Spice will stay spicey - Deejay does not plan to change image despite motherhood

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

There are many faces to dancehall deejay Spice. Known to her friends and family as Grace Hamilton, Spice is on one level an astute businesswoman, on another, a raunchy deejay, and, on yet another, a mother and soon-to-be wife.

Hailing from Old Braeton in St Catherine, Spice has always had music on her mind and started her deejaying career in 1999 when she appeared on a show Nuffy had at the time on JACS cable called Many Moods of Nuffy.

Spice entered dancehall swinging, with many comparing her to the Queen of the Dancehall - Lady Saw herself - an influence that the deejay always acknowledges.

With songs such as Fight Ova Man, Not My Fault, Daggering, the humorous Fluffy Vs Slim alongside Pamputae, the controversial Rampin Shop with Vybz Kartel, and the new Jim Screechy, which has been gaining traction, Spice is slowly becoming a dancehall heavyweight.

A more than five-month pregnant Spice sat down with The Sunday Gleaner recently alongside her fiancé Nicholas Lall and their three-year-old son Nicholas Lall Jr.

Spice is known as one of the raunchiest young female deejays, and fans of Spice might have been just as surprised as The Sunday Gleaner to see the domesticated version of the artiste.

Yet Spice, who recently announced that she was pregnant with her second child, is happy to be a mother.

"It wasn't planned but I'm happy. Pregnancy is a gift from God, I didn't think I'd have any kids and here I am," she said.

Boy or girl?

The last time Spice was with child, there was a big hoopla about whether it was a boy or girl. It was a boy. This time around, fans, impending husband and big brother alike will have to wait.

"This time around I'm keeping the sex of the baby a surprise for us. It's always fun to be guessing and having everyone guess what it's going to be," explained Spice.

According to Spice, she has a strong support system in the form of her fiancé, who plays a big role in their son's life as well as hers, and in the form of her family.

Describing herself as the "perfect mom", Spice, despite having a busy schedule, does her best to spend as much time with her son as possible.

Nicholas Lall Jr, Spice says, is a lot like her. According to the artiste, the three-year-old loves the spotlight and is already showing signs of deejaying talent.

To her friends, Grace Hamilton is a laid-back, down-to-earth person who loves life, while Spice is a crowd pleaser and noted performer who takes her craft to the limit.

With her family growing, persons may wonder if Spice plans to change her image; however, the deejay says she has no plans to.

"People expect me to change, stop doing lewd songs cause I'm a mother, stop wearing certain types of clothes, but I don't know how fans would accept me not being the Spice I am today," she said.

Outside of music, Spice has expanded.

Spicey Couture in Half-Way Tree, Spicey Salon, and 8 Ball in Portmore are all part of her 'empire'.

"The businesses are doing extremely well. It's always been a dream of mine to open a store 'cause of my love for fashion. So Spicey Couture was like a dream come true for me. The salon fashion comes in there as well. It's a branch of that. 8 Ball is me and my fiancé operate that; that was his dream, so we're living our dreams together," Spice said.

The deejay plans to keep on operating her business during her pregnancy and recording songs but will be taking a break from the stage shows until after she has given birth.

In the meantime, she has two soon-to-be released singles Tell Me Why and Official Girl with rapper Jay Young.