unexpected, not least from Niomi herself; heraccolades at the MOBO awards and even the BRITs were could have been predicted, but this was a validation afforded only to a lucky few, just one a year.


Even if Ms Dynamite’s mantelpiece had laid barren of trophies that year, the momentum of the album in the charts was providing hit after hit, with ‘Ms Dy-Na-Mi-Tee’ being the sound that became ubiquitous with saying her name. ‘Put Him Out’ was a sassy number that managed to be an edict for female strength against her wayward, violent man, with enough R&B bounce that made it daily fodder for the TV music channels. ‘It Takes More’ again showed girl power as she cut down bragging men at their knees, serving as a response to a lot of gangster rap that promoted money, women and watches as the biggest indicators of happiness. It takes a smart 20-year old to proffer the statement, “Tell me how many Africans died for the baguettes on your rolex…” Blood diamonds and domestic violence aren’t the usual topics for a carefree young woman.


Happy, and successful yes, but you couldn’t call Niomi carefree for sure. As a young girl, she’d witnessed more than her fair of share of tragedy, with the loss of five of her brothers and sisters at an early age; “My mum lost five children, three of them while I was growing up," she says. She lost one child to cot death. One was born with a hole in the heart. Another was stillborn. She had two miscarriages. Tat affected me terribly. Seeing her go off to the hospital to give birth, and coming home alone, with no baby." Te essence of ‘family’ bursts through every vein of Niomi’s body, her one priority that eclipses all the trappings and expectations of the industry. It was that one motivation that made her withdraw from the industry at the height of her success, to concentrate on giving birth to her baby boy, Shavaar, and spending the quality time with him that he deserved.


If we were to park our story there and pick up at the start of this decade, the tale of a headstrong, successful female artist would be an idyllic fable, but not a true one. Like with all good tales, there was a period of struggle that tested Ms Dynamite’s mettle. With Shavaar being a bouncing toddler, Niomi put her mind towards a follow-up to her first explosive album. Te product was ‘Judgement Days’, that although spawned a no. 25 hit in the charts, made no more waves than that. Te formula was similar; her social commentary was backed by well- woven melodies and beats, but what was lacking was hard to put your finger on. Te sentiments were there, but did they lack the venom of her youth in delivery? Had the first album blazed a trail that the


when it came to adding the powerful grime MCing to her release, ‘Lights Out’. Ms Dynamite annihilated the vocal and gave the song the edge that we know she can unleash when she’s on form. More examples of the same followed suit, and Ms Dynamite’s choices on who to work with have been inspired; she’s managed to cherry- pick her projects with enough credibility and dancefloor impact that her own return has been hugely anticipated. Blazing her vocal through ‘Fire’ by Magnetic Man, adding experience to Te Collective’s Children in Need charity single ‘Teardrop’, and providing bangers in the form of DJ Zinc’s ‘Wile Out’ and Laidback Luke and Diplo’s ‘Sweat Trough Your Radio’ has all added childish excitement for the release of


‘Ms Dy-Na-Mi-Tee’ being the sound that became ubiquitous with saying her name


tire marks of the second found it hard to leave an impression on? Rather than push money into its promotion, or court the press for their hand in selling it, Ms Dynamite showed bravery in recognising defeat. Te album was good, but she was possibly her own worst critic; she told the label to shelve any more work associated with the release, and she retreated to the warmth of her family again. Rumours of another release from 2005 ‘til now were little more than that; work was spoken of and even given a name – ‘Democracy’ was supposed to be her 3rd release, but apart from a few TV appearances, fans weren’t going to get their fix of Dynamite ‘til 2010. Enter Katy B… Tere was a new young female face on the scene; having been vocalist herself for Magnetic Man, earning her a legion of insta-fans, Katy B was sitting on her own material to be released. With an education in grime music, Katy B had grown up listening to and admiring her older counterpart, and was a first choice


new Dynamite material. With her name stamped all over it, Ni has treated us to one single so far, the Labrinth produced track, ‘Neva Soft’, which has reggae smoothness, dubby dirtiness and Dynamite’s vocals punching their way through it. It’s a good sign of things to come; hopeful for more of the same, Ms Dynamite gives you confidence when she says, “Today’s about fun and dirty bass lines…”


Promising an explosive live set, Ms Dynamite is firmly back on the scene and back on the live circuit where she’s welcomed the most. Recent performances have blown the venues and festival grounds apart, and no less is promised as she hits Sundown Festival at the Norfolk Showground as part of the line-up of artists across the 1st and 2nd September. With Labrinth performing on the same day, it’s already gonna be banging, but will there be a cheeky collaboration for the masses? You’ll have to get your tickets sorted to find out.


Catch Ms Dynamite as part of the stellar line-up for Sundown Festival at the Norfolk Showground, running on 1st & 2nd September. Tickets are still available, so grab yours while you can from the website, www.sundownfestival.co.uk


outlineonline.co.uk /August 2012/ 13


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