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Ms. Dynamite

Ms DYNAMITE

Britain’s leading female rap star is nominated for six Mobo-awards at the Music Of Black
Origin show at the London Arena tonight.

1		MS DYNAMITE may be Britain’s leading
		female rap star, but anyone expecting a hardnut
		‘gangsta girl’ is in for a surprise. The 21-yearold
		makes it clear in her lyrics that she is anti
		‘gangsta culture’, drug dealers and black-onblack
		violence. As for her style, she likes to
		keep things low-key, dressing simply and
		avoiding photo shoots that try to make her look
		sexy, because she feels this takes the focus
		away from her music. “I’m not interested in
		flashy material things. Fast cars and diamonds
		are not where it is at.”
2		In fact, Ms Dynamite, whose real name is
		Niomi Daley, seems more like a social worker
		than a pop star. So it was appropriate that she
		invited me to interview her at her former
		secondary school, Parliament Hill School, in
		North London. Within minutes, news of her
		surprise arrival spread through the school like
		wildfire. It is a compliment that local star Niomi is
		careful not to take for granted. She says: “I love
		children and I want to inspire them, I don’t think
		you can underestimate the importance of that.”
3		Niomi proves her point by patiently signing
		autographs and chatting to pupils, making sure
		they understand the importance of good grades.
		The visit to her school is not just some clever PR
		stunt to impress a newspaper. She seriously feels
		the responsibility to give something back to her
		young fans. She says: “I really want kids to realise
		how important it is to have an education. I am
		lucky to be where I am, but I also have exams to
		fall back on if I need them.”

4		Niomi has experienced the hard side of life.
		When she was two, her Jamaican dad, Eyon, left
		her Scottish mum Heather. And when she was 13,
		her mum became ill with cancer and Niomi had to
		care for her young brothers and sisters. Her mother
		recovered, but Niomi has not forgotten the
		importance of setting a good example.
5		Niomi still lives where she was brought up,
		although she is finding it hard to fight the demands
		of success. “It has been crazy lately. I live with my
		family, but I hardly get to see them.” Despite
		Niomi’s new-found fame, she has stayed true to
		her roots and is proud of the social and cultural
		mix of her upbringing. “I have been taught to take
		people as I find them.”
6		Unfortunately, Niomi can speak about __7__
		from personal experience. “When I was at primary
		school, people called me names like ‘black bitch’
		and ‘black cow’. It was weird because I never
		even thought about being a different colour from
		my mum, who is white. As a kid, I didn’t see
		colour, just people. But in a way I am glad I went
		through that because it made me stronger.”
7		The music being recorded by many other rap
		stars is often obsessed with sex, drugs and
		violence. But although Niomi has worked with the
		controversial rapper Eminem, such subject matter
		is not for her. This refreshing approach has not
		brought down sales. So far more than 150,000
		people have bought her album A little deeper.
8		Niomi says: “If I had a pound for every person
		that told me I wasn’t going to get anywhere, I’d be
		a millionaire. But all it really did was make me
		stronger. Every time they said, ‘You can’t do it,’ I
		was like, ‘OK, can you give me the mike now?’”
9		Back at Parliament Hill School, the kids are
		begging to talk to Niomi and they all want to be
		photographed with her. You don’t find many pop stars
		visiting their old school to help a new generation find
		its feet. But clearly, Ms Dynamite is not just
		any pop star.
		The Sun