2002. Ms. Dynamite, 'A Little Deeper'
Who was she? Niomi McLean-Daley was a 21-year-old rising R&B/hip-hop star from North London. Her debut record, produced by Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nas, The Fugees) and Bloodshy & Avant (Kylie, Britney, Miike Snow), was a garage epic that attempted to cross over into the pop world.
Was it an entirely outrageous choice? Mike Skinner's first record as the Streets, 'Original Pirate Material' was nominated. It's a landmark in British hip-hop, and it's somewhat cruel that it was beaten by 'A Little Deeper', which wasn't forgettable as such, but hasn't really stood the test of time. The Coral's self-titled record is solid enough and David Bowie's 'Heathen' is nothing less than the monument you'd expect it to be, but it's hard to see past the Streets on 2002's list.
What has she done since? After giving her prize money to the NSPCC and being dropped from Polydor, Dynamite was arrested in 2006 for punching a police officer and sentenced to community service. She's since taken time away from music to bring up her son and appear in Hell's Kitchen, but was most recently heard guesting on Katy B's 'Lights On'.