Ms Dynamite arrested for 'Soho slap'

Ms Dynamite has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman during a row in a West End restaurant.

The 23-year-old rap star, a double Brit and Mercury prize winner, was arrested and released on police bail two weeks later after she visited a central London police station.

A Scotland Yard source said Ms Dynamite, whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley, allegedly shouted at a woman and then attacked her. "It appears there was a heated discussion in the restaurant entrance," he said. "It is not clear what caused the argument, but the woman claims she was slapped. She made a complaint. Miss McLean-Daley volunteered to come forward and was arrested." Ms Dynamite reportedly prefers a quiet life with her fiancé Dwayne Seaforth and son Shavaar.

She was meeting friends at the restaurant in Wardour Street, Soho.

One of the best-liked figures in the music scene, she is respected for her stance against gun culture and her work to stop the violence in rap.

A friend said: "It's not like her to get involved in a row. She hates violence and always tries to make peace whenever there's a problem."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: " Following an alleged assault on 17 September a 23-year-old woman voluntarily attended a central London police station on 1 October.

"She was arrested and bailed to attend a police station sometime in November, pending further investigation."

In the three years since Ms Dynamite shot to stardom, she has spoken out against the Iraq war and appeared on Newsnight saying she might one day become an MP, telling Kirsty Wark that Britain was an "extremely racist country" and that her school in Camden had taught her little black history.

Despite her image as the queen of the London street music scene, Ms Dynamite is the granddaughter of a Scottish crofter.

Last year she was awarded the title of Woman of the Year by Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence.