2011 IN REVIEW: Das Racist Tackle the Year’s Top Tracks

Photos by Elizabeth Weinberg

A lot’s happened since the last time self-titled spent an afternoon with Das Racist, exploring the Queens neighborhood where MC Heems and hypeman Dapwell grew up. For one thing, the Brooklyn trio–rounded out by Kool A.D., possibly the only rapper we’ve ever seen rocking a pair of Zubaz pants–finally released its first proper album, Relax, a record that rightfully earned the group a Spin cover and the tagline “hip-hop’s smartest smartasses.” Relax has also kept Das Racist on the road for the past few months.

So rather than grill them about their role in underground rap or what it was like working with members of Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer and El-P, we asked the group about 25 of 2011’s most talked-about tracks…