Tink – “Ratchet Commandments”
It’s been so fun to watch Tink emerge. Ever since her Timbaland co-sign, plenty of people have been hailing her as the next Aaliyah or the next Lauryn Hill, but watching her rap at the beginning of her first-ever interview, I was always more struck by the way she didn’t feel the need to imitate either of those artists. She’s been hacking her way through the comparisons and honing her live show for several months now, and today she put out “Ratchet Commandments,” the latest of several collaborations with Timbaland. And I have to be honest — I’m disappointed. Channeling demeaning, cliquey, “You can’t sit with us” Mean Girls vibes, Tink mocks girls who post a lot of pictures on Instagram. Given the amount of sexist shit women have to stomach if they want to listen to, oh I don’t know, anything in hip-hop, it feels even more disappointing to hear this kind of slut-shaming coming from a woman. Which isn’t to say “Ratchet Commandments” isn’t a catchy song. It is. Timbaland’s rubbery funk complements Tink’s conversational stop-and-go flow nicely, and her rhymes are still delivered with effortless charisma. But hearing a line like “If you know your pussy loose you’re a ho so do better” makes me cringe in the same way that Kanye West’s comments about Amber Rose did. I’m tired of our culture tearing women down for having sex, or implying it somehow makes them dirty if they have it gladly and often. Now that I grouped Kanye and Tink together though, I just started daydreaming that they’ll do a track together. I’m not giving up on Tink at all, but this is the first time new material from her feels like a step backward. Listen below.