90s rap star looks unrecognisable years after she shot to fame after getting her lucky break in McDonald’s – c – Daily Mail

A 90s rap star looked unrecognisable as she was spotted in Manchester on Friday, years after she achieved a string of hits as a rapper in the 1990s.

The music star, 53, donned a green coat  and a buttoned up black dress as she left the BBC Breakfast studios in Media City, Manchester fresh from an interview on the early morning programme.

In the early 1990s, the musician achieved a string of hits like Where Are You Baby? and Let Me Take You There.

She often sported a chic style complete with colourful outfits reminiscent of the 1960s and was all smiles as she put on a far more toned-down display during the rare public appearance. 

That’s right, it’s Betty Boo – whose real name is Alison Moira Clarkson.

The singer was on the programme to discuss her part in the new BBC documentary First Ladies of Hip Hop and explained that she got her lucky break after meeting rappers Public Enemy in her local fast food restaurant. 

Betty was part of The She Rockers and signed to the independent record label Music of Life at the time, and spoke of she managed to secure a spot on Public Enemy’s tour the schoolgirls confronted them in McDonald’s.

She said: ‘I found it…it was a really great outlet for me to express myself. When I was 15, I discovered Salt-N-Pepa and it was all over from then. 

‘I wanted to be them. I was half Malaysian, half Scottish. Nobody really looked like me. Even though I look quite European now, I was very different looking now. 

‘I think I was 17. I was definitely 17, yeah, we were just walking past McDonald’s and saw Public Enemy.  

‘On stage, they’re really radical and quite scary figures but we just couldn’t believe we had seen these titans of rap in our local McDonald’s! 

‘I went ‘Oi!’ and they said ‘Oh, you’re obviously rappers, come and spit a 16’ and Griff started  beatboxing. 

They said ‘Awesome, we want to produce your records.’ We were on tour with them, it was great.’

Betty achieved a number 4 album with Boomania  in 1990 but her follow-up GRRR! It’s Betty Boo failed to crack the Top 50 and she did not release another record until Boomerang in late 2022.

The rap star – whose comeback album landed at number 45 – had been forced to quit showbusiness altogether in her mid twenties as she grieved for her mother and other family members. 

She told The Telegraph: ‘I had no choice. I had to leave the industry. It was the right choice because there was no way I was ever going to [continue working]. I grieved for a long, long time over my mum

‘It was a total tragedy. And if I’m honest, I was in automatic mode and didn’t deal with my own grief. I thought in the back of my mind, “yeah, I’ll get back to making music.” But I never did’.