi Visser, and producer Justin De Nobrega. The group gained international attention with their music video for the song Enter the Ninja.
Their debut album $O$ arrived in 2009 and was made available online for free. Although they signed briefly with Interscope Records, they eventually left to operate independently through their own label, Zef Recordz. They continued releasing albums including Ten$ion, Donker Mag, Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid, and House of Zef. The group later added a second producer named Lil2Hood to their ranks as they continued to create new music.
Acting Roles and Personal Life
Beyond his musical career, the artist has taken on various acting roles. He appeared as a character named Ninja in the 2015 science fiction film Chappie, directed by Neill Blomkamp. This film featured several songs by Die Antwoord, such as Baby's on Fire and Ugly Boy.
Regarding his family life, he shares a daughter named Sixteen, born in 2005, with Anri du Toit. The pair has also fostered or adopted three children. In May 2022, one of their adopted sons appeared in an interview with the news organization News24. He made serious allegations about his upbringing, claiming the duo exposed him to drugs and violence. Die Antwoord publicly denied these claims, labeling them as fabrications in a statement released on their website.
Birthday and age
Watkin Tudor Jones was born on September 26, 1974, which makes Watkin 52 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Watkin shares the date with 43 other famous people.
Explore more
