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Watkin at the Stage performing. Author; Stefan Brending.

Top 10 Facts about Watkin Tudor Jones

Watkin Tudor Jones who was born on 26th September 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa and better known by his stage names Ninja and Max Normal, is a South African rapper, songwriter, record producer, performance artist, and director.

He found international success as a member of Die Antwoord, with Yolandi Visser and was formerly a member of Max Normal and The Constructs Corporation. Let’s take a look at some of the top facts about him;

1. He developed his love for hip hop when he was 13 

Jones developed his love for hip hop when he was just 13 and has been on the South African hip hop scene since he was 13. He frequented nightclubs where he would develop his skills as a rapper.

He attended Parktown Boys High where he would meet his Original Evergreen band members. He has been active from 1993 to the present and his career has been on the rise. Jones also has had several acting roles, including a self-styled role as Ninja in the 2015 Neill Blomkamp film Chappie. 

2. He started his musical career after dropping out of school

Ninja Watkin on stage. Photo by Andrew Merrill.

He started his professional musical career in 1993 after dropping out of high school. As the son of a music enthusiast, he grew up amidst the rap culture.

After years of struggling with unsuccessful projects, he eventually found success with his eccentric rave-rap crew, Die Antwoord. A cool and composed personality behind the curtains, the South African artiste is a multifaceted one. 

3. Jones was a member of several disbanded band group

Ninja of Die Antwoord aka Watkin Tudor Jones. Photo by Paul Bange.

He was a member of several disbanded groups before he finally settled with his recent group Die Antwoord. He started his career with Max Normal releasing songs such as “Songs from the Mall” before it was disbanded in 2002.

He later joined the Constructus Corporation which was famed for projects like “The Ziggurat”, though they also disbanded in 2003. He later revamped the band Max Normal into a ‘corporate’ hip hop crew called MaxNormal.TV, in 2005 and released albums such as “Good Morning South Africa” in 2008.

Later that year joined the band Die Antwoord 2008 and quickly became a success. The band however was also disbanded. 

4. Jones has a daughter from his relationship with bandmate Yolanda Visser

Ninja and Yolandi of Die Antwoord on the street.
Photo by Stefan Magdalinski.

Jones has a daughter named Sixteen Jones, born in 2005 from a previous relationship with Die Antwoord bandmate Anri Du Toit who goes by the stage name Yolandi Visser. He also has 3 adopted children.

Tokkie and his sister Meisie were adopted in 2010, and Jemile was adopted in 2015. Jones’ father died in Johannesburg from a fatal shooting during a hijacking in 2000. He currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

5. His net worth is around $ 10 million

Jones has a net worth of around $10 million. Watkin Tudor Jones was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 1974. His wealth mostly comes from his career as a musician and in commercials. 

He is best known for being the frontman of the rap-rave group Die Antwoord under his stage name Ninja. The band mixes English with Afrikaans in their lyrics, mashing up various elements of South Africa’s youth and working-class cultures.

6. Jones has also released solo albums 

Jones has released solo albums including Memoirs of a Clone and The Fantastic Kill. He has also released albums with The Original Evergreen, Max Normal, The Constructus Corporation, The Man Who Never Came Back, Fucknrad, and MaxNormal.TV. 

During his time with Die Antwoord, the group released their debut studio album $O$ in 2009 and had more success with their second album Ten$ion in 2012. Their third album Donker Mag in 2014 and their fourth album Mount Ninji and da Nice Time Kid 2016 both had a lot of success and reached #1 on the US Dance charts. 

7. Jones is also an actor and has featured in several movies

Apart from his influence as a musician, Watkin Tudor Jones is also known for appearing in a couple of films and his first movie appearance goes back to the 1995 Kickboxer 5 where he had a cameo as a prisoner.

Later on, he was seen in a South African documentary released in 2010 titled Tokoloshe, and the next year, he was in the Zulu-based movie Umshini Wam by Harmony Korine. He was also seen in the action thriller Chappie which was released in 2015 and the movie made it big commercially.

8. Jones’ daughter is also a musician having followed his footsteps

Jones’ daughter Sixteen is also a musician having followed in his footsteps as she is now a member of the band called The Boy With The Rainbow Face. She is also known to have appeared in the music video Fink U Freaky at about 7 yrs of age.

Her name sixteen was given to her in memory of her grandfather who died in a carjacking on the 16th of a month in the year 2000. She is also a high school dropout like her father. when she was younger she also had a modelling career because she was tall and stunning. 

9. Jones has been involved in several controversies

He has been involved in several controversies including rumours that he is not the original creator of Die Antwoord songs and that he stole the idea from some street children known as The Glue Gang Boys.

It was also revealed that Watkin Tudor Jones came under the pretence of caring for the young boys but ended up stealing their music style. He has also been accused of sexual manipulation of young girls, one of whom was the Australian artist Zhandi Sparkes.

However, he and his partner denied these allegations and they are yet to be charged with any crime in any court. 

10. He loves and has several tattoos on his body 

Die Antwoord @ Bizco Club Stage – Corona Capital. Photo by Christhian Ferenc.

Jones has several tattoos on his body. His bodybuild can be described as slim and it is obvious that he loves tattoos as he has a lot of inscriptions all over his body.

Judging from his looks, it is very glaring that Watkin is a tall man he stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch, and his weight is 80 kg or 176 lbs. Watkin and Yoladni have stayed together as a band but they split in the year 2013.