Central Cee, RAYE and Potter Payper are the top winners at the 26th MOBO Awards in association with MOBOLISE, hosted in Sheffield. The UK’s most prestigious celebration of Black music and culture was hosted by Babatúndé Aléshé and Indiyah Polack, with Zeze Millz as the roaming co-host.
The evening featured show-stopping performances from legends and some music’s hottest rising stars that you can only find at the MOBO Awards. From UK rap to Afrobeats, Dancehall to Pop/R&B and Garage; the MOBO stage delivered back-to-back undeniable global viral hits and classic hits by Soul II Soul, Ghetts, Sugababes, Cristale, Byron Messia, King Promise and Camidoh, plus a 30 years of UK Garage set by DJ Spoony.
*** MOBO WINNERS ***
Central Cee scoops two top prizes – Best Male Act and Song of The Year (supported by BBC Radio 1Xtra) with Dave for ‘Sprinter’. This brings Central Cee’s total tally of MOBO wins up to 6, tying with Stormzy as the most-awarded rappers in MOBO history. Central Cee previously bagged Best Newcomer and Best Drill Act in 2021, and Best Male Act and Video of The Year in 2022. The record-breaking song of the summer, ‘Sprinter’, debuted at No.1 on the UK Official Singles Chart in June with 13.4 million streams – the biggest week of streams for a rap single ever, according to Official Charts data. It also became the first UK rap song to spend 10 weeks at No.1.
Following a landmark year with her debut album “My 21st Century Blues”, RAYE continues her ascend winning MOBO Best Female Act (in association with SheaMoisture). This is RAYE’s first MOBO win after scoring three prestigious nominations this year. The critically-lauded album, featuring the massive hit ‘Escapism.’ with 070 Shake, positions the British singer-songwriter as one of the country’s most vital music talents.
London rapper Potter Payper claims the prestigious Album of The Year prize for “Real Back In Style”. After releasing a string of EPs and mixtapes over the past few years; Potter’s debut album entered the UK Albums Chart at No.2 to mass critical-acclaim, praising his disarmingly honest approach and authenticity. This is Potter Payper’s first MOBO Award win, after receiving seven nominations in total.
Little Simz wins Best Hip Hop Act, her first MOBO win in this category after picking up Best Female Act in 2021 and Album of The Year in 2022 (as a joint win with Knucks). Her latest album “No Thank You” earned widespread critical praise, with the Daily Telegraph hailing it as the best UK rap album of 2022.
The enigmatic British R&B collective Sault are named Best R&B Act. After surprise-releasing five albums simultaneously and putting on one of the most buzzed-about live shows of 2023; the group have successfully captured intrigue and great musicality to become one of the most exciting acts of the new UK R&B age. Centred around producer Inflo – who won MOBO Best Producer (supported by Complex UK) Sault’s output spans the kaleidoscope of Black music history; traversing R&B, soul, house music, contemporary gospel, disco, Afro-legacy and Afro-future.
Genre-hopping critically-acclaimed jazz band Ezra Collective continues the winning streak of the past year by picking up MOBO Best Jazz Act tonight. This is the group’s second MOBO win in this category, following 2022’s prize. The quintet’s multi-award-winning album “Where I’m Meant To Be” features collaborations with Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé and Nao. Known for fusing elements of Afrobeat, calypso, reggae, hip-hop and soul; Ezra Collective are breaking the genre’s sometimes elitist rules and creating their own movement.
Multi-hyphenate artist, Shygirl wins Best Dance/Electronic Act (supported by BEMA & Mixmag). The DJ, singer, songwriter and rapper, known for pushing boundaries with her sound, has amassed a cult following which has seen her collaborate with the likes of Lady Gaga and FKA twigs. Five of the six Best Dance/Electronic Act nominees this year are women, highlighting the incredible female talent in a field that has traditionally been dominated by male DJs and producers.
Mancunion rapper and actor Bugzy Malone wins Best Grime Act. As the first Grime artist from Manchester to achieve breakout success; Bugzy shows no sign of slowing down. He has scored five UK Top 10 albums and collaborations with everyone from Dizzee Rascal to Chip, Chase & Status to a new generation of rap stars like Aitch and ArrDee. He launched his latest single ‘Lean’ last year, which follows the Top 10 success of ‘Out of Nowhere’ with Sheffield artist TeeDee – Bugzy’s highest charting single to date.
The 26th MOBO Awards in association with MOBOLISE
WINNERS
BEST MALE ACT – CENTRAL CEE
BEST FEMALE ACT IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHEAMOISTURE – RAYE
ALBUM OF THE YEAR – POTTER PAYPER – “REAL BACK IN STYLE”
SONG OF THE YEAR SUPPORTED BY BBC RADIO 1XTRA – CENTRAL CEE & DAVE – ‘SPRINTER’
BEST NEWCOMER IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NEW MOVIE ‘BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE’ – TUNDE
VIDEO OF THE YEAR – STORMZY – ‘MEL MADE ME DO IT’ (DIRECTED BY KLVDR)
BEST R&B/SOUL ACT – SAULT
BEST HIP HOP ACT – LITTLE SIMZ
BEST GRIME ACT – BUGZY MALONE
BEST DRILL ACT SUPPORTED BY TRENCH – K-TRAP
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT (US) – DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TV SHOW/FILM – DAMSON IDRIS AS FRANKLIN SAINT in “SNOWFALL”
BEST MEDIA PERSONALITY SUPPORTED BY BET UK – SHXTSNGIGS
BEST AFRICAN MUSIC ACT IN ASSOCIATION WITH LOCO MUSIC – ASAKE
BEST CARIBBEAN MUSIC ACT – VALIANT
BEST JAZZ ACT SUPPORTED BY JAZZ FM – EZRA COLLECTIVE
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ACT IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARSHALL – SKINDRED
BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ACT SUPPORTED BY BEMA & MIXMAG – SHYGIRL
BEST PRODUCER SUPPORTED BY COMPLEX UK – INFLO
BEST GOSPEL ACT SUPPORTED BY PREMIER GOSPEL – LIMOBLAZE
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – SOUL II SOUL
IMPACT AWARD – SUGABABES
PAVING THE WAY AWARD – DAME JESSICA ENNIS-HILL
PIONEER AWARD – GHETTS
Photo credit – Donnie Sunshine MOBO Organisation ltd