Platinum plus

On April 14, UPN-21 debuted “Platinum,” its latest entry into the race to capture the urban television market.

Hailed by critics as hip hop meets “The Sopranos,” “Platinum” takes viewers behind the scenes of a fictional record label called Sweetback Records.

Jason George and rapper Sticky Fingas from Onyx star as brothers Jackson and Grady Rhames. What started as a small-time operation grew into a million-dollar record company for the duo. The series chronicles their story in the stylistic nature of “The Sopranos.”

It deals with their struggle to stay on top of the game in spite of constant legal issues, cutthroat competition and waning record sales.

Jackson, the business savvy CEO, attempts to make all the moves necessary to keep Sweetback competitive. His younger brother Grady prefers to live at a pace reserved for music videos.

The pair’s contrasting ways are attributed to their father’s infidelity to Jackson’s mother. Throw coming-of-age little sister Jade into the mix, and there’s plenty of room for family drama.

The show starts with a bang and slows to add an air of suspense. Sweetback Records’s No. 1 artist, Versis, feels unappreciated and was already involved with gun play twice since the series aired.

Childhood friend and chief legal counsel, David Ross, was harrassed by a group of thugs to send a message to Jackson to stay away from a rival record company’s marquee artist.

Industry experts, reporters, executives and rappers all approve of the show, applauding its authenticity, yet lack of mockery.

It’s easy to believe that the big names and drama involved in “Platinum” are contained to the screen, but the series had its share of off-screen ups and downs.

The show’s premier marked the end of a two-year battle to bring it to the screen. It was originally titled “Empire.” On board producing and directing are John Ridley (Three Kings) and the father-daughter teamof Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola.

Ratings-starved UPN was looking to gain a chunk of the prime time market for the past two seasons with “Buffy” fans saying goodbye and trekkies saying hello to “Enterprise.”

“Platinum” is sandwiched on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. when many televisions are tuned to heavyweights “Frasier,” “Smallville” and “24.”

“Platinum” will also air on MTV on an eight-episode lag behind UPN.

This show pulls back the curtain and fearlessly gives viewers everything they want to know about the record business, and some things that they don’t want to know.

If you’ve always wanted to venture beyond the beats, rhymes and videos, now’s your chance to go “Platinum.”