MOBO Awards: From Goldie and Soul II Soul to Stormzy and Little Simz – a look back at 25 years of a game-changing ceremony
As the MOBO Awards celebrate the milestone of turning 25, founder and chief executive Kanya King has told Sky News her focus is on “doubling down” to ensure the music industry is providing opportunities on and off stage for people of all ethnicities and classes.
“You are now starting to see directors and chair people, just formidable people of colour who are trailblazing and changing things,” she says. “Of course there’s still much more that needs to be done but for us now it’s about doubling down. It’s about not only providing the opportunities front of stage but also behind the scenes.”
The MOBOs celebrate and elevate black music in the UK, playing a pivotal role in supporting the growth of black British music internationally and championing homegrown talent – frequently championing artists who have later gone on to sell millions, including some of the biggest names in rap, hip-hop, RnB, soul, grime, drill, gospel, jazz, reggae, garage, drum and bass and beyond.
King pictured with Idris Elba. Pic: MOBO Organisation
Grime superstar Stormzy is among those who credit the MOBOs as being hugely influential in his career, having told King that seeing hip-hop duo Krept & Konan perform at the ceremony was the reason he quit his job to follow his dreams.
“I think his sister used to go to school with one of them and they were unsigned at the time but we’d given them a platform, and he was incredibly inspired and felt like he too could do it,” she says.
Back in 1996, at the very first ceremony, Goldie’s groundbreaking drum & bass debut Timeless won the award for best album and, less than two months after Tupac Shakur‘s fatal shooting, the rapper was posthumously awarded the prize for best video for his track, California Love.
Mixing alongside the music stars and celebrities that night was then leader of the opposition Tony Blair, an unexpected guest to the sit-down dinner. He had been invited by King, but she admits they hadn’t counted on him being able to find time to join them.
Pic: MOBO Organisation
The turn-out, according to the MOBO chief executive, was incredible, but few knew that night how King – back then a young TV researcher and single mum – had, against the wishes of her mum, remortgaged her house to fund the ceremony at London’s Connaught Rooms.
“I was just told, look, there’s not a need for it and black music doesn’t sell,” she says. “You know, no one will get behind it. It’s too risky, you know, you’re wasting your time.”
Motivated out of frustration that the black artists she loved were being overlooked, King was determined.
“People said we shouldn’t use the word ‘black’ but for me it was something to be proud of and be celebrated. I wanted to see more voices, more representation out there because there were no stories being told.”
Jazzie B, the founder of the music collective Soul II Soul, remembers the night well. His band had just returned to the UK after winning a string of awards in the US. The music producer – who picked up MOBO’s award for outstanding contribution to black music – remembers being puzzled by how little recognition they were receiving in the UK at the time.
Jazzie B performing in 2020. Pic: AP
“Not receiving anything from home, it did seem rather odd,” he tells Sky News. “But we were often misunderstood… a lot of the British press didn’t realise we were from the UK.”
Speaking about King, he adds: “This wonderful lady turns up out of the blue… and it was delightful to receive that award on home turf.”
Since that first event, the MOBO Awards has championed hundreds of musicians and singers. Following a break in 2018 and 2019, the ceremony returned in 2020, honouring artists including Headie One and Mahalia. In 2021, Dave and recently announced Mercury Prize winner Little Simz were among the acts who took prizes home.
According to Jazzie B, the major role that King has played in bringing black music and culture into the mainstream cannot be overstated.
“This was a woman of colour honouring people of colour and that made a big difference in terms of, you know, raising us all up,” he says.
“The fact that this was a woman who had the power, the strength – I think [she] very much has led the way for a lot of our sisters, mothers and grandmothers. Just to show, look, perseverance works.
“What was interesting at the time was there was no black people behind the scenes unless they were receptionists or security. From that point of view, it was difficult. What Kanya did was she raised our community… we honoured our own but I think Kanya more felt this was something that needed to be a little more exposed, a bit more mainstream. That was at the beginning of a lot of change.”
The MOBO Awards comes full circle, returning to London for its 25th anniversary celebration next month, taking place at the OVO Arena Wembley on 30 November. It will be live-streamed on MOBO’s YouTube channel with a highlights special due to air on BBC One
Pop star Lana Del Rey has married her alligator tour guide partner in Louisiana, according to reports.
The singer, 39, and Jeremy Dufrene, 49, are said to have obtained a marriage licence in Lafourche parish on Monday and had their wedding three days later.
Footage obtained by the Daily Mail appears to show Del Rey, whose real name is Elizabeth Woodridge Grant, wearing a white dress where Mr Dufrene works as a tour guide in Des Allemandes, south of New Orleans.
Del Rey has not commented on the reported wedding.
Read more from Sky News
Maggie Smith dies aged 89
Lady Gaga can’t let go of Joker character
Comedian receiving end of life cancer care
She met Mr Dufrene in 2019, posting pictures of her on one of his tours with the caption: “Jeremy lemme be captain at Arthur’s Air Boat Tours x.”
Arthur’s Air Boat Tours gives guided tours through the local swamps, where its website says visitors are likely to see “300 species of birds” and “alligators up close and personal”.
Mr Dufrene’s profile page says he previously worked seven days a week at a chemical plant – when he would “shrimp on vacation days”.
“After a little convincing by his family, he got his captain’s licence and started running tours,” it adds.
“Jeremy’s a great airboat captain and loves interacting with wildlife & customers.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The couple were pictured together at Reading and Leeds festival this summer where Del Rey headlined.
She previously dated Scottish singer Barrie-James O’Neill for three years and was last linked to a police officer called Sean Larkin.
Entertainment
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: Woman accuses rapper of further sexual assault allegations in new lawsuit
Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with further sexual assault allegations after a woman filed a lawsuit in New York.
In the fresh civil case, the woman – identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe – claims she was repeatedly raped and drugged at the music mogul’s homes and became pregnant after one of the encounters.
It follows a series of similar legal cases brought by women against Combs, 54, who was arrested at a hotel in New York last week on sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences.
The latest lawsuit was filed on Friday against Combs, his companies and several associates, and seeks undisclosed damages for physical injuries, severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety and other harm.
The woman claims she met Combs abroad in 2020 and that the assaults and harassment continued through to July this year.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rappers dodge Diddy question
She says she was often coerced and harassed into travelling to Combs’ homes in New York, Los Angeles and Miami and other cities, and during every visit the rapper would make her “perform a show” for him.
In one encounter alleged to have taken place in July 2022, the woman claims she blacked out after being forced to take drugs that included ketamine.
She later allegedly took a pregnancy test and told Combs it was positive. She said an associate of the music producer repeatedly demanded her to get an abortion. The lawsuit states she had a miscarriage.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Diddy ‘didn’t do these things’ – lawyer
The woman, who is being represented by lawyers Marie Napoli and Joseph Ciaccio, also alleges Combs and his associates tracked her location and monitored her conversations.
She claims Combs discouraged her from working and gave her an “allowance” that he used to control her.
Read more:
What is Sean Combs accused of?
Former porn actress accuses rap mogul of sex assault
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
“No one is above the law. Fame and wealth do not protect Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs from serious allegations of sex trafficking and abuse,” Ms Napoli said in a statement.
Combs has been facing civil allegations including rape, sexual assault, and forced drugging since November 2023.
He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but remains jailed, having been denied bail. His attorney said he is innocent and will fight to clear his name.
A lawyer for Combs did not respond to the allegations made in Friday’s lawsuit when contacted by the Associated Press news agency.
Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her sons have said.
The actress died in hospital, her children Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said.
In a statement, they said: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Born in Essex in 1934, Dame Maggie became an internationally recognised actress – one of the most versatile, accomplished and meticulous actresses of her generation.
Her first significant accolade came after playing the fanatical teacher in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, which won her a best actress Oscar and BAFTA.
Her second Oscar came for her role in California Suite in 1978 which won her a best supporting actress trophy, as well as a Golden Globe.
Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey movie (2019). Pic: Focus Features/Kobal/Shutterstock
More recently she won a new generation of fans as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey and playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.
Although she was a tour de force in leading roles on the West End stage, she was equally happy – even during the years of her mega-stardom – to accept supporting roles, particularly in films.
Dame Maggie played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. Pic: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc/Alamy
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). Pic: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Downton Abbey TV series won her a series of awards – three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
TV presenter Gyles Brandreth has led the tributes, describing her as “wise, witty, waspish, wonderful” and “one of a kind in every way”.
Sir Keir Starmer posted on X that Dame Maggie was a “true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come” while former prime minister Rishi Sunak described her as “an icon of the stage and screen”.
Meanwhile a message posted by BAFTA said: “Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”
She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in the theatre. She was 18 when she first appeared on stage, in Twelfth Night.
Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of Othello.
She played Mother Superior alongside Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act (1992). Pic: Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock
Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in A Room With A View (1986). Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
She starred alongside Richard Gere in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) Pic: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Some of her best-known movies included: Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.
She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967. They had two sons and divorced in 1975. The same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998. She was made a Dame in 1990.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports6 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports11 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway