Critics love Welsh spoof of Empire State of Mind

A Welsh spoof of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys's recent hit Empire State of Mind has been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube since it was uploaded a week ago.

Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind) is a spoof that parodies the original's glamorous portrayal of the Big Apple by eulogising such cultural highlights of the south Wales town as Special Brew, Meow Meow, Welsh Rarebit and former CBBC presenter Josie D'Arby.

It stars rapper Alex Warren in the Jay-Z 'role' and Terema Wainwright as Alicia Keys and its success has led to endorsements celebrities such as Rob Brydon and Lily Allen.

The critics have also generally smiled on the down-to-earth spoof. Sam Leith of the Guardian said that not only is it an improvement on the original, but it is an expression of "genius".

Local journalist Kai Jones was less impressed, and thinks Newport (which was also the hometown of novelty rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain, whose songs poked fun at the city) should "take itself more seriously". ·