Daggers Ace Nominated For Grime Gong After Music Success

The 29-year-old did the usual stuff a professional footballer would do ahead of the Daggers' Vanarama National League clash at Solihull Moors.

It paid dividends – he scored a second-minute winner and then added his second late on as Dagenham extended their impressive run of form.

But Robinson also makes waves in another world he performs in.

Under his pseudonym – grime artist Kamakaze – Robinson has been forging a career in the music industry.

His 2015 freestyle featured on JDZ Media has racked up four-million views while his song Last Night featured on the soundtrack to FIFA 20.

Despite his success, formal recognition from the industry has been slow to come.

But Robinson – who also became a father last year – feels the tide might be starting to turn after he was nominated for a MOBO Award in the Best Grime Act category.

He said: “It means a lot. It’s a culmination of all my hard work outside of football – I’ve been doing it since I was 12 so to get some recognition for such a prestigious award is really like a ‘well done’.

“My friends and family are chuffed for me because they know how hard I’ve worked so it’s really nice to get the nod for something that is so up there in the music industry.

“To be nominated for a MOBO after all this time is gratifying.

“Apart from being the dad it’s the best personal achievement in my life. It’s something I have worked for for my whole adult life and not really got the recognition I felt I deserved.

“Hopefully this is the first of many where I do get some recognition from the industry and the public so any help on the votes would be appreciated.”

Robinson admits he always wanted to be a footballer first and foremost.

But as his talent and passion for music grew, balancing both has provided a form of stress relief and an outlet to show a completely different side of himself.

“It's always been a passion but football was always a priority for me because that was my dream first growing up and became a career,” he said.

“[Music] just kind of grew with it. It’s an area for expression for me, it’s a side of my you can’t really see on a football pitch because you can’t hear me or see inside my head.

“It’s definitely place I go to to express and relieve stress. It’s always been a really healthy outlet for me.

“Music is a lot more personal. On a football pitch the team comes over you and you become one. But with music it’s just me and it’s very much more about who I am which is probably one of the reasons I love it so much having been part of a team sport for my whole life.

“Some footballers go and smash balls down a fairway or do other things to relieve stress and this is my thing. For it to turn into a career is really pleasing for me.”

You can vote for Kamakaze to win Best Grime Act at the MOBO Awards here.