Are you one of us that constantly claim we’re not systematically drawn to the fascination of ghetto culture? One of us who tries to define the purchasing of golden chains to the fact that it reflect wealth - not fashion - and just loves The Wire cause it’s so ”real”? We probably have some other things in common too (for starters, we’re not that poor ourselves). This may be a narrow way to describe a curiosity and interest in class - on the contrary it may become exploitation.

The song ‘16 @ War’ by Karina Pasian is not a song that primarily flirts with the phasing-out “ghetto culture”. Karina manage to describe a vivid spectrum of many factors at work simultaneously. The feeling of being sixteen, being a woman, being poor and being unfairly treated. Rather than many others songs with the same focus Karina simply document the brutal reality of many people. Her beautiful, yet massive, voice succeeds to capture the frustrating feeling of being powerless. Forget prior teenage-theme pop songs with contra-productive self-destructive feelings like “sixteen clumsy and shy”. The message Karina broadcast is extraordinarily strong in its own straightness. I hope she keeps on fighting next year.

Karina Pasian - 16 @ War (written by The-Dream, prod. by Tricky Stewart)

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