Not bad for a city that didn’t even have a Pizza Hut in 2010

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The global rap wars of 2009-10 were brutal. With the help of Alicia Keys, Jay-Z released Empire State of Mind, a hit that was quickly parodied by London-based actors Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright, who replaced all references to New York with assorted Welsh ones and enjoyed an internet smash hit with Newport State of Mind. Not to be outdone, local rappers Goldie Lookin’ Chain issued a slap-down of their own, releasing Newport State of Mind (You’re Not From Newport), in which they batted several of the original satirists’ references – Shirley Bassey, Gavin Henson, Craig Bellamy – back at them, pointing out that they appeared to be confusing Newport with Cardiff and Swansea.

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