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You are in: Nottingham > Entertainment > Music > Rapper with a message

Helen aka Primo XS

Helen aka Primo XS

Rapper with a message

Primo XS, a female rapper from Beeston, doesn't rap about guns and crime. Instead, her music has a positive message that she hopes will help others.

Helen from Beeston is better known to her fans as rapper Primo XS.

She has been rapping for about eight years and believes in herself and her music.

Helen writes all of her own lyrics and also sings on her tracks. Her music is "powerful" and her hope is to rap about things close to people's hearts.

So first of all how does being a female rapper go down in a male populated genre?

Helen aka Primo XS

Helen aka Primo XS

"Most rappers are quite surprised when they hear me; you don't get many female rappers."

Steering away from stereotypical rap music such as those in the charts, Helen does not swear or mention any form of drugs or crime in her lyrics.

Instead she raps about "deep things" that include some painful experiences she has had to overcome in her life.

She describes her music as "optimistic and not aggressive" by turning negative experiences into positives.

"My music is rapping with a message."

Many of the lines in her music are about bullying and racism.

Helen was bullied as a child for her different views on the world. So she is pleased that she can turn these experiences into encouraging music and hopes those going through the same problems can relate to it.

She describes her music as "very melodic" - she feels that being a DJ has a great influence on this.

"I play lots of trance, house and happy hard core, which are all based on melodies - I take this element into my rap music, as I always have a catchy melody in the background of my track."

Her current track 'No More' is about dumping an ex. She recorded it at Band Wagon Studios in Mansfield as a community project with her local community centre in Beeston.

Helen is delighted with the sound of her track as she says it is extremely professional.

last updated: 23/09/2008 at 15:42
created: 16/08/2006

You are in: Nottingham > Entertainment > Music > Rapper with a message



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