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Live Review: Tink 'Ratchet Commandments' (Official Video)

8 May 2015 | 2:33 pm | Katie Rowley

Kanye West may have a rival for the title of Chi City’s favourite prodigal child. 19 year old TINK has just dropped a bossy number, in the form of her new..

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 Kanye West may have a rival for the title of Chi City’s favourite prodigal child. 19 year old TINK (not the Adelaide producer) has just dropped a bossy number, in the form of her new single ‘Ratchet Commandments’.

Tink gives women an updated version of the rules for life on the street, updated that is, and remastered, from the late great Biggie Smalls’ ‘Ten Crack Commandments’. Tink’s 2015 version is a manual for millenials. Clearly indebted to her predecessor, the opening line is lifted (almost) directly from Biggie’s verse: ‘I been at this thing for years, it’s been turned into an animal’. She mixes Mean Girls references ("yo can’t sit with us") into the Biblical framework ("thou shalt not") acts as a refrain throughout.

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The young female MC is signed to Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group/Epic Records, and so the track has been executively produced by the man himself. Some might take offence at the slut-shaming, preachy and derogatory themes, but listen through till the end and you’ll find that she’s not just talking about ratchet women – men can also act rather ratchet-ly, "too immature to get a fucking occupation".

Tink suggests we are all too preoccupied with social media and the latest Instagram posts – the song has a distinctly contemporary feel. It may not be as timeless or translate as well as Biggie’s original, but it’s a bold and tongue in cheek move for a young female to take on the rap juggernaut.

Tink’s take contains much more pragmatic content compared to Biggie’s, in which he presents himself like a Moses of the drug underworld. Tink is more about offering out sound and practical advice like this: "If you know your rent due, get the fuck out the club". You tell em, girl!

During her recent set at SXSW, Timbaland told the crowd that the late Aaliyah appeared in his dream to say that Tink is "the one". "I was riding home one day, asleep. She spoke to me in my sleep and said she’s the one", he told the crowd.

Check out the slick new video and look out for cameos from Timbaland – it’s not dissimilar to FKA Twigs' ‘Two Weeks’ video with its Egyptian goddess styling. Tink embodies different personas in the strongly 90s- inspired clip, directed by Dave Meyers, who has worked on videos for Outkast, Missy Elliott and Rihanna. Tink’s ballsy, got flow and seems to be onto a good thing.

Words by Katie Rowley

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