Das Racist Stay 'Sincere as We Can Be' on Debut LP, Plot Health-Food Scam

New York rap trio Das Racist generated a buzz in 2009 with their comical song 'Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,' which was more of a commentary on the fast food business than a tune about getting high and eating Gorditas.

Since then, Himanshu Suri (Heems), Victor Vazquez (Kool A.D.) and their hype man Ashok Kondabolu (Dap) have released two mixtapes: last year's 'Shut Up, Dude' and 'Sit Down, Man,' which name checks the likes of Dwight Schrute, 'Saved by the Bell,' Jeff Mangum, gruyere cheese and Guantanamo Bay. Proving they're more than just one-hit wonder jokesters, these wordsmiths admit to "being as sincere as we can be" and not taking themselves too seriously.

"I don't like writing or rapping, so I do it when I have to," Heems confesses to Spinner. "But I prefer settling after the set and getting money." Whereas Heems is content to reap the benefits, Kool A.D. states he's a "busy bee" and always at his computer working on music. On Sept. 13, Das Racist will release their first proper full-length, 'Relax,' an album featuring appearances by Diplo, Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij and Yeasayer's Anand Wilder.

Those collaborations came about because Heems thinks "they're very charming people in real life, in addition to on record." But one artist they've failed to get any traction with is Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. "We've seen him a few times intermittently," Dap says. "We talked to him but he'll never remember who we are. He'll try really hard to ask us a few questions, then [he's] like, 'I don't care.'"

"We ran into him three times over the course of 40 hours. He's like, 'Really? Again?'" Kool A.D. quips.

"He makes himself very available, which is going to be his downfall," Dap adds.

When they're not harassing Moore, Das Racist have been touring the US and playing festivals. "Touring has been tiring, although it's a lot of fun seeing that what we do resonates with people because it was made very much just out of boredom," Heems says. "It's cool when you're really tired and you play a set and you're like, 'Whoa, I can go another 15 hours without falling asleep.' Then the meth wears off and you're like, 'What?'"

If things don't work out with the rap thing, Dap's considering starting a health-food business. "I want to try and sell bogus nutrition regimens and training to celebrities and music people," he says. "I had a name for it. When this is all over I thought I could do that for money, but I forgot the name so I guess it's over."

Listen to Das Racist's Michael Jackson

Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Us on Facebook | Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Download Das Racist Songs | Buy Das Racist Albums