Music Reviews
Artist:
Miss PlatinumTitle:
Give Me The FoodLabel:
Four MusicWebsite:
http://www.myspace.com/missplatnum
Balkan Beat hip hop breaks new ground in a witty and original attack on hip hop and R&B’s image obsessed culture, ‘Give Me The Food’ demands Miss Platinum; she can have whatever she wants with tracks this good.
Until now Balkan Beat hip hop has bubbled under the mainstream consciousness staying resolutely underground. Berlin-based Romanian artist Miss Platinum’s witty, subversive, and original ‘Give Me The Food’ could be the track that propels this overlooked genre into the big time. Combining hip hop beats and traditional Romanian instruments Miss Platinum skilfully attacks lazy western stereotypes of Eastern Europe and the pervasive image obsessed ‘bling’ culture of commercial R&B and hip hop. On ‘Give Me The Food’, a celebration of her considerable appetite for all things sweet and fattening, Platinum consumes a wide array of musical styles.
For all its originality and use of eastern influences it seems odd that the UK release of this track is backed up with an irrelevant and largely pointless Sway remix. It may help bring on board a larger UK audience but his dull version sterilises the Balkan Beat rhythms that make this such an original pleasure. While the Sway mix is best ignored, the Bucovina Dub remix featuring Shantel showcases the mad mix of Balkan Beats and hip hop at its brilliant best.
Words by :
Jack Kent
