'It was mad to see Kim Kardashian sing along to my viral diss track'

Millie Bracewell was 16 when she released viral diss track M to the B

"Back then I was just known as the Blackpool chav," says Millie Bracewell, perhaps better known as Millie B.

In 2016, when she was a teenager, she released her song M to the B, a diss track taking aim at rival Blackpool rapper Sophie Aspin.

Fast-forward to 2023 and the song's a viral sound on TikTok, used on a trend embracing "chav make-up". Even Kim Kardashian's got involved.

Some say it's offensive, but Millie says she's not taking it personally.

"Sometimes I do take things to heart but when it comes to that, I sort of embrace it," she tells BBC Newsbeat. "People are copying the way I look in that video, it's a flex really.

"Regardless of how I looked in that video, all girls have done that in the past.

"They've put heavy contour on, their eyebrows might be a bit wonky and it's sort of the look."

'Sort out your manky Scouse brow'

Kim Kardashian posted a video trying to replicate a "chav make-up" look

M to the B became a Blackpool Grime anthem and resurfaced in 2020 during lockdown.

The coastal town developed a reputation for grime music thanks to online battles between Millie B's rival Sophie Aspin and Josh Tate, better known as Little T.

Racking up millions of views online, the scene attracted the attention of Stormzy and Ed Sheeran.

"[Sophie] was doing grime music and stuff like that, I'd seen her on there and I thought I'm gonna send to this girl," says Millie about when she decided to release the song.

"If you don't know me I'm M to the B, coming in hard you better watch out Sophie," she raps.

The music video shows a heavily made-up 16-year-old Millie rapping in a supermarket and a chicken shop, dressed in sports wear with her hair in two buns.

She even makes digs at Sophie's appearance in the song, dissing her contour - "do you want me to lend you a blender?" - and telling her to "sort out your manky Scouse brow".

The TikTok trend - which has, confusingly, become known as the "Essex Girl" trend - sees people trying to mimic Millie and Sophie's make-up looks.

But seeing Kim K do it was "mad", Millie says.

"Kim Kardashian, she's one of the most famous women out there so it is really crazy to see."

Her video has millions of likes and spawned hundreds of reaction clips. Kim later said on Twitter she posted it after losing a bet to her daughter North.

'Personally offensive'

Mia Hollingsworth-Smith grew up on a council estate and finds the term 'chav' offensive

A lot of people sharing the video have praised the usually pristine Kim showing another side to her character, but there's some discomfort around using the word "chav".

It was added to the dictionary in 2005, where it was defined as "a young working class person who dresses in casual sports clothing".

The origins of the term aren't clear, but it's become a negative stereotype linked to council estates that's often considered offensive and classist.

"It's basically saying that people who live on council estates that they're all rough, aggressive, socially unacceptable, really," says Mia Hollingsworth-Smith.

"For me, it feels personally offensive," she says. "It feels personally degrading."

The third-year English student, who grew up on a council estate in Rotherham, says the TikTok trend is ultimately not that funny.

"It's making fun of people who are disadvantaged, which is really, really wrong," she says.

"Ultimately, you're creating a harmful stereotype against people who are probably less privileged than you."

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Now 22, Millie says she's used to people making fun of her song and appearance and tries not to take it personally.

"I used to get a lot of hate for it," she says. "I still get it a bit now but I embrace it a little bit more because I've made something of myself with it."

Millie B is back in the studio making music after the renewed success of her track

For a while she regretted releasing it, but now she's embracing the track and the opportunities it's led to.

"They can laugh at me all they want but I guarantee they're playing it on the way to somewhere in the car - you know, it's a very catchy song.

"Even though it was a laugh and a joke, it made me who I am today."

As for the beef with Sophie, Millie says that's all behind them now.

"Me and Sophie are fine, we're both adults now, we're both mature," she says.

"We were both just teenagers who would dig at each other and say hurtful things. Now we're both getting on with our lives and making something of ourselves."

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