On Wednesday night the 16th Mobo ceremony, held in Glasgow, featured first-class performances from dubstep vocalist Katy B, Amy Winehouse's goddaughter Dionne Bromfield, and R&B legends Boyz to Men.
But deserving British nominees such as singer Marsha Ambrosius, who topped the US Billboard chart earlier this year, and rapper Wretch 32, composer of three top five UK singles, went home empty handed. In fact, four awards went to the white singer Jessie J, and another to Adele. Surely, something must be wrong if two of the year's bestselling black British artists are overlooked at the biggest black music event of the year?
Similarly, there was no acknowledgment or recognition for three of the UK's most in-demand live performers: house and techno producer Jamie Jones, reggae singer Gappy Ranks, and jazz vocalist and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson.
The sad truth is Mobo organisers have a tendency of ignoring many of our best musicians in favour of more recognisable, but less talented, performers – irrespective of race, record sales or credibility.
It is 20 years since the father of British neo-soul, Omar, released his groundbreaking debut single, There's Nothing Like This, and 500 years since the first recorded account of a black musician (trumpeter John Blanc) performing in the UK. Additionally, The Story of Lovers Rock, a documentary exploring a pivotal but largely forgotten genre made famous by British acts such as Sade, UB40 and Maxi Priest, was screened nationally in selected cinemas this week. Though October is Black History Month, the ceremony failed to highlight any of these milestones.
More and more, it is becoming increasingly clear that one annual ceremony simply isn't big enough to accurately and fairly represent the diverse range of musicians and genres responsible for creating music of black origin.
More often than not, those who complain about the disparities between the ceremony and the music it claims to represent are black and over the age of 30; people likely to have grown up listening to the sounds of reggae, soca, lovers rock, hip-hop and early UK dance music. This demographic suspect the Mobos no longer represents them; and their assumptions are spot on.
Mobo organisers focus on contemporary British pop stars such as Tinchy Stryder, Dappy and Professor Green. And who can blame them? After all, the show's remit is clearly to feature as many high-profile celebrities as their BBC3 audience can recognise. But in their attempts to make the ceremony more inclusive and appealing to a mass audience, organisers have watered down the event's unique selling point – raw, black musical talent.
Perhaps it's time to develop a new ceremony; an event that honours and promotes the increasing number of artists the Mobos ignore? Clearly, there's a market big enough to support such a venture, but I wonder if anyone will be brave enough to give it a try?
