Britain’s Oldest Rapper Goes Viral After Ambulance Rap Performance [Video]


Britain’s oldest rapper is a great-grandmother of five, who just went viral on the social media after giving paramedics a free rap performance in an ambulance.

Norma Clarke, 78, was on her way to hospital after suffering a severe nosebleed, but that didn’t stop her from breaking out into an impromptu rap session in the back of the ambulance, leaving the paramedics astonished.

A confirmed Dr. Dre and Eminem fan, Clarke burst into her rap performance, telling the story of a recent altercation with a local shopkeeper. While she suffers from both arthritis and psoriasis, the great-grandmother of five and probably Britain’s oldest rapper can still keep up with the best of the rapping youngsters.

Norma’s grandson, Jordan Lynam, was accompanying Clarke to the hospital and captured her rap song, “Sam the Rapper,” on his phone as they traveled from Castle Vale in Birmingham to the Heartlands hospital. Since Lynam posted the video of the oldest rapper on Facebook, it has received thousands of views. A copy of that video is included here.

Reportedly, Norma Clarke made a brief appearance on Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007, but has only now come into the spotlight again. Lynam, 25, told the Mirror Online, “She’s pretty well-known around Birmingham and one of the paramedics knew her face from when she was on TV years ago.”

He went on to say Britain’s oldest rapper was obviously disappointed that she had to go to hospital, but that the rap helped keep her spirits up. He also said he doesn’t know how she does it.

“She’s just a natural performer. She’s got the timing of the delivery perfect. It all goes back to storytelling and poetry she did when she was younger.”

It turns our Norma’s grandson is an aspiring rapper and actor himself, under the name Diamond Lynam. He said they both listen to Dr. Dre together, and she picks up the language from there.

He said the paramedics reportedly thoroughly enjoyed the performance, saying, “She built it up to them and told them the story it’s based on and they were pretty blown away by how good she was.”

A report in the Daily Mail states that Norma is a retired catering supervisor and is mother to four children. She has a further six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

According to Britain’s oldest rapper herself, she has been singing all her life and reportedly sang in the clubs and on ships for years. She added that she has written over 300 songs, which are mainly country and western or rock and roll, but it was time to try something new, hence the rap song she performed in the ambulance and the viral rise of Britain’s oldest rapper.

“I suppose it is a bit unusual for someone of my age but I’ve never really thought about it like that. I’m just glad that people appreciate the talents of someone in my age group.”

Norma added that the driver of the ambulance recognized her from the Britain’s Got Talent show, and asked her to do the rap for him. She was reportedly a little angry that her grandson had caught the whole thing on video.

She reportedly doesn’t write any of the words down and just keeps them in her head and according to Norma, the kids that rap today “are very talented but I’m proof that age is just a number.”

Norma went on to explain that the rap tells the story of a young busker who was asked to leave his pitch by an angry shopkeeper. She reportedly intervened in support of the young musician and the lyrics tell the whole story.

Fortunately, despite the need for a trip to the hospital, Britain’s oldest rapper is now back at home, safe and sound, and ready to rap again.

[Photo via Flickr by Elliott Brown/CC BY-SA 2.0]

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