Newport State of Mind removed amid copyright claim

Director and stars of 'Newport' video talk to BBC Breakfast

A music video parody paying tribute to Newport which became an internet hit has been removed from YouTube following complaints by a music publisher.

Newport State Of Mind has been taken down by YouTube due to a copyright claim by EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

Director MJ Delaney and friends rewrote Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind with Newport in place of New York.

The spoof prompted another version by Newport rappers Goldie Lookin Chain who claimed it lacked local knowledge.

The song is a reworking of Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind

The original song by rapper Jay-Z with guest singer Alicia Keys extols the virtues of living in New York.

Delaney's video became an overnight sensation when it was posted on the internet in July, viewed more than two million times in its first two weeks.

The London-based director and her team rewrote the lyrics of the original song.

The parody includes a string of references to locations, landmarks and celebrities not just from Newport but from Wales in general.

The stars of the video - Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright - won an invitation to the reopening of the Newport Transporter Bridge.

There had also been talk of plans to release the cover version as a single.

Although the originally posted video has been removed from YouTube following the copyright claim, other versions remain online.

These include footage of the live performance at the Transporter Bridge and Goldie Lookin Chain's response.

The BBC Wales Music blog asks: why was the video removed?