THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MOBO AWARDS TO BRITISH MUSIC CULTURE
For over 20 years The MOBO (which stands for Music Of Black Origin) Awards has been a platform that has celebrated artists within the genres of Hip Hop, Grime, RnB/Soul, Reggae, Jazz, Gospel, and Afrobeats. Within its general focal point of Europe, MOBO has played a huge part in elevating the careers of an endless number of homegrown, black musicians here in the UK. Established in 1996, the MOBO awards is the first, black awards show in Europe which was founded by Kanya King. She pushed the agenda of not only celebrating individuals that worked to rise to the surface but also supporting talent that is yet to be discovered. MOBO has since been a large part of the push that supported the rise of UK artists such as Ms Dynamite and Kano as well as present day artists including Stormzy, Krept and Konan and more. All in all, MOBO has worked to surpass boundaries to allow these UK artists to achieve global recognition.
MOBO has now grown to be much more than just an award show. The organisation as a whole has continued to openly commemorates black talent across multiple industries whilst progressing along with the ever-changing music scene. The MOBO UnSung programme has provided unsigned artists with opportunities that otherwise may not have been available. A year’s worth of workshops, performance opportunities and industry expertise has been the driving force behind the uncovering of a number of young artists. Pushing through every initiative to provide to break through, MOBO has been driven by the statement: ‘we believe that every young person should have the chance to succeed.’
In a monumental time where British music is being acknowledged worldwide, MOBO has never lost sight of the honourable successes within the culture of British music. For the first time in the history of British music culture, MOBO also formed a space that saw a great fusion of black British and American talent as the collaborative space continues to expand within British music culture.
As we approach 2020’s MOBO Awards, here are a few highlights that have taken place within the journey of MOBO over the last two decades and its impact on British music culture:
1996
The first MOBO Award ceremony took place in 1996, kickstarting its global resonance with attendees including Best Jazz Act Award winner and Jazz musician Courtney Pine and Lifetime Award winner and American singer-songwriter Lionel Richey. From the very start of its course, The MOBO Awards celebrated some of the most influential artists across the globe.
2001-2002
In the late 90s and early 2000’s, the homegrown genre of garage dominated the UK music scene. The pioneering UK garage group So Solid Crew took home multiple awards from the MOBO Awards 2001 in a prime moment of the genre’s rise. UK Garage also celebrating another win with Best UK Club DJ Winner Spoony. At this moment in time, the genre was not only widely acknowledged but celebrated and introduced to its global attendees.
2002 continued its support for the UK garage scene but saw a celebration on the come up of female garage artist Ms Dynamite winning three MOBO awards on the night.
2004-2007
In 2004, Janet Jackson was presented with the Icon Award, thanking MOBO for its cultural support: “our music grows out of our experiences of life in today’s world, it transcends waters, it’s multicultural, it resonates in the lives of other people everywhere”.
MOBO celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2005 in the Royal Albert Hall with performances from legendary UK and US artists including Lauryn Hill, Kano, Ms Dynamite and Public Enemy. Over these years, MOBO continued to encourage and highlight the growing bond between UK and international talent.
In 2007, the MOBO awarded the late Amy Winehouse with the Best UK Female Act.
2014- 2017
After hosting a number of its Award ceremonies across Glasgow and Liverpool, the MOBO Awards returned to its home in London. “Holding the awards in Glasgow is testament to the fact that MOBO music is the sound of Britain as a whole. The reception from Scotland has been great and we cannot wait to put on our show up there.”
Seeing the evolution of the MOBO Awards across the UK music industry, Sam Smith’s debut album led to him going home with four awards. Against the genre’s other nominees, Stormzy won his first MOBO award as an unsigned Grime artist.
2016 saw the rise of many new coming artists that we now see dominating the present-day charts including the likes of WSTRN who won their first MOBO as Best Newcomer and Abra Cadabra winning the award for Best Song at the age of 17.
The last MOBO Award ceremony took place in 2017 where many of today’s ground-breaking artists were honoured including the likes of J Hus, Mist, Dave, Wizkid, Davido and more.
2020
2020 will be the return of the MOBO awards after taking a two years break. The nominations alone demonstrate the level of growth that has taken place within the music scene since the last MOBO award ceremony.
New nominees include Headie One, Young T & Bugsey, Tiana Major9, Ms Banks, Darkoo, Mahalia and many more. This year’s new, stand out award titles include Best Performance in a TV Show/Film, Best Media Personality, Best Producer and Best African Act where the competition stands as high.
2020’s nominations celebrates black culture on a grand scale with multiple, diverse categories outside of MOBO’s traditional music categories. Throughout the years, we have seen the British music industry surpass beyond expectations with 2020 concluding as a successful year for all.